Children's home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire Dales

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 1 SC062536 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager who was appointed in March 2022. The manager is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of the visit was to monitor the compliance notices set at the full inspection on 4 and 5 July 2022. The evidence gathered at the monitoring visit showed that leaders and managers continue to address all of the shortfalls as set out in the compliance notices. The manager and team are improving practice in the areas identified. The steps set out in the compliance notices are deemed to be met. However, management monitoring processes are new and yet to be fully embedded into practice.

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This monitoring visit

Reflective practice is evident, and reflective discussions are taking place in one-to- one meetings and team meetings. Managers and staff meet to discuss the progress and support needs of each child. These discussions often include external professionals and stakeholders, such as healthcare professionals. Managers plan for this to continue to drive forward improvements.

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This monitoring visit

Most staff have now received the necessary training to support them in keeping children safe. Further training sessions are planned, and managers are continuing to develop training for staff. Workshops have been arranged to enhance staff practice and introduce therapeutic approaches. It is acknowledged that it will take time to build staff’s confidence and skills. Giving staff the skills and knowledge to protect children and promote their welfare is a priority.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are clear about their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff have responded to incidents appropriately, and they follow the children’s safe-care plans. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 2 Managers are quick to respond and make sure that children’s plans are reviewed, and reflective discussions take place. As a result, staff are now more accountable for their actions in respect of children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

Recording of incidents has improved. Written records are clear and detailed. Incident records now have management oversight. This includes an evaluation of the incident and any actions that need to be taken. This supports staff to continue to develop and reflect on their practice. These processes are in place, but there has been insufficient time to assess whether this improved practice is embedded and can be maintained.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff update children’s risk assessments regularly. These documents provide staff with clear guidance and strategies to support them in providing safe care to children. Managers recognise that further work is required to embed good practice and for the team to have a consistent approach in how they protect the children in their care.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the identified shortfalls, children have positive relationships with the managers and staff. Day-to-day care is more structured, and children benefit from having a dependable routine. Managers are overseeing these changes in practice. Consequently, there has been a reduction in the number of incidents taking place in the home, and children are beginning to feel safer.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are prioritising building a stable, skilled and consistent staff team, but this work is in progress and yet to be achieved. Staff morale and communication in the home have improved. Managers and staff are committed to making a positive difference in children’s lives. While improvements in how the home is run are evident, given the short timescales in which they have been made, the capacity to maintain these improvements will be key. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2022 Full Inadequate 09/02/2022 Full Good 15/10/2019 Full Good 20/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers continuing to escalate concerns and involve local authorities when plans are failing to keep children safe. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to sufficient and consistent staff completing training and following safeguarding processes to keep children safe. 25 September

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 25 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 5 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to the deployment of sufficient staff with relevant skills, knowledge and experience to safely care for children. In addition, ensure that managers are quick to respond and make sure plans are reviewed and that action, where appropriate, is taken to develop the quality of care provided.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers working effectively with other agencies when children’s needs are not being met and/or the impact of a child’s placement is putting other children at increased risk of harm. 25 September Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 6 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to providing proof of qualifications for staff and having an effective system for accessing such information in the home. 25 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derbyshire County Council, County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspectors

Thirza Smith and Linda Mason, Social Care Inspectors Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC062536 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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