Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 1 SC441553 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and manages this home. It provides care for up to five children who experience social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has left the home and a new manager has been in post since December 2021. She is awaiting her outcome of her registration interview with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 October 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2021 Full Good 12/02/2020 Full Good 28/02/2019 Full Outstanding 07/11/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 3

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improvement to be good

There are not always enough staff to support the children and meet their often complex needs. Sometimes, children miss out on planned activities and quality one- to-one time because staff need to support other children. The core team of staff have been covering additional shifts and they say that this leaves them feeling tired. Recently, staffing has increased to three staff working most evenings and at weekends. The acting manager uses staff who the children know from agencies or relief staff from the local authority to cover these shifts. This helps to provide the children with some stability.

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improvement to be good

The needs of some children are conflicting. Some children do not get on well with each other. Staff sometimes struggle to help these children to reconcile their differences. Some children feel that others have had a negative impact on their experiences in the home and there have been recent incidents of bullying.

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improvement to be good

The children live in a home that is generally in good condition and provides a homely feel. However, delays in attending to the bedroom for a child is resulting in a poor and unhygienic sleeping environment. Action was taken during the inspection to start the process of replacing the flooring and improving the room.

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improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with staff, particularly the core team of staff who have known some of the children for several years. The staff show the children they care about them. Most children talk to staff about their worries because they know they will be listened to.

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improvement to be good

The staff help the children to attend education. This prepares them well for gaining qualifications for when they leave school. Some children have good attendance and are supported to get to their school or college every day. Staff are working to help other children to find an education placement which reflects their learning needs. One child is not attending education. Staff are making ongoing efforts to help them to understand the importance of learning.

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improvement to be good

Work that staff do with children around the dangers of smoking is not effective. Some children continue to smoke in the garden. This places their health at risk. Other children witness this and are influenced by what they see. There is evidence of smoking, including cigarette ends scattered around the garden and driveway of the home.

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improvement to be good

Children who need specialist emotional support are offered this through outside services. These services also provide staff with advice on how to support the children emotionally. The staff support the children to attend medical appointments, which helps them to stay healthy and develop positive habits for the future. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 4 Older children participate in a structured programme to develop the skills they will need as young adults. Some children do exceptionally well. Other children are reluctant to become involved in this planning as they do not feel that they are ready.

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improvement to be good

Some children’s risk assessments do not include all their current risks. Some risk assessments to not detail clear steps for staff to take if a risk occurs. Children’s risk assessments are not always updated quickly enough following incidents of concern. The lack of information in risk assessments does not provide clear guidance around risk management to make sure that responses are consistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to children to educate them about dangers and risks to their safety, including risks in the community and online. This work is ongoing and sometimes children take the learning on board and other times they do not.

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improvement to be good

Staff use their positive relationships with children to support them in crisis. Restraint is not used in this home because staff generally manage to diffuse difficult situations. There has been an increase in some behavioural issues recently. The staff manage the incidents and children respond well.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff are up to date with safeguarding training. Staff know what to do when there is a safeguarding incident, including when children are missing from the home. The efforts that staff make to find children who are missing are good. Staff go looking for the children and the children know that staff will act to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

There is a risk of fire when children smoke in their bedrooms. This was addressed during the inspection and managers have taken some action to provide higher levels of vigilance to reduce these risks. Ongoing work around managing fire risk is now underway.

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good

The acting manager has been in post since December 2021. She is awaiting the outcome of her interview to register with Ofsted. The acting manager was not present at this inspection.

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good

At times, the acting manager balances management duties with helping on shift due to staff shortages. This takes her away from management tasks, including management monitoring and oversight tasks. This hinders the development of the service.

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good

The monitoring systems do not help the manager to identify gaps in daily practice. For example, the quality of risk assessments, staff training and oversight of children’s behaviours are not always effective. There is a lack of monitoring of one Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 5 child’s particular needs, which results in negative experiences for the child and others. The lack of management direction leaves staff uncertain about expectations.

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good

The manager responds to external monitoring, and this monitoring has improved since the last inspection. The manager recognises the strengths of the service, as well as many of the areas for wider development. She has development plans in place to help her focus improvements.

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good

The staff receive training. This training is not always specific to the children’s very different and complex needs. The lack of specific training does not help staff to develop their care skills. Staff have not had training to support them with one child’s particular health needs. This means that staff have varying knowledge about how to respond to incidents.

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good

The manager’s communication with other professionals, including social workers, specialist mental health services and educational professionals, is good. She shares information effectively to support the children. The acting manager is a strong advocate for the children. She raises concerns with her senior manager when the children are not getting what they need.

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good

The staff feel well supported by the acting manager. They all receive regular supervision. However, annual appraisals of staff practice do not take place. This is a missed opportunity for staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 6

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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

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(iv)) 1 December 2022

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(d)) 1 December 2022

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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— 1 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 7 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 1 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(c)) 1 December 2022

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, Knoll Street, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire DN35 8LN

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson, Social Care Inspector Jane Titley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC441553 9 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

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