Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 1 SC035976 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates the home. It provides care for up to four children or young people who experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2022 and is suitably qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/08/2021 Full Good 24/07/2019 Full Good 18/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children currently live at the home. Two children have recently moved in but have settled well and are forming positive relationships with staff. The managers have ensured that, wherever possible, children have well-planned and supported transitions into and out of the home. As a result, children have successfully transitioned on to semi-independent living. The children currently living at the home are well matched with one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience child-centred and individualised care. The consistent approach of the staff helps children to feel safe, secure and make progress. Staff work hard to broaden children’s experiences. For example, staff encourage children to attend activities outside of the home, such as fishing and horse riding, which helps children to develop their interests and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of relationships. They support children to see their families and other people who are important to them. As a result, children enjoy visits with their families and friends on a regular basis. This helps to support children to maintain positive connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in a well-maintained and comfortable environment. Children’s rooms are personalised, clean and tidy. Children have requested some changes to the environment to make it more homely, which the manager is exploring. Staff work exceptionally hard to create an atmosphere that is full of warmth, respect and laughter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is making good progress in school. The managers advocate strongly for children who are out of education until this is resolved. As a result, two of the children recently returned to school after extended periods out of mainstream education. Staff continue to encourage and promote the importance of education to try and improve attendance. However, staff have not documented all the assistance they have offered children around education and other areas where they are providing invaluable support. As a result, the extent of how staff have helped children is not always evident in the children’s records.

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outstanding

Staff work tirelessly to ensure that children are safe and feel safe in the home. Staff apply consistently clear routines and boundaries. Children understand what is expected of them. When children display challenging behaviours, the staff respond with understanding and compassion. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced, and staff have not needed to use physical intervention to keep children safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 4 Managers and staff take any allegations against staff seriously. They work with external partners and investigate all concerns. Investigation and incident reports are thorough and informative. As a result, children have been safeguarded effectively. Staff have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities and are extremely vigilant in safeguarding children from harm. Staff work to ensure that mutual trust, respect and confidence are fully embedded into their care practice.

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outstanding

This support helps children to begin to make sensible choices and be safer.

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outstanding

Staff know children exceptionally well. They put in place high-quality risk assessments that give guidance and support. Staff work closely with mental health services to develop a more rounded understanding of children’s past histories. Staff then connect this to current behaviours. As a result, staff deepen their relationships with children. This means that they are better able to manage any challenging behaviours that may arise.

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outstanding

Children rarely go missing from care. When they do, staff take immediate action to find them and bring them home. Staff welcome children back and show their relief at their safe return. Staff work with children, families and professionals to understand the reasons why a child may go missing. The positive relationships that staff have with the children mean that they recognise and respond quickly to changes in behaviour. Children appreciate the care and support they receive from the staff and are invested in these relationships. This has reduced the likelihood of children going missing from their home.

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outstanding

Staff respond with kindness and understanding to children’s unsettled behaviours. Staff do not use consequences to address undesirable behaviour. Instead, they use their positive relationships with children to acknowledge children’s achievements and promote positive behaviour via excellent role modelling. Children respond positively to this approach and learn from it. This is due to the respect that children have for staff and their belief that the staff have their best interests at heart, which they do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new registered manager and deputy manager have commenced in post. Together, they provide strong leadership. The registered manager is ambitious and committed to children. He has high expectations of staff, who are rising to this challenge positively. Staff feel well supported by managers and have enormous respect for them. Staff enjoy coming to work, with the children and with each other. Staff share the registered manager’s vision for care in the home. This results in meaningful relationships that children value.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and team meetings that support and develop the staff team. Staff have a comprehensive range of training opportunities, including essential courses, such as safeguarding and first aid. However, four members of staff are out of time frames for achieving their level 3 qualification in residential childcare. This has not had an impact on the quality of care provided to children as staff are experienced and have completed other training to support them in their roles. Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 5 The registered manager and staff team have developed strong relationships with all the relevant professionals, including school staff and social workers. As a result, there is good communication between professionals, and the strategies put in place support the children to make progress. Feedback from professionals is overwhelmingly positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has introduced new systems to support his oversight of the home. These systems are effective in most areas. However, there has been a shortfall regarding updating the home’s statement of purpose and sharing this with Ofsted within the required time frames. In addition, the registered manager did not consult with relevant individuals when he carried out the home’s annual location review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recruitment checks of some staff have not been clearly documented so it is not clear in the records that all the required checks have been completed. Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that staff obtain the level 3 qualification within the required time frame. 17 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 17 Dec 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 7 employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to ensuring that full recruitment checks are recorded.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should keep the home’s statement of purpose up to date and share this with Ofsted within the required time frames. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 13, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should consult with relevant individuals as part of the annual review of the home’s location. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 15.1)

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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 children’s home: SC035976 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035976 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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