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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 1 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. The home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021. One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 24 and 25 May 2022 and again on 19 and 20 July. There were significant shortfalls in the safety and protection of children and in the leadership and management of the home. Following the last full inspection in July 2022, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13. Ofsted completed a monitoring visit on 7 September 2022 and judged these notices to be met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2022 Full Inadequate 24/05/2022 Full Inadequate 18/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 3

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improvement to be good

The child’s overall experiences have improved. There are now fewer relief staff being used, and these staff only cover shifts when staff are sick or on holiday. The improving consistency of staffing is helping the child to develop relationships with the staff.

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improvement to be good

The staff are helping the child to look after their health. They have regular talks with the child about the importance of good hygiene and staying well. The impact of this work is not yet consistently effective. Specialist services are advising the staff to understand how to support the child’s emotional well-being. Individual work has also started to help improve the child’s emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

The child is actively looking for work. The staff are supporting them to do this by helping them to fill in application forms. While they wait to find a job, the child is following an in-house independence skills plan. The child sometimes engages in this and sometimes does not. Tasks the child is working towards include cleaning, cooking and baking.

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improvement to be good

The child’s social skills and confidence are growing. They are enjoying a range of activities, some of which are new experiences. Activities they like include going to the fair and going out for meals.

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improvement to be good

The staff support the child to maintain a sense of identity and belonging. The staff help the child to build and maintain positive relationships with their family. They encourage siblings to spend quality time together. The staff support the child and their sibling to undertake activities they like.

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improvement to be good

The child takes part in their own care planning. Their wishes and feelings are listened to. Being listened to is helping the child to feel a sense of value. Regular meetings provide a space for the child to choose their weekly activities and play an active part in the running of the home.

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improvement to be good

There has been no use of physical restraint since the last inspection. The staff talk to the child and support them through any challenges. The child is working towards incentives. These incentives are tailored to the child and are helping to motivate them to achieve their goals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 4 The child does not go missing from the home. However, the staff complete training on what to do should this occur. The staff are completing a range of training courses which are helping them to understand their role in keeping the child safe. The staff know how to report any concerns and feel confident to do this to help keep the child safe. Their learning is new, and they have not been able to fully test this out in their work.

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improvement to be good

Risks are being reduced for the child. The staff talk to the child about how to avoid danger both inside the home and in the community. The staff follow the child’s risk assessment, and this document is regularly updated. The regular review of risk assessments is helping the staff to understand risks and how to manage and reduce them.

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improvement to be good

The manager effectively uses the home’s location risk assessment. She uses it to identify any potential dangers in the local area that could affect the child. The manager seeks the opinions of other professionals, including the police, to help inform her assessment. This meets a requirement set at the last inspection.

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good

The manager is keen to improve the service. She is leading the staff team by example. The registered manager is developing a range of ways to upskill the staff team. She has made sure that the requirements set at the last inspection are met. There are remaining requirements that could not be tested at this time.

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good

The manager ensures the staff are continually undertaking a range of training. The training is helping the staff to understand the child’s needs. The manager is using team meetings to practise scenarios of issues that staff may encounter. The staff’s learning is new and is yet to be embedded in everyday practice.

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good

The manager knows the strengths of the service. She has a focused plan that helps her to target the areas of development. When she identifies a gap in practice, she is quick to take action to address this.

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good

The staff report feeling well supported by the manager. They feel that morale is improving. They have regular supervision sessions, which help them to reflect on their practice and provide them with an opportunity to share any concerns.

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good

The manager works with the child to create individualised daily plans. She listens to their views and, where she can, follows through on their wishes. She monitors the progress the child is making. Her monitoring helps her to see when plans are not going well, so that she can then make changes to help and support the child.

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good

The manager works with other professionals, such as social workers and specialist mental health workers. These good relationships help to make sure that the child’s plans are followed and that they are working towards their goals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 5

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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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)) 11 December

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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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 11 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)) 1 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 6

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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: 2563216 7

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 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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