Children's Home run by City of Doncaster Council in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 1 Registered provider: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was previously registered with Doncaster Trust. On 1 September 2022, the home re-registered due to a transfer in legal identity. The home is now run by Doncaster Council.

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at this home.

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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 inadequate

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 3

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improvement to be good

Children have variable experiences of moving in and from the home. Some children have introductions and visit before they move in, and their move is planned. Children receive a booklet to explain what living at the home is like. This does not tell children about all aspects of their home life and support.

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improvement to be good

A child moved into the home as a directed admission. The manager and responsible individual did not agree that the home could meet the child’s needs due to the complexity of the child’s behaviours and risks, and that they were not a suitable match for the other children already living in the home. The emergency nature of the child’s move has meant that the child did not visit the home. Staff and children living at the home were not well prepared for the child’s arrival. The dynamics in the home changed significantly for a short period of time.

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improvement to be good

During this time, incidents increased and children experienced disruption in the home through the day and night. One child was the victim of multiple threats of significant harm. Children and staff were assaulted and police support to the home increased. Children living at the home were unhappy and their views about their home altered.

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improvement to be good

The staff team was not able to effectively care for all children. The escalating risks and a serious incident meant that the child that had moved into the home had another unplanned move.

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improvement to be good

Children currently living at the home have quickly rebuilt their trusting relationships with staff. They talk with staff about what is going on in their lives and use advocacy services when they wish to make a complaint. This ensures that their views are heard by all professionals.

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improvement to be good

Children who have lived at this home for a longer period of time make progress. Staff recognise how important it is for children to spend time with their families and support this. Staff set goals for children which improves their diet and physical health. Children learn important life skills as they complete independence programmes.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote children’s individual learning needs. One child has a bespoke education plan and now learns with peers in a classroom setting. Other children enjoy college courses after sitting their secondary school exams.

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improvement to be good

Children develop social skills, identity and self-esteem as they have regular recreational activities and social interactions. One child enjoys playing golf and is now a proud member of the local golf club. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 4 The home is appropriately maintained and clean. Children personalise their bedrooms and have a large garden and games room to play in. However, the locks on doors are not in keeping with a family home and provide an institutional feel.

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improvement to be good

The manager and responsible individual work with professionals to assess risks for children and create safety plans. Collaborative working was not effective when one child was poorly matched to live at the home. The risks for children increased as incidents in the home and community occurred.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been unable to protect one child from concerns relating to antisocial behaviour and exploitation. Staff regularly followed missing-from-care protocols and managed serious incidents involving members of the public. However, the risks were too great to manage and to keep the child safe.

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improvement to be good

Support from the police has been needed to manage unsafe situations in the home. At times, children have stayed in their bedrooms in order to keep themselves safe. Furthermore, concerns around children potentially accessing illegal substances increased.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments provide staff with guidance on how to keep children safe. The review of one child’s risk assessments during a period of crisis was not consistent. The failure to include key information has the potential to limit staff’s response to the risks for that child when out in the community.

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improvement to be good

Trained staff apply the home’s model of care. The use of physical intervention is rare. When needed, staff apply this proportionately. However, the records of physical intervention are not always completed in a timely way.

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improvement to be good

Staff educate children, provide structured routines, and help them access specialist services. Over time, some children become less vulnerable to exploitation, drugs and criminal activity. They no longer go missing from care and are safer in the community. Children recognise this change and say this is because of the help they have had from staff.

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improvement to be good

Fire safety practice in the home requires improvement. The assessments made for recent changes to the evacuation routes are not thorough. The strategies to support children to exit the building in the night, in the event of an emergency, are not recorded. However, children understand what to do, as they talk with staff about these changes and have come to no harm as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose indicates that the home does not take emergency admissions. However, leaders and managers have failed to follow the clear process and criteria for admitting children to the home as detailed in the statement of Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 5 purpose. This significant omission has led to a child moving into the home as an emergency placement. Poor matching and a lack of sustainable and effective strategies to support the child’s placement have failed children. Children have experienced significant change and disruption as a result of these decisions. A lack of formal senior management reflection and review means there are no assurances that a similar situation will not reoccur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been promoted, having previously worked at the home as the deputy manager. She knows the children well and is a consistent leader for the staff team. The mentorship of an experienced manager assists her learning about the new role and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Regular management audits take place. The manager’s oversight, however, is not effective. She does not identify the inconsistencies in the quality and completion of home documents and case file records for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The locality risk assessment is kept under annual review. The manager does not include the views of key professionals or current information when new significant risks emerge. There are missed opportunities to assess the safety and suitability of where children live.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is not fully staffed. Staff, however, describe a sense of ‘belonging and togetherness’ within the small team. Reflective supervision and monthly team meetings allow for frequent discussions around work practice. Staff complete induction programmes, training and qualifications, which gives them confidence to complete their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The need to increase staffing levels has meant agency staff have worked at the home. Agency recruitment procedures are not effective. The manager fails to demonstrate thorough assessments to show that temporary staff are suitable to work with children before they work in the home. Insufficient safer recruitment practices place children at risk of significant harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 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, the 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments are kept under review when incidents occur, that they are individual to the child and include an assessment of all known risks. 16 December

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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

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 7 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must undertake a review of the placement matching process and the recent experiences of children in order to inform the development of the quality of care provided to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must implement an effective system to monitor the quality and timely review of home documents and children’s case file records.

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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.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 8 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children move into the home in accordance with the admission criteria, assessment and introduction process outlined in the statement of purpose and with agreement that the placement is appropriate and able to meet the child’s known needs.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any changes to evacuation routes are assessed by a competent person and that accountability is documented for the staff allocation of house door keys. 16 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

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, 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) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 9 The registered person must implement a system to ensure that recruitment checks for agency workers confirm agency workers have the skills, experience and are suitable to work with children.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 10 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i) (ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all records of restrictive physical intervention are complete within the required timescale.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they consult with relevant people when completing the locality risk assessment and that the assessment is updated when new risks emerge. 16 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is not institutional and that children have access to all living areas of their home. Any decisions made to limit children’s access to an area are for safeguarding purposes, and are to be supported by an individualised rigorous assessment for that individual child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide includes information about all aspects of children’s support. The guide should set out, in child-friendly language, the home’s policy on physical intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)

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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: 2701843 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Doncaster Council, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Richardson

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Inspector

Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 12 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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