Children's home run by YMCA

Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 1 Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered and qualified and has been in post since February 2022.

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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 good

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 September 2021

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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: 2588599 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy, settled and content. They benefit from staff showing them emotional warmth and genuine affection. The children develop a sense of belonging and have a range of positive experiences. As a result, children are nurtured and feel secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged and supported to explore their interests and hobbies. They express their individuality and take pride in their success. Staff are confident in meeting the children’s needs while helping children to develop their individual identities. This contributes to the stability of the children’s placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Good arrangements are in place to support children to spend time with their families. The staff regularly involve parents, carers and important family members in decisions that are made about the children. Communication with important family members is very good. One parent said, ‘I would give the home five stars, we are very proud of how well they (children) are doing.’ Staff understand the importance of these strong and important relationships to children. Consequently, this helps children to be happy and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend school. They have good school attendance, and the staff work with education professionals and social workers to ensure that children are supported to achieve the targets set for them. When children are absent from school, the staff work hard to motivate and support them to get back into school quickly. This leads to a positive culture that promotes school attendance and achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to express their wishes and feelings. However, there is little evidence of children’s comments influencing how their care is provided or the wider development of the home. Children’s feedback is not always captured, and their views are not always recorded. This limits their participation in how the home develops.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Their health needs are well considered and met by staff. Staff work very closely and proactively with a variety of health services. They support children to attend healthcare appointments. This maintains children’s physical and emotional well-being.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children have trusting relationships with the manager and staff. Children know they will be listened to and taken seriously if they have any worries or concerns. Consequently, children have the stability they need, which helps to keep them safe and secure. Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 4 When children go missing from care, the manager and staff are diligent in following the home’s protocols and procedures. Recording of such events is detailed and clear. In the event of a child going missing from care, the staff will search the local area and try to contact the child. They work closely and proactively with relevant involved agencies and professionals to find the child and bring them home safely.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff understand the risks posed to and from children. Children’s individual risk assessments are detailed, regularly reviewed, and updated. Staff understand the children’s risk assessments and what they should do to keep children safe. Staff support children to develop their independence skills, and this often means children doing things for the first time. As a result, children’s confidence increases and they develop resilience.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff are provided with the safeguarding training and development they need to keep the children safe. Staff do not yet benefit from further discussions in their individual one-to-one meetings with managers and team meetings on wider safeguarding matters.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy with any aspect of their care. They are provided with information to support them in this process. However, children rarely complain. This is because they discuss their concerns with staff, who proactively address any worries children have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated manager. He is a positive role model for children and staff. He demonstrates a genuine commitment to helping children to make good progress in all areas of their lives. This is instrumental in the good standard of care provided. Staff speak passionately about the children and their progress. As a result, the team has confidence in the manager and values the leadership he provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a genuine sense of commitment and loyalty. There is a real sense of family between the staff and children. Children are at the centre of everything the team does. As a result, children have considerable trust in the staff and the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some effective management systems are in place. However, internal assurance practice does not always have management oversight. This includes oversight of records and the views of children on the care they receive. This area requires further strengthening.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recruited a diverse team, which enriches the quality of care. Staff are supported by managers in their roles. They receive daily support and guidance. Some members of the team are new. The manager is working hard to embed a positive ethos and environment in the home, which helps to make sure that care is consistent. Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 5 The manager has plans to continue to develop and improve the home further. He speaks with passion about the home and children and demonstrates a genuine commitment. The home needs decoration in some areas, and some rooms would benefit from some improvement. The manager understands this and has plans in place to improve these areas. Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the monitoring of the home’s records and plans. 9 January 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are actively encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ and supported to view and contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  The registered person should ensure that the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions reflect discussion on safeguarding issues which allows staff to reflect on their practice and the needs and risks of children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. Children’s homes, in most cases, should be homely, domestic environments. This relates to the need for

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Recommendations

interior decoration and repairs in some areas. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 7

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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: 2588599 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malty Cross Limited, 16 St James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kelly Gliszczynski

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Inspector

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2588599 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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