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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 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 four children who may experience emotional and/or social difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has not been in day-to-day charge of the home since December 2021, and has recently resigned her registration. The acting manager has been in post during this period. At the time of this inspection, she had not submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

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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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 22 September 2021

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 3

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improvement to be good

There has been a period where the staff struggled to manage children’s behaviour and relationships. This resulted in two children following planned transitions out of the home. New children have moved in positively, and they are making progress.

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improvement to be good

Children have a mixed experience of relationships with the staff. While some children have good relationships, other children find these difficult because of inconsistent staff practice. In these circumstances, managers offer restorative meetings between children and staff to try and support these relationships.

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improvement to be good

Some children have good attendance in education. They are making progress and they like going to school. Others, who have not been in education for a while, are now transitioning back into school successfully. The children’s attendance in education is preparing them well for the future.

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improvement to be good

Children attend routine health appointments. This helps them to maintain good health. When needed, staff support children to participate in specialist assessments to identify the emotional support that they need. Specialist services help children to improve their emotional well-being. The staff team also work with a therapist, who helps them to better understand the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities. During the summer, some children went on a caravan holiday to the seaside and others went to London. Other activities that they enjoy are trips out for meals, walks, visits to trampoline parks, and go-karting activities. These activities help children to expand their social circles and develop their social skills.

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improvement to be good

Children learn a range of skills that will help them to be independent in later life. The skills they learn include ironing, menu planning, cooking and woodcraft.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to spend quality time with their families. This helps the children to maintain a sense of identity. The time spent together helps children and families to make memories and develop their relationships.

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improvement to be good

On occasions, the staff do not always share information with the manager effectively. The lack of information-sharing does not help to reduce risks to the children’s safety. Some children’s risk assessments are not up to date. After an incident, the staff do not always review the risk assessments to help to manage and reduce these risks in the future. In one risk assessment, there is a lack of detail to Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 4 help staff to understand what the risk is, how to reduce the risk and what to do if the risk occurs. These shortfalls lead to inconsistent staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not yet working consistently and this does not provide clear boundaries for the children. The manager is bringing in a new approach to supporting children’s behaviour. This new approach is a more restorative way of working that does not always involve sanctions being imposed for the children. The new way of working is not yet embedded.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, the staff follow the children’s individual missing plans. Staff go out looking for the children in places where they know they are likely to go. The staff work with the children’s families and the police to help to try and find the children as soon as possible.

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improvement to be good

Staff receive training to enable them to recognise risks to the children. This training helps them to recognise wider risks to children, such as sexual exploitation and how to stay safe online.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to recognise danger and they complete work with the children at a level that reflects the children’s cognitive understanding. The work that children complete includes road safety, online safety and anti-bullying. For some of this work, children receive accreditation and certificates for their efforts, giving them a sense of personal achievement and pride.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager resigned her registration in August 2022. She had not been in day-to-day charge of the home since December 2021. At the last inspection, an interim manager was in post for a period that exceeded 90 days. The authority did not register another manager as required. The failure of senior leaders to ensure that management arrangements provide stability for children and staff affects children’s progress and experiences. This shortfall was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The interim manager does not receive consistent supervision. She has recently received her first supervision under a new management structure. The lack of support has affected her ability to develop her skills and confidence in the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff undertake a range of training. Some training is specific to the children’s individual needs. However, not all staff have completed the relevant residential childcare qualification in line with regulations. Without this qualification, staff are not fully equipped with the skills and knowledge to complete their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff are not receiving regular supervision. As a result, staff practice is not monitored. They do not have the opportunity to reflect on their work and improve their skills. The staff have frequent team meetings where the manager keeps staff updated. Some training is also delivered within these to help staff development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 5 The manager knows the strengths of the service. She has plans to develop the staff team and care for the children. Her management monitoring systems are not always supporting her to fully see where there are gaps for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s six-monthly review has not been received by Ofsted. This hinders Ofsted’s oversight of the progress and experiences of children in this home. There is a delay in Ofsted receiving the independent visitor’s reports. Furthermore, the content of these reports does not help the manager to identify shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has good relationships with other professionals, including teachers, therapists and social workers. Her positive working relationships help to make sure that the children can access the additional support that they need. The manager advocates for the children. She provides challenge to others to make sure that decisions are made in the best interests of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 27 January 2023

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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— 27 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 7 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’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(e)(h))

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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. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 1 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 27 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 27 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

Any person who carries on or manages an establishment or agency of any description without being registered under this Part in respect of it (as an establishment or, as the case may be, agency of that description) shall be guilty of an offence. (Section 11 (1) Care Standards Act 2000) 27 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the person in day-to-day charge of the home registers with Ofsted.

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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: 2594189 9

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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 (lead) Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2594189 10 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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