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

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 1 Registered provider: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 three children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at this home, but a new manager has been appointed and is in post.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 30 and 31 October 2022

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

The children live in a welcoming and homely environment. Their bedrooms are decorated to their taste. The gaming room has recently been redecorated in line with the children’s views.

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The care of children

Children have trusting relationships with staff and positive relationships with each other. One child who has recently moved in says that she feels ‘comfortable’, and all of the children spoke positively about the care that they receive.

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The care of children

When children move in, they are given a child-friendly guide to the home. This helps them to understand every aspect of how they will be looked after. The other children who were already living at the home speak positively of how the recent admission was managed and say that they were ‘kept in the loop’.

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The care of children

The recent pre-admission assessment did not explore all of the known risks or consider the potential effect on each of the children, given their individual vulnerabilities. On this occasion, there was no impact on the children. However, the assessment process should properly evaluate the specific needs of each child.

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The care of children

Staff work alongside other professionals to ensure that children’s time with their families reflects their best interests.

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The care of children

Education is promoted and all of the children now attend full-time education. One of the children has successfully transitioned into a classroom setting, when they had previously needed one-to-one support.

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The care of children

Children’s health needs are met and, when necessary, staff will seek specialist advice. The children enjoy a wide range of activities which reflect their likes and interests. Children’s views are regularly sought using and children also have regular advocacy support.

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The safety of children

The manager has updated the area risk assessment and now consults regularly with other services to ensure that any changes which might have an impact on the safety of the children are addressed. The staff know and follow plans that help the children to be safe when they are in the community, including welfare telephone calls. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 3 Children rarely go missing from the home. When they do, the actions of the staff help to locate them quickly. Children access return home interviews and are also supported by an advocate, who visits them regularly.

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The safety of children

The staff know the children well. They are able to quickly identify if potential risks change, and they will alert other professionals accordingly. The children say that they feel safe. One child described the actions of the staff as ‘over-parenting’, although they understand that this is in their best interests.

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The safety of children

No children have been restrained since the last inspection. Staff use their de-escalation skills to diffuse any situations before they escalate.

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The safety of children

Children’s risk assessments are updated regularly. However, the shortfall in the matching assessment means that there is a gap in staff’s understanding of the needs of one of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The acting manager is supported by two deputies. New staff have received a thorough induction and feel supported by both the manager and the established staff team. One member of staff said, ‘It is a pleasure to come to work. The children and staff are all lovely.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Improvements have been made to monitoring and auditing tools in light of the previous inspection. Some of the changes have not yet been tested and it is too early to evaluate the impact that they will have on the quality of service. Staff, alongside each child, produce a detailed monthly summary which considers children’s goals and targets. This enables children to track their progress and also to comment on the care that they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The independent person provides regular reports. However, on one occasion, they had not recorded an episode of a child going missing from the home. This undermines the effectiveness of external monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The previous requirement relating to the monitoring and quality of records has been met. Admissions are now aligned with the statement of purpose, and children are kept informed. The fire safety work has been completed and locks on doors have been changed to enable quick evacuation if needed. Recruitment of new staff appointed to work permanently at the home is aligned with safer recruitment practice. The location risk assessment now includes consultation with the police to help better understand the potential risks for children. Staff and children have all confirmed free access to all aspects of the home. This now provides children with a lovely, homely and comfortable home environment. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 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

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 provider must ensure that children’s risk assessments are kept under review when incidents occur, that they are individual to the child and that they include an assessment of all known risks. 30 January 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that the information in the independent visitor report is accurate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.50) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

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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

Laura Grundy, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2701843 7 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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