Children's home run by Derbyshire County Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 1 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, staff were caring for four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is newly appointed and not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living at this home. They are cared for by experienced and dedicated staff. They live in a large, welcoming home that feels very much like a family home. Staff do all they can to support the children and help them achieve their goals in life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to make their wishes and feelings known. They are involved with menu and activity choices. The children were asked about the decoration of the home. They chose colour schemes and furnishings for some rooms. This helps children to have a sense of belonging and to know that their views are respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in education. When children do not have an identified educational provision, staff advocate for them. They pursue professionals to make sure that education, in some form, is provided. Children then have opportunities to learn and work towards securing achievements which will help them later in life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a therapeutic approach in all the work that they do. Staff show children that they truly care for them and that they matter. Staff spend time working with children and building their trust. Consequently, children feel cared about and are more open to sharing their worries with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the children’s complex and individual needs. Staff spend time with children and hold focused individual meetings with them. Children’s progress can be in small increments, but it is progress nonetheless. Staff often compliment children for what they have achieved, and children have a sense of pride in themselves.

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

The manager and staff understand the children’s vulnerabilities well. Safe care plans contain pertinent information that helps staff to keep children safe. The plans are reviewed on a regular basis and shared with staff. This enables staff to remain consistent in their approach to children and keep them safe.

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

When children go missing from care, the manager and staff are very proactive. They work with key agencies to ensure that any information is shared. Due to the relationships between children and staff, children often remain in contact with staff when they go missing. On return to the home, staff prioritise children’s well-being and ensure that they feel welcomed back.

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

Staff always support children with their behaviour and feelings. When new behaviours emerge, staff reflect on the reasons for the change and explore different ways of responding to manage these. An external agency offers reflective practice sessions that assist this process. Staff continually ensure that they provide the best possible support for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 4 When incidents occur, they are recorded in a timely manner. There is sufficient detail in the reports and children and staff involved are spoken with after the event. Management oversight of the incidents can be delayed and some opportunities to learn and make changes to safe care plans are potentially missed.

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

Staff are respectful towards the children and listen to their wishes and feelings. Staff do not enter children’s bedrooms unless children agree. This lack of oversight means that some potential risks do not get identified. This could undermine the safety of individuals living and working in the home.

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good

There have been some changes in the leadership team since the last inspection. The new manager is not yet registered with Ofsted. She is supported by a newly appointed deputy manager. Internal promotions have created some staff vacancies in the team. New staff are being recruited but this has meant some delay in having a full team. This has placed some extra pressure on staff. The leadership team has worked shifts to ensure that consistency for the children is maintained.

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good

The manager works hard to develop relationships with external professionals. The manager advocates well on behalf of children, ensuring that their wishes and feelings are part of decision-making about their lives. This helps children feel empowered and that their views matter.

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good

The staff are positive about the manager. They say she is supportive and listens to their views. The manager leads from the front and is a good role model for her staff. She is committed to the children and both herself and the deputy manager are focusing on the development plan for the home. This will ensure that any known shortfalls are addressed.

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good

Team meetings are held on a regular basis. The leadership team uses this forum to talk about issues impacting on the children and the running of the home. Supervision meetings for staff members are not always carried out in a timely manner and staff are unsure when their next supervision meeting is. There are several key documents that require an update, which the manager is aware of. Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that records of incidents are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning. 21 August 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—

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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 refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and recorded. 21 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The employment of staff standard is that the registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing personal development; 21 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 6 receive practice-led supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once a year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to supervision of staff taking place in line with the home’s policy.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is generally not entered without the child’s permission. However, it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for bedrooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, bedrooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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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: 2642643 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derbyshire County Council, County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2642643 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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