Children's home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 1 SC470928 Registered provider: Nottingham City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four children with learning disabilities and associated communication difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager was appointed on 7 January 2022.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Date of last inspection: 14 December 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/12/2021 Full Good 20/11/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Outstanding 12/12/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 3

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff are supporting children to make progress. Each child has goals that they are working towards. For example, one child can now tie their shoelaces. Another child is working hard to try and tolerate new food groups and textures. Staff support children to achieve. Stakeholders are positive about the care that staff provide for children.

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improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in how staff understand and meet children’s health needs. For example, staff have not consistently shared information regarding children’s head injuries with night staff. This is vital to keep children safe. Furthermore, although staff are monitoring children generally, they had not recorded additional checks that focused specifically on head injuries. The care plan for one child who has epilepsy lacks detail. The detail is necessary to ensure that staff know what signs to look for after the child has a seizure.

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improvement to be good

Staff give children lots of opportunities to participate in social activities. For example, children go to clubs and enjoy going on holiday. One child has made progress with their independence skills; they do voluntary work and can go into town on their own.

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improvement to be good

Children have good educational routines. When children can do things for themselves, staff encourage them to do these in a way that is supportive. For example, one child packs their own school bag. Children’s communication skills have improved since the last inspection. This is because staff are helping children to use more signs, symbols and pictures in the home.

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improvement to be good

There have been three separate incidents where staff have not prioritised the safety and well-being of children above their own interests. There was one incident where staff colluded with each other and were not transparent about an incident that took place involving two vulnerable children. During some incidents, there is evidence of some staff not escalating concerns, even when they relate to the potential safety of children. Staff are not following on-call manager systems appropriately. Not all staff have adhered to safeguarding policies or professional codes of conduct.

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improvement to be good

Some children have been exposed to health and safety risks. For example, there was one incident where staff drove a vehicle without ascertaining whether it was safe to drive. This followed an incident where the vehicle had been damaged. Furthermore, staff left the ignition keys accessible to children. This increased the risk of harm to children. The manager has taken appropriate action in respect of poor staff safeguarding practice to prevent children from coming to any harm. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 4 Some children have specific sensory needs, and their risk-taking behaviours change in cycles. However, when risks change for children, their plan managers and staff do not always update their plans to reflect this. For example, one child’s plan states that staff should remove the child’s bedroom curtains at bedtime. However, staff are not working to this plan, and the curtains have remained in place. This is because

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improvement to be good

the child has stopped shredding their curtains and, consequently, risks have reduced. Therefore, the plan is out of date.

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improvement to be good

Although the manager has a good overall understanding of children’s risk-taking behaviours, children’s plans do not fully detail these. This is necessary to protect both children and staff. Staff are not consistently having meaningful debriefs following serious incidents. This is a missed opportunity for learning.

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improvement to be good

There was one occasion where a child made an allegation against a staff member. There is no evidence of the manager having spoken to the child about this. This is necessary to ascertain the child’s view and ensure that they feel safe.

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good

The manager and responsible individual recognise that there are some shortfalls in practice. Although the manager does take effective action once she is aware of the concerns, there remains an issue of staff not escalating concerns appropriately. This hinders the manager’s ability to respond to the safety of children in a timely way. The manager is taking steps to address this shortfall through reaffirming child protection policies and professional codes of conduct with staff.

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good

Staff are unanimously positive about the support that they receive from the manager. However, staff supervision sessions are not always prioritised or impactful during busy times. One staff member had a three-month gap between supervision. Another staff member raised a concern in supervision. However, this concern was not recorded in the supervision document. Furthermore, no actions were set by management to specify how these concerns would be addressed. Additionally, the manager is not yet sufficiently exploring gaps in some staffs’ employment histories as part of safer recruitment practices.

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good

Management oversight is not consistently evident across children’s paperwork. For example, in respect of a lone-working risk assessment, the manager decided this was no longer necessary, but failed to provide a rationale for why risks had changed. Also, when children have had room searches, managers and staff do not complete paperwork in sufficient detail. Records fail to evidence the outcome of room searches. The manager and deputy manager are not yet working succinctly enough to ensure that all actions they set are actively reviewed to consider the impact on children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 5 The manager has made improvements to the home environment. A beautiful sensory garden is available for children to use. However, there is one bathroom that needs some maintenance work. This work is planned, but not yet completed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that—

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Requirement Due date

staff understand how to monitor children effectively after they have had a head injury;

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Requirement Due date

staff understand how to monitor children after they have had an epileptic episode. Risks and care planning for children should be recorded in children’s care documents;

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Requirement Due date

all children’s head injuries should be reported as part of the staff handover process. 23 April 2023

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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. 23 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 7 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that—

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Requirement Due date

staff act with integrity, uphold professional standards and escalate concerns effectively. Staff should always prioritise the safety and well-being of children;

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Requirement Due date

children’s high-risk behaviours should be described in detail in their care planning documents. This is to protect both children and staff. Staff should receive quality debriefs following any serious incident; Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 8 documents completed by staff should be accurate;

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Requirement Due date

staff do not transport children unless they can be assured that the vehicle being used is safe. Car keys should never be left accessible to children;

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Requirement Due date

children’s health and safety risks remain updated in their care planning documents;

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Requirement Due date

children are spoken to and their views recorded following any serious complaint or allegation made;

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Requirement Due date

children’s views are recorded after any room search. The manager should have oversight of all room searches.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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— 23 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 9 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)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that—

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Requirement Due date

they have oversight of any work delegated to the deputy manager;

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Requirement Due date

staff contact the on-call manager whenever necessary;

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Requirement Due date

staff receive regular supervision. When staff raise concerns in supervision, these should be recorded. The manager should detail what actions will be set to address concerns raised;

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Requirement Due date

lone-working risk assessments for staff should only be changed if there is evidence to suggest why the risks have changed. This is necessary to protect both children and staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. The home should be a homely, domestic environment. The home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations, such as installing alarms and having good food hygiene. However, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This specifically relates to removing locks if they are not in use and furniture being secured safely. The home should be free from odour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should be responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 10

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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: SC470928 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottingham City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3NG

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Inspector

Andi Lilley-Tams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC470928 12 regulates and inspects 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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