Children's Home run by Grace Care Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 1 SC436818 Registered provider: Grace Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to three children with learning disabilities. Children were not present during this visit.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager and responsible individual remain absent from the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the progress made by the home in response to the compliance notices set at the last inspection. The registered manager remains absent from the home. The responsible individual has recently resigned, although has not yet submitted their resignation to Ofsted. Since the last inspection, a new interim manager has been appointed. They have recently started work at the home. An interim responsible individual, along with one of the home’s directors, is supporting the management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

A recent whistle-blowing complaint about poor practice is currently being investigated by external agencies, including the local authority designated officer for safeguarding. Although Ofsted does not investigate these concerns, Ofsted has attended a meeting to provide information to those leading the investigation. The home’s director is currently investigating staff practices as part of this investigation. Social workers have been undertaking additional visits to the children in response to the concerns raised.

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This monitoring visit

Leadership and management of the home remain unstable, as there have been more changes since the last inspection. Some improvements to working practices, systems and processes are in the very early stages of implementation. However, staff are not working together with the management team in adhering to some of the changes. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 2 For example, staff were observed to still be carrying and using personal mobile phones, despite management direction for this practice to stop.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has started to update and review children’s risk assessments. However, not all staff have read the updated versions. Children’s care plans have yet to be reviewed and still contain outdated information. This means that staff do not have clear or consistent guidance in working with the children. The plans in place have not yet been agreed by the children’s social workers.

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This monitoring visit

New daily records have been implemented, however, these are not being completed consistently. For example, one child who had self-harmed did not have this recorded on a body map or chronology. For another child, staff had not recorded information about personal care or about their sleep routine. This prevents the manager from having clear oversight of the children’s daily lives and lived experiences.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff have completed additional training to support their knowledge and understanding of the children’s needs. However, most staff have yet to complete this training. This limits their understanding and could lead to inconsistency in care practice. Most members of the staff team have not had supervision, and this limits opportunities to discuss and reflect on practice to help drive improvement.

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This monitoring visit

There have been some improvements in the use of communication aids to support children to have a voice. However, some communication aids are not accessible to the children, which limits their opportunities to express their views.

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This monitoring visit

The management team has advised a child’s placing authority that they can no longer meet this child’s needs. They are supporting the child’s social worker in finding a new and more suitable home for the child.

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This monitoring visit

A risk assessment in relation to locking fire doors has yet to be carried out and this prevents staff from understanding how to mitigate risk from this practice. Specialist fire services are due to visit the home to review the fire procedures and risk assessments in place.

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This monitoring visit

Not all the requirements set at the last inspection were reviewed during this visit, so these have been restated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/04/2023 Full Inadequate 17/01/2023 Full Inadequate 05/01/2022 Full Good 03/04/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live their comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice; 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 5 ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that the registered person keeps the child’s general medical practitioner informed, as necessary, about the progress of the care throughout its duration. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii) (3)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to children’s care plans not accurately reflecting their care needs, not being agreed with placing local authorities and not being shared with other professionals and the staff team.

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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 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 6 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 designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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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)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to risk assessments not being reflective of the children’s needs, poor practice concerns raised not being addressed and staff not ensuring that the physical environment is safe for the children.

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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; 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 7 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to leaders not implementing systems and processes to monitor the home effectively, not addressing staffing concerns and not ensuring all staff receive suitable training.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the use of video and listening devices to monitor children in the home. 30 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the risk management and processes for locking all doors in the home, including the fire door. This also relates to the fire risk assessment not accurately describing the fire exit door when considering risk. 30 May 2023 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 8 The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to not keeping children’s files and plans up to date. 30 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that care is provided which meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s disability, their assessed needs and any relevant plans. This specifically relates to ensuring that the children’s guide is completed in a way that is tailored to each child’s communication needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 77 Boundary Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7DB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Beverley Russell

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC436818 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 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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