Children's Home run by In Safe Hands Care Ltd in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 1 Registered provider: In Safe Hands Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A sole provider owns and manages the home. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There are two children living at the home currently.

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Information about this children’s home

The experienced manager registered with Ofsted in 2016.

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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 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: 1232171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/08/2022 Full Good 02/08/2021 Full Good 16/07/2019 Full Good 01/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has left the home and another has been welcomed in. The manager, deputy manager and staff ensure that these transitions are carefully planned and centred around promoting children’s safety and welfare, including children already living in the home. This supports children to build positive relationships from the start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, they are supported with the move. Relationships do not end at this point as children are supported to maintain relationships with the managers and staff should they wish to do so. This promotes children feeling cared about, valued, and like they belong. This also sends a positive message to the children living in the home about the enduring nature of relationships with the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of the children in the home and their preferred styles of communication. Staff place the children at the heart of daily life within the home and the support and care that they provide. This enables children to feel valued and encourages them to build trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The impact of childhood experiences and trauma is understood by staff, and this enables them to provide individualised care to the children. This supports children to make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff encourage children to attend routine health appointments. Where children are reluctant to attend health appointments, staff approach this in a sensitive manner and provide encouragement and support. This has had a positive impact on one child in the home, who has started to attend some routine and specialist health appointments. Where children experience delay in specialist help being provided, the manager and deputy manager are proactive in working with health providers and local authority social workers to remedy this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to make progress with their education. The manager is proactive in working with the virtual school headteacher to identify suitable alternative education for children who do not attend school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with their families and friends in accordance with their wishes and feelings. This means that children can maintain relationships with those who matter the most to them. It also enables children to develop a support network outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the interests of the children and support them to take part in activities that they enjoy. This means that children have access to a range of opportunities that are meaningful to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 4

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

Children feel safe living in the home. One child said that the home is a ‘safe place to come home to after school’ and that they ‘felt safe’. Placing authorities and parents agree that safety is a high priority of the home.

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

Children are supported to take risks that are appropriate to their age and level of understanding. For children who are particularly vulnerable, there is a gradual approach to promoting their independence. This is in line with local authority care plans and the home’s risk assessments. Plans are kept under review by the manager and the placing authority to help children to make progress in a safe way.

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

When children go missing from care, they receive a well-coordinated response. However, children’s individualised missing-from-care protocols are not routinely reviewed and updated following any missing-from-care episodes. One child does not have a missing-from-care protocol. This does not support staff to have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to the individual children living in the home should they go missing. Return-home interviews are offered, but these are not recorded in the home’s documents in a clear manner.

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

Staff have a good understanding of contextual safeguarding. They also have a good working knowledge of safeguarding procedures and the whistle-blowing policy. This supports children to be safe within the home and when they are out in the community.

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

Children are supported to develop healthy routines and behaviours through their weekly planners and behaviour support plans. This includes taking part in education and leisure activities.

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed by the registered manager and deputy manager. This keeps children safe as it reduces the risk of unsuitable adults working in the home.

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

The home is decorated to a high standard. It is clean, well maintained and provides and safe physical space for the children to live in. One professional said they ‘would like another home like this’, and that there is no other home like it as it is ‘homely and welcoming’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the children well. They are committed to ensuring that children receive good-quality care that enables them to fulfil their potential. The home development plan demonstrates ambition and high aspirations for the children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 5 Managers and staff are strong advocates for the children. They appropriately challenge professionals to ensure that children receive the best service to meet their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work in line with the home’s statement of purpose. They are child focused, and relationship building with the children is at the core of their working practice. Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and training, which enables them to provide care that is tailored to the individual needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The deputy manager has oversight of staff training via the online training dashboard, supervisions, and individual staff development plans. However, training and development documents are not aligned with the workforce development plan. This does not support transparency or management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is diverse and there is an appetite among them to contribute to the development of the home. Staff report that they are happy working in the home. They enjoy being able to support the children and help them to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager have developed strong working relationships with partner agencies. Professionals are complimentary about the involvement of the managers and staff in care planning for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly reports compiled by the independent visitor provide important learning for the manager and deputy manager about the quality of care provided and what improvements need to be made. The manager and deputy manager welcome this oversight as it helps them to make improvements. They are quick to act on any recommendations made by the independent visitor.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While the manager does review the statement of purpose, he has not submitted the most-up-to-date version to Ofsted following changes in staff. This does not allow the regulator to be informed of any changes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 31 July 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and includes the details of the new staff working in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)  The registered person should have a workforce development plan that can fulfil the workforce requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1, (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working in the home and used to Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 7 record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of the staff. This relates to both online and face-to-face training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that when a child returns after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, there is a record that details when the return-home interview was offered, whom it was offered by and the outcome of the interview. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ p 45, paragraph 9.30).

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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: 1232171 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: In Safe Hands Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peter Wray Accountancy Services, 48 50, Wakefield Road, Pontefract, South Yorkshire WF7 7AB

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Inspector

Shirin Khan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 9 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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