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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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: requires improvement to be good

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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

20/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/12/2021 Full Good 20/11/2019 Full Good 19/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC470928 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s overall experiences and progress are good. Child-friendly visual records are kept of the progress children are making. Children know where these books and records are kept and can ask staff when they want to look at them. This helps children see the progress they are making and how this is celebrated by the adults caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop strong relationships with children and understand their needs well. A social worker said, ‘The staff are passionate about the young people within their care and go the extra mile to ensure that their experiences are positive.’ Children who cannot communicate verbally are supported by staff to use other communication methods. For example, a signs and symbols book is available to children. This helps children to communicate their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families. The manager and staff ensure regular communication with children’s families to update them about their child’s progress. Staff seek external support about how to best support children to develop and maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and children attend full time. The manager and staff work effectively with external professionals, sharing ideas about how to best support children. An external professional said, ‘There is really good communication and a trusting relationship with staff.’ Staff promote children’s progress, achievements and learning. This helps children feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities and experiences in the home and the community. Activities include exploring nature, swimming and a variety of physical activities. Staff promote children’s interests, helping them to develop their social experiences.

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

Children’s risk assessments are thorough and detailed. Managers and staff undertake regular reviews of these documents. These plans help staff understand how best to manage children’s specific behaviours and risks.

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

There have been no complaints, allegations or occasions when children have gone missing from home. There is a clear plan in place to ensure staff take appropriate action if a child goes missing.

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

When children struggle to express and manage their emotions, staff know how to support them appropriately. Staff spend time with children after an incident to help them understand what happened and to consider different ways staff could help. Inspection report for children's home: SC470928 4 The home’s fire risk assessment is clear and up to date. Staff support children to understand the importance of fire drills. The children’s communication needs are fully considered when this is explained to them.

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

Medication is stored correctly. However, errors in the written records of medication given to children are not always clearly explained.

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

Staff are not always supported to develop their skills and knowledge through training. For example, key training that is relevant to children’s specific needs is not provided to all staff. This does not ensure that staff have all the necessary skills to support children’s individual and complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands children’s individual needs and recognises children’s progress. She knows what support and development the staff team needs to continue providing good care to children. The manager is professionally curious about links between learning disabilities and how trauma can impact on children’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the manager has acted in response to requirements set. A daily breakfast meeting between staff includes discussion about the children’s needs and information is passed to the new shift regarding any incidents. Monitoring of head injuries and additional health needs for children is now a standard agenda item in this meeting. This ensures that staff support children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The development plan is clear and includes the views of children, parents and carers, and external professionals and how the home can contribute to and engage with the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers. One staff member said, ‘From the induction to the training, support has been amazing. I already feel a part of the team.’ Supervision meetings between each staff member and their manager are regular. The agenda includes staff welfare, the needs of the staff team and individual children. However, discussions do not consistently encourage staff to reflect and learn from their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been many changes in the staff team, which has resulted in instability in the care provided to children. Agency staff do not always have the necessary skills and experience to work effectively as a team. One member of staff said, ‘It can be unsettling for the young people to see so many different faces.’ Recruitment is underway and current staff say the quality of new staff is good. Inspection report for children's home: SC470928 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure minimal use of agency staff, to support children receiving consistent care by staff who know them well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)  The registered person should ensure administration of medication is recorded correctly and when errors are made, they are explained clearly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35,

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Recommendations

paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. They should ensure staff receive training that supports how they meet children’s individual needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottingham City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC470928 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 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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