Children's Home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 1 Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently not at work due to a period of absence. There is a deputy manager in place.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Children and staff have good relationships. However, there are some inconsistencies in staff practice that can affect children’s progress. There have been several incidents that have impacted on the trust that children have with staff. As a result, some children have not received the support and encouragement they need to do well, and not all the children have positive experiences of living at the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s wishes, feelings and views are not informing their individual plans or the wider development of the home. Although staff speak to children regularly and ask for their views, their participation in wider decision-making is limited. Children’s wishes and feelings are not captured or recorded. This limits opportunities for children to fully participate or have their voices heard and responded to in a manner that makes them feel valued.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children enjoy good health. Children’s health needs are well considered and met by staff. Staff encourage children to lead a healthy lifestyle. Staff are supported by the in-house clinical psychology team. They provide weekly one-to-one sessions with the children. Children benefit from this. This further supports children’s emotional well- being.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are regularly encouraged to access a range of activities in the local area. They are supported to explore their interests and hobbies. Children enjoy after- school activities at their local leisure centre. They very much enjoy this. This supports children to build their confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, these positive experiences serve as a reminder of the good times children have experienced while living in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children attend education daily. Well-established routines mean that children are prepared for their day at school. One child has successfully developed their own education timetable while receiving education at home. This is combined with online learning. Staff have begun to work with providers to ensure that there is communication in working to help children make good progress. This needs to be embedded. However, children engage with learning and make progress.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is currently in need of further decoration and furniture. Improvements have been made to the environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. The use of the living areas needs to improve to reflect a homely environment. This will ensure that the home is a warm and homely place for children to live, learn and play safely. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do not fully understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Although safeguarding incidents have not been a common feature, when there has been an incident, staff have struggled to respond effectively. Staff fail to consult with managers and seek guidance. Failures in practice mean that safeguarding children is not yet good enough.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments are not consistently amended with up-to-date information. They lack clarity and guidance for staff about how to reduce risk and prevent harm. Improvements are being made, but these need time to become embedded in practice.

p.4

improvement to be good

Multi-agency partnership working has not always been robust. External professionals have commented on the lack of effective communication and their concerns that they have not received all the information necessary to have an oversight of safeguarding incidents. This limits external review of safeguarding practice.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do use physical intervention when required to manage difficult behaviour. However, records are incomplete at times. Records fail to describe what took place. They do not include the views of children or the manager’s evaluation of the incident. This limits the manager’s capacity to learn lessons that improve the care practice of staff or ensure that the restraint was needed and carried out in line with protocols.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are trained in safeguarding. The training meets the needs of the children placed at the home. However, safeguarding is not always routinely discussed in staff one-to-one sessions. This does not provide staff with the opportunities to reflect and develop their practice. The deputy manager has plans in place to improve these meetings with each staff member.

p.4

improvement to be good

Team meetings do take place. However, these meetings do not yet have safeguarding children as a standard agenda item. This prevents staff from discussing specific and wider safeguarding issues. Additionally, team meetings do not yet act as a vehicle for staff development or a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities within the team.

p.4

good

The manager is currently absent from the home. The deputy manager is new in post and is overseeing the day-to-day management of the home. She has high expectations for children and is ambitious about improving the care they receive. She demonstrates a genuine commitment and motivation in helping children make good progress in all areas of their lives. As a result, staff share her enthusiasm to improve children’s experiences and outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 5 The deputy manager has begun to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of the care provided for children. She has begun to make progress and is taking steps to address shortfalls. However, shortfalls remain in several key areas, and these have the potential to obstruct children’s progress and safety.

p.4

good

The difficulties that staff have faced in managing difficult situations and the lack of leadership and management have resulted in low staff morale. Communication with the team is not always effective, and staff have spoken of a lack of support. This limits staff’s ability to develop and fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively. However, the deputy manager is visible and approachable, and staff now feel supported in their day-to-day practice.

p.5

good

The deputy manager has started to improve monitoring in the home, but this is not yet fully effective. The new processes are not yet embedded to ensure that all aspects of children’s care are monitored and shortfalls responded to. As a result, continuous improvement has not yet been made.

p.5

good

Staff do not yet have regular one-to-one sessions with a manager to review and evaluate their care practice. This means they do not have the opportunity to share concerns about practice with their supervisor or receive professional guidance to develop their care practice. This fails to equip staff with an understanding of their duties and responsibilities. One-to-one supervision meetings are now planned. The deputy manager is aware of the shortfalls and has started to address them.

p.5

good

There are shortfalls in some staff members’ practice, and there have been occasions when their responses to children have been poor. This is evident in some records and complaints. The deputy manager understands this and demonstrates a commitment to addressing the concerns identified.

p.5

good

Not all feedback from external professional agencies is positive. There have been incidents for one child where appropriate follow-up action has not taken place to respond to the incidents or share information with other agencies. This has impacted on the effectiveness and stability of the placement. This fails to support effective planning for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review;

p.6

Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii); 8 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 7 ensure that each child—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

p.7

Requirement Due date

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(iii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.7

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.7

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 8 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 8 This is specifically in relation to staff understanding their role and responsibilities and taking required action if children have any issues or raise concerns.

p.7

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—

p.8

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.8

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.

p.8

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)(f)(h)

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the leadership and management of the home using quality assurance systems to improve the quality of care for children. Additionally, ensure that staff and management work to ensure that children in their care make progress that is consistent with their plans. 8 April 2024

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.8

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.8

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that supervision reflects on individual performance and development of staff. 8 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 9

p.8

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: 2670263 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malt Cross, 16 St. James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

p.10

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Gallaher

p.10

Inspector

Thirza Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 11 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11