Children's home run by The Forge Nuneaton Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2674760 1 Registered provider: The Forge Nuneaton Limited Full inspection 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 six children who have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of four homes on the same site. The home is part of a community that delivers the Sanctuary Model of Therapeutic Care.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager’s post is currently vacant; however, the deputy manager and senior leaders are supporting the running of the home in the interim.

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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

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 5 and 6 September 2023. Ofsted issued three compliance notices under regulation 10, regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On the 11 October 2023 Ofsted completed a monitoring visit to review the providers progress in meeting compliance notices under regulation 10 and regulation 12. On Inspection report children's home: 2674760 2 this occasion the compliance notices in relation to regulation 10 and regulation 12 were not met. As a result, Ofsted decided to reissue both compliance notices under regulation 10 and regulation 12.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further monitoring visit took place on the 7 November 2023 to review the provider’s progress in meeting the compliance notices under regulation 10, regulation 12 and regulation 13. The compliance notices in relation to regulation 10, regulation 12 and regulation 13 were met. Inspection report children's home: 2674760 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2023 Full Inadequate 17/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2674760 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, four children live in the home. Two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. These two children have been supported to have positive and planned endings in line with their views and wishes and local authority plans. Both children were able to say their goodbyes to the adults who cared for them and the other children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home, and achievements such as certificates and photos are proudly on display. Books and games are easily accessible and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms and this allows them to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about living here. One child said; 'This is my longest placement; staff have not given up on me despite having some really difficult periods. The best thing is being able to have some quality 1:1 time with the adults when I need this.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The adults understand the importance of education for the children. They work in partnership with schools and the placing authority to find children a suitable provision that reflects their learning needs. Children have structured routines and are encouraged to attend school. They have successfully supported one child to reintegrate into education despite them having a history of no attendance. This helps children to maintain a daily routine that supports their academic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The adults make every effort and dedicate an immeasurable amount of time to attain the opinions of the children. Children take part in children council meetings when adults listen to the children’s views and act on the choices they make. Children's views are promoted, and they say they are 'listened to'.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Training in therapeutic approaches and an understanding of attachment theory underpin the adult’s practice. Regular consultations with a clinical therapist are used well and are effective in improving the adult’s practice. This enables the adults to better understand the reasons behind some of the children’s behaviours and provide a nurturing environment in which children thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and therapy team distil learning from theoretical models to the adults. This gives the adults a greater understanding of children’s emotional needs and supports adults to deliver consistent and individualised care. Children build trusting relationships with adults. The adults place great emphasis on children making memories and having shared experiences that they can cherish and keep forever. Adults help children to understand their journey and develop skills enabling them to express their feelings. This is evident in the home through a vast range of pictures and life story books. Inspection report children's home: 2674760 5 Children are supported to develop some independence skills at a pace that suits their needs and abilities. Children have independence programmes; however, these plans are not always consistently completed to prepare children with the skills they need for adulthood. This is a missed opportunity to enable children to take on

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

appropriate levels of responsibility to develop life skills for the future.

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

Keeping children safe is a high priority. The adults work in partnership with placing authorities to protect children and promote their safety. The effectiveness of these relationships helps children to feel safe and secure. Adults are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities, and they have a good knowledge of the whistle- blowing procedures.

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

Incidents of children self-harming have been managed well and have reduced. Adults and managers work in partnership to support children with their emotional health. There are good links with mental health professionals. The multi-team approach means that children's needs are responded to effectively. Children who self-harm are provided alternate strategies to keep them safe. Safety plans and risk assessments are kept up to date. The clinical team and children have supported in writing these.

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

Adults physically intervene when children become unsettled and show behaviours which place themselves or others at risk of harm. Adults understand the reasons behind the behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. The managers provide close scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. Good management oversight and prompt action to address issues means that children are treated fairly and stay safe.

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

When children go missing from care, adults follow the joint protocol effectively. Searches conducted by adults and persistent attempts to make contact show children they are cared about. Proactive collaboration with parents, local authorities and the police supports children to return home safely. Missing-from-care incident records are clear, enabling thorough monitoring of these events by the managers.

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

Managers and adults demonstrate a great understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and potential risks posed to them. Clear guidance and strategies are recorded in written risk assessments. This awareness is embedded in the adult’s day-to-day work, which effectively reduces and minimises the risks for children. Adults are directed in how to manage and mitigate the risks identified for each child. Observations show that staff are highly skilled in diversion, distraction and de- escalation, which demonstrates that the strategies identified are being used and are effective. This helps ensure that children are protected from harm. Inspection report children's home: 2674760 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leadership of the home is now a strength. The managers have created an open and inclusive culture that places children at the centre of practice. They value and promote good teamwork well and lead by example. They are ambitious for the children and ensure that this ethos spreads through the entire staff team. As a result, children build positive relationships with the adults, whose skilled and caring practice increases the bonds between them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished since living at the home. They are fully involved in children’s lives. They are clear about the progress children are making and have high aspirations for what they can achieve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults speak positively about working at the home. The managers are well regarded, and they are nurturing towards the team. This means that adults work in an environment where they feel well supported. There is effective support and challenge, and the managers ensure that all actions are reviewed. This means that poor practice is addressed effectively, and that good practice is promoted. One adult said; 'They have held our hands through some difficult times, they lead from the front. We have now been empowered to make decisions. We enjoy coming into work and are proud of what we have achieved.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good oversight of the home. Effective auditing tools are utilised which produce action plans to develop the adults practice further and promote consistency in the home. They, therefore, have a good understanding of how well this home is supporting children and the extent to which the aims for each child have been achieved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults are provided with a wide range of training that informs their practice and meets children’s individual and diverse needs. Team meetings and supervisions take place monthly and are used as a place for reflection and learning. Important issues are tracked and discussed, and children are at the centre of all adult’s practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children. One social worker said; 'I've seen a huge difference since the new managers have taken over. My child loves living here and has never felt like they belonged anywhere before.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The internal review of the quality of care was not submitted to Ofsted within the required timescales. This fundamentally limits the opportunity for leaders and managers to learn and take action to improve the quality of the home. Inspection report children's home: 2674760 7

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are supported with their independence skills to prepare them for adulthood in line with the local authority plans. 31 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 31 March 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2674760 8 After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the quality-of-care review includes consultation with relevant people and that incidents are reviewed and evaluated to support the development of the home.

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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 children's home: 2674760 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Forge Nuneaton Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rebecca Grimshaw

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Inspector

Marianne Grandfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2674760 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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