Children's home run by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 1 Registered provider: City of Doncaster Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by the local authority. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 1 February 2023

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 3

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outstanding

Children who live in this home make excellent progress in all areas of their lives. This is underpinned by the secure and trusting relationships that staff have with children. Children are respected and valued. Children experience stability and consistency. One child lived in the home for over five years before moving on. Children feel their voices are heard. The care offered is child-focused, and children’s achievements are celebrated alongside important milestones. This supports children having varied and positive experiences while living there.

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outstanding

Children’s individual identities are unwaveringly supported and accepted by staff. Staff are respectful of children’s choices in relation to their identity and ensure they are educated and skilled to support children. The manager and staff have ensured that children have a good understanding of their life experiences in a way they can understand and process. This work takes place in consultation with children’s social workers and other specialist services who support children.

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outstanding

Children’s education is prioritised to enable them to make excellent progress. When there are barriers to children accessing education, the manager and staff work with social workers and the virtual school to ensure that education continues to meet the evolving needs of children. When plans are developed, staff deliver whatever children need to succeed. Children are encouraged to have ambition and supported to achieve it. All children have very good attendance in full-time education.

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outstanding

When children move in, exceptionally well-thought-out plans are developed in line with their needs. For one child, this was quicker than expected. Staff ensured this was as thought out as it could be. This supported the child settling in well and building good relationships with the other children.

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outstanding

Children’s independence is promoted in line with their age and abilities. This helps children to be prepared for moving on from the home at the right time. Plans are individual and ensure that children have the practical and emotional skills to become successfully independent. Staff discuss moving on with children in good time and support positive planning. This means that when children move on, it is to somewhere they can continue to thrive. Outreach support is offered for as long as children wish to access it.

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outstanding

Children’s health needs are understood and met. Children are supported to attend appointments. When children require specialist support around emotional well-being, physical health or issues with substance misuse, this is advocated for and encouraged. Staff provide opportunities for children to learn why keeping themselves healthy is important and reminders to do this. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 4 Children are consulted with on a regular basis in various forms. They are supported to have their voice. One child has been appointed the ‘voice champion’ and has responsibility for ensuring children’s views are put forward to the manager and that the manager takes children’s views seriously. Extensive records show how staff and managers respond to children’s views, requests and wishes. The records show their age-appropriate rationale for decision-making. When children make complaints, they

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outstanding

are taken seriously and given an appropriate response. This helps children to know that they matter, their voice is heard and they are valued.

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outstanding

Children are supported and encouraged to have meaningful relationships with the people who are important to them.

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outstanding

Children build supportive and trusting relationships with the staff. Staff know the children well and are attuned to their needs. Staff are skilled and understand how children’s life experiences can impact their responses and influence their behaviour. These skills enable staff to address issues before they escalate, and as a result, there are few incidents. Mutual respect is present, and physical intervention is not needed to ensure children are safe.

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outstanding

Children are extensively supported to understand the consequences of their actions on themselves, others and the environment. This helps prepare children for the world in a way that empowers them to be accountable. When consequences are used, the rationale for these is discussed with children, and children are given a choice of reparation or consequence. There are clear rules and boundaries in the home, which promote routine and predictability for children. Positive behaviour is promoted, and children have goals to work towards to achieve rewards and incentives.

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outstanding

Children are happy and feel safe in the home. Professionals, children and family members share that living at the home has had a positive impact on children’s lives. One parent spoke about how her child trusts staff and has started to come out of their shell, and how much she appreciates the care provided to her child.

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outstanding

Children rarely go missing. On the one occasion where this has happened, staff have responded appropriately, in line with children’s care plans. The child received an independent return home interview. Staff understand children well enough to know when this behaviour is out of character and respond with focused work to support the reduction of any risks.

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outstanding

There are strong multi-agency links between the children’s home, children’s social workers and other relevant agencies. The manager ensures multi-agency meetings take place to address concerns. Plans from the manager are solution-focused. When there are concerns or risks, these are addressed in various ways, including talking to children about worries and concerns in a child-friendly way. Innovative ways of Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 5 delivering messages are used, such as QR codes, to support the direct work with children. Children are involved in their planning, and this enables them to understand how staff work with others to keep them safe and share what they think will work.

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outstanding

Risk assessments are updated regularly, individual to each child, and consider context and nuances specific to the child. There are clear strategies in place to keep children safe and a clear understanding of the work that needs to be done to support a continual reduction in risks.

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outstanding

Staff in the home have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. They know and understand the whistle-blowing process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The experienced and inspirational manager leads with care and compassion for children and staff at the forefront of their practice. She is child-focused and ambitious on behalf of children. This ambition filters down through staff who deliver consistently high-quality, therapeutic and child-focused care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are proud to work here. They feel supported by leaders and managers who have developed a clear learning culture. They are empowered to make decisions but also feel confident in seeking support from leaders and managers should they need it. Staff receive regular, focused and reflective supervision. Team meetings take place monthly and ensure staff are involved and aware of decision-making in relation to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The monitoring systems help the manager have oversight and assurances that the quality of care provided to children is consistently excellent. These systems allow the manager and deputy to monitor the performance and development of the staff team. The manager and staff use research to inform the care provided to children and ensure it continues to meet children’s needs. Mandatory training is up to date, and staff are encouraged to seek extra training to support the needs of children or their own development. The manager works hard to support staff to ensure they feel valued by having the time and resources provided for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When social workers are not working in line with their statutory duties, this is escalated appropriately. When statutory documents are not received from social workers, this is mitigated by staff’s own records of meetings and actions to be taken. Therefore, the care of children is not compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s records are extremely well written and truly capture children’s experiences. Staff do not shy away from holding difficult conversations with children. These are recorded in a child-friendly way and ensure children have accurate records of their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 6 Children in this home are an integral part of the local community. The manager has built up positive relationships with the immediate neighbours and ensures any issues are dealt with quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Despite issues with staffing, the team has worked together to ensure consistency of care for children. Managers and leaders have taken decisive and effective action to ensure that staffing issues do not impact on children and their care is not compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

When new staff are recruited, safer recruitment checks are adhered to. These could be further enhanced by ensuring that any gaps in employment are fully explored and recorded during the recruitment process. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any gaps in employment are fully explored in interviews and recorded appropriately in documents relating to the interview, in line with the provider’s safer recruitment policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2701187 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: City of Doncaster Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Richardson

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Inspector

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2701187 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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