Children's home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 1 SC424351 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 home is owned and operated by a local authority. The home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022. She also manages another of the local authority’s children’s homes.

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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: 1 November 2022

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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: SC424351 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2022 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Good 01/05/2019 Full Good 16/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children have good experiences and make good progress. Staff develop strong relationships with children and understand their needs well. A health professional said, ‘I feel the staff are very committed and nurturing towards the children and, in my experience, go above and beyond in helping to support them in any way that they can.’ A college staff member commented, ‘They [the staff] hold [name of child] at the centre of everything they do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide support for children to engage in education. They liaise with education providers where there might be barriers to a child’s engagement. One child’s attendance has increased since the last inspection. Staff advocate for children when attending education meetings. Staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s needs enable this support to be individual to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their physical and emotional needs. When children do not want to attend health appointments, staff support them to understand the importance of accessing professional support and advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value children maintaining relationships with their families and friends. They support children to spend time with family and other people who are important to them. Staff recognise and celebrate children’s cultural needs. One child has been exploring their faith, which staff support and encourage. Staff understand and support children’s ethnic and cultural needs, which helps children retain connection to their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported by staff to share their wishes, feelings and views. Focused discussions happen between staff and children on a regular basis. The manager and staff write to children using child-friendly language. Children feel listened to and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access a variety of activities outside school that are in line with their interests. These activities have included celebrating New Year’s Eve, going to an annual local event and ice skating. Activities provide children with opportunities for new experiences and help to develop their hobbies, interests and friendships.

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

Staff understand children’s needs and risks. Risk assessments give a detailed overview of children’s previous experiences and areas of support. They describe presenting risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are reviewed by staff and timely action is taken when risks escalate. Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 4 When children go missing from home, staff follow established protocols to return children home quickly and safely. Staff share information with relevant external safeguarding agencies. This means there is a robust multi-agency response when children go missing from home. One child now goes missing from home less often. A social worker said the consistent care provided by staff has ‘helped reduce risk and increased [name of child]’s sense of security in the home’. However, there is not currently enough review into the effectiveness of the use of grounding as a consequence for children who go missing from the home.

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

The location risk assessment identifies potential risks in the local and wider community. The assessment includes how risks to children should be reduced and is then linked to the needs of individual children. This enables staff to provide increased safeguarding support to children.

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

When children are struggling to manage their emotions, staff provide support based on their individual needs. Incidents are well recorded and help to children to understand what happened. However, discussions do not always take place with children and staff after an incident. This reduces the opportunity for staff to provide children with an understanding about being safe. It also reduces opportunities to identify ways to avoid repeated incidents and for staff to learn from practice.

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

There have been no allegations or complaints made about staff by children or external professionals since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a clear management structure in place which promotes stability within the team and for children. The manager is dedicated, empathetic and caring and strives to achieve the best for children. She positively influences the staff team and is committed to developing their skills to continue improving the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager’s oversight and review of the care provided to children are good. They are reflective about the progress made for children and in identifying areas for improvement. The manager and deputy manager are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive professional supervision with an agenda that supports discussion of children as well as their own needs. Team meetings are well structured and well attended. Staff respond to children in a sensitive manner, which is also reflected in their record-keeping.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff communicate well with social workers and other external professionals. The manager involves external professionals in children’s care to ensure children’s needs are met. A school safeguarding professional said, ‘We should celebrate the joined-up working. The consistency and boundaries have helped children make progress.’ Staff help other professionals understand how best to communicate with children. Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 5 Staff receive a range of training, including training that focuses on the specific needs of children. This has a positive impact on staff’s knowledge and skills. One member of staff said about the training, ‘It educates the team and then helps us tailor our practice.’ However, three members of staff have not yet completed the necessary qualification within the required timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Serious incidents are not always shared with the regulator in a timely manner. This prevents a thorough evaluation from being carried out and restricts Ofsted’s ability to evaluate how well children are safeguarded at the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 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, 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the registered person ensuring that all staff complete the diploma within the set timescale. 19 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 7  The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with each child and the home’s staff, including after an incident when a child may have been struggling with their emotions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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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: SC424351 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottingham City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC424351 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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