Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 1 SC044291 Registered provider: Nottinghamshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to care for three children with emotional and social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a suitably qualified and registered manager.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 22 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: SC044291 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Good 04/08/2021 Full Outstanding 28/05/2019 Full Good 04/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at this home are happy and settled. They have warm relationships with the staff and each other. The atmosphere in the home is relaxed and feels like a family home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and reflect their interests. The home is decorated to a high standard. There are photos on the walls of all the children celebrating positive shared memories. The conservatory had been decorated to celebrate one child’s first year at the home. This gives children a sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children all attend school full time. The manager and staff are excellent at supporting children to make progress with their education. The staff build relationships with children’s schools and work together to ensure that their needs are met. One safeguarding lead from a school said, ‘They do such a good job; I wish all the homes I deal with were like this.’ One child has excelled from a difficult start at the home and is now predicted to go to university. The staff and manager show pride in the children and celebrate their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children that move on from the home do so positively and are supported with the next step. The staff support children to develop their independence. This means that children are well prepared for leaving the home. The staff ensure that children have professionals in place to support them for the transition and identify places to live that will meet their needs and support their aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff ensure that children see their families and spend time with them when safe to do so. The manager and staff know children’s family dynamics well. They nurture, build and repair relationships when it is safe to do so and when it is in the best interests of the children. Other people important to children are encouraged to be part of the child’s life. Families and friends are welcome at the home. The manager understands the importance of the children having a strong network.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have interests and hobbies outside of the home. Staff share interests and activities with the children. The staff plan activities, holidays and days out for the children to do together. Children are involved in the planning of holidays and say what they would like to do. The staff share in the excitement of upcoming events. One child recently went to his first live music show, and another has a trip planned to his favourite football stadium. Children build confidence and self-esteem through these positive experiences.

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

The manager and staff are good at understanding when children are at risk of harm. Children are supported to take appropriate risks. The manager and staff plan and support this according to the child’s age and stage of development. Managers set restrictions in response to children placing themselves at risk. This is proportionate Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 4 and with the agreement of professionals. Plans to reduce restrictions are in place, but it is not always clear in the documents when this will happen.

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

Children are supported to develop trusting relationships with the staff. They all said that they had staff they could go to when they are worried about something. Staff know the children well, and this means that they are supported to manage their emotions, feelings and behaviours in a positive way. There have been no incidents of children being restrained. The manager leads the team to use de-escalation, distraction and diversion. This has a positive effect on children and builds their confidence and trust in the adults supporting them.

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

Staff know what to do when children go missing from home. The staff work together with professionals in a coordinated response to return children safely. Staff always welcome children home in a nurturing way, and incidents are always reflected on with the child. Some documents for managing missing-from-home incidents need to be updated and made easier to follow. Staff have involved the police to return children when they knew their whereabouts.

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

The manager and the deputy provide a hands-on approach to supporting staff to deal with significant incidents. Children involved in incidents are always given the opportunity to reflect and learn. This helps to reduce situations that escalate and become difficult to manage. Discriminatory behaviour is challenged by the manager and staff. Children are supported to repair relationships through positive engagement and education. Children know how to make a complaint. The manager shares concerns with the relevant professionals. The manager ensures that children are responded to and understand outcomes.

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good

The home continues to be led by an experienced registered manager. They are supported by an experienced and committed deputy manager. The managers know the children well. They are committed to ensuring that they make progress living at the home. Both managers are actively involved and have positive relationships with the children. The managers lead by example and have high expectations for the team.

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good

The staff feel well supported by the managers. Staff say that they love working at the home. They feel there is a positive atmosphere where people take care of each other. The manager and deputy make sure that there is a good work-life balance for the team. One staff member said that ‘the staff team are brilliant’ and that ‘this is the best that it has ever been’.

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good

The manager has good oversight of the home. However, there are some shortfalls in documents being updated. Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and risks, but the current plans and assessments do not always reflect the support they provide. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 5 The report the manager is required to write for quality assurance is missing some necessary information. There is a lack of analysis, and there are shortfalls in gaining feedback from children and professionals. Some of the reports have not been shared with Ofsted.

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good

The manager and the deputy review incidents thoroughly. There is good oversight and reflection from them. They identify areas for improvement, and as a result, the frequency of incidents has reduced. Allegations are managed effectively and involve all the appropriate professionals. One significant incident was not notified to Ofsted. This has not impacted on children’s progress.

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good

The managers have been supporting another home in the organisation. This has had some impact on the managers having the most effective oversight of tasks. They are not always able to prioritise the home. This was acknowledged by the manager during a discussion. There is a detailed development plan in place, which reflects the registered manager’s positive vision for the children and the staff team . Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 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 within the given timescales.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to reviewing and updating care plan documents and risk assessments. 14 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)) 14 June 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 14 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 7 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

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”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should be responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘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: SC044291 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottinghamshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Bridgford House, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG2 7UN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Whiston

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044291 9 regulates and inspects 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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