Children's home run by Lincolnshire County Council in Lincoln

Inspection report children's home: SC042978 1 SC042978 Registered provider: Lincolnshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation to children and young people with a learning difficulty and/or emotional and behavioural needs.

p.1

Information about this children's home

Since the last inspection, this home has ceased providing short breaks for disabled children. It now accommodates up to four children with a learning difficulty and/or emotional and behavioural needs.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2021

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children's home: SC042978 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Outstanding 06/01/2020 Full Outstanding 09/10/2018 Full Outstanding 20/09/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children's home: SC042978 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. The staff team shows a commitment towards supporting children. The children are developing very positive relationships with staff. This helps children to settle in following their move to the home and gets them on track to make progress. The developing relationships children have with staff also support children to feel safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children’s needs well. They understand the need for a calming environment, especially at times of transition to school. Staff provide low stimulus activities at these times. When children are less anxious, they enjoy a wide variety of age and developmentally appropriate activities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well known and met by staff. Staff understand the complexities of each child. Staff work with a variety of involved health professionals. They work very closely with the complex needs team. There is a good therapeutic approach which runs through many of the children’s plans and assessments. When needed, plans and assessments are reviewed and adapted in line with the children’s presenting needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of this home is the collaborative approach to all areas of care. Good communication, and the sharing of information with schools, means that the chances of a consistent approach with children is greater. For the children at this home, consistency is important.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to express their wishes and feelings. This takes place through regular children’s meetings. Children get the opportunity to meet with each other and staff, to plan, and celebrate recent successes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that meets their specific care needs. There is ample space, and a choice of communal areas. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. Children are encouraged to name rooms within the house. One example is a room that has been developed with advice from the play therapist and has created a calming and low stimulus environment.

p.3

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

Safeguarding incidents are dealt with effectively by managers. Managers appropriately share information with stakeholders. When there are concerns about practice, managers ask for a review of their safeguarding processes by the local authority designated officer. This transparency means that an already well organised safeguarding process has an independent overview. Because of this, children become safer. Inspection report children's home: SC042978 4 Children have been physically restrained. Clear behaviour support plans detail what holds are permitted and what measures are needed to be tried beforehand. Staff try several less restrictive measures before holding children. Managers have oversight of physical interventions and try to find the reasons for children’s behaviours. Children are offered the opportunity to speak to someone after any incident, and staff are always offered a debrief.

p.3

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

Managers and staff are constantly evolving how they care for the children. When it has been recognised that a physical intervention is not wholly successful, then, staff reflect on this, and changes are made. Because of this willingness to change and adapt, means that children are cared for safer.

p.4

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

Children have not gone missing from this home. However, the manager and staff ensure that they are prepared for this eventuality. Risk assessments show what staff must do if children do go missing from this home. This is further strengthened by risk management meetings, links with the community police team and missing from care coordinators.

p.4

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

However, there has been an isolated instance where staff were not diligent in ensuring children were monitored adequately. Children managed to leave the building and go to the outside road. At this point they were unsafe.

p.4

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

Staff complete the required safeguarding training. The training topics are centred around the children’s needs. Safeguarding is discussed in each staff member’s one to-one meeting with their manager. Safeguarding matters are also discussed in team meetings. This supports staff to develop their knowledge and understand their role.

p.4

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

Medication administration processes are safe. This is because staff have a well- structured, and organised system. Additionally, staff are trained, and know what to do if a mistake is made, or an error is found.

p.4

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

Only staff that have been through a robust, safer recruitment process get to work with children who are vulnerable due to adverse life experiences.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently no registered manager. However, the home has an acting manager who has applied for Ofsted registration. The manager is motivated and enthusiastic. They have an ambitious vision for the home. They lead a motivated team of staff who say that they love their jobs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have developed effective processes to maintain oversight of all aspects of the children’s care. They have ensured that a system is in place for staff to record children’s progress and development. Currently, this means that there are records to evidence conversations with children, meetings with staff and robust oversight of the home. Inspection report children's home: SC042978 5 Staff can access a wide range of training courses. Learning and development begin at induction stage with essential training, including how to manage challenging behaviours. After induction, staff continue with their learning by way of a blended approach of online and face-to-face training courses.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have ensured that staff have access to effective and reflective supervision and team meetings. Managers check their staff’s safeguarding knowledge and competence. The children are spoken about in detail.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and have a focus. Staff also receive support and guidance from therapeutic services. This multi-agency partnership helps to effectively shape practice in the home with positive impact upon the care of the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that a robust scheme of fire safety checks are regular and effective. To further strengthen fire safety, staff undertake direct work with children on this topic. Children have learnt what to do if they need to evacuate the home. They have also learnt about the dangers of having a vape in their bedrooms. As a result of this direct work children learn how to be safer.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are actively developing a strong staff team. However, at times staff are utilised from other homes owned by this provider. This has meant that on some shifts, children are cared for by staff that are not as familiar to the children. Inspection report children's home: SC042978 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, 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This relates to children being monitored and effectively safeguarded on the premises. 30 April 2024

p.6

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: SC042978 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider address: Lincolnshire County Council, County Offices, Newland, LINCOLN LN1 1YL

p.7

Inspector

Simon Hunter, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC042978 8 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8