Children's home run by De Novo Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 1 Registered provider: De Novo Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who have experienced trauma and who have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The home has cared for five children in total since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

In this report, staff are referred to as adults, which is the term used as part of the ethos of this home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/05/2022 Full Good 06/01/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home because they have positive relationships with adults, who are empathetic, caring and attuned to their needs. One child who recently moved into the home said, ‘Any child would be lucky to live here.’ Another child rated the home nine out of 10, and their social worker said the child wanted to live there forever.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults are relationship-focused. They understand that developing positive relationships with the children will help them to feel settled and safe, underpinning their ability to make progress. This approach has been extended to the children’s families, with positive outcomes for two children. One child returned to their family’s care in 2022. Plans are under way for another child to live with their family soon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s care is centred around their needs and views. For example, staff learned about sleep coaching, to ensure that one child was able to settle and sleep at night. Children have access to a well-being practitioner and their sessions are tailored to subjects that matter to them, for example, exploring their life story and managing anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager is keenly interested in the children’s education and attends their parents’ evenings. Two children are making good academic progress from their starting points and one has applied to start college. The registered manager quickly secured a school placement for another child who recently moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aspirational for the children, which influences their self-belief and motivation. The children contribute to their care plans, which means they have a good understanding of their goals and make progress towards them, for example, improving self-care, managing their feelings and rebuilding relationships. The children regularly participate in hobbies and are cheered on by adults during performances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the value of preserving memories for the children. They have created photo albums, life-story books and memory books for the children. Memory books contain letters and cards from their families and adults. One social worker said a child’s life-story book was ‘beautiful’, the best they had ever seen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make festivals like Easter fun for the children by decorating the home, for example, with plastic easter eggs and bunnies and carrot bunting. Staff engage the children in joyful activities relevant to the theme and they enjoy the playfulness associated with this, for example, egg decorating competitions. Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 4

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

Adults speak highly of the training programme that helps them to understand how trauma impacts children, including their thought processes and behaviours. Adults use this knowledge to support their interactions with the children, particularly when they show signs of distress.

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

When adults have used physical intervention to keep the children safe, this has been proportionate to the risk of harm. Afterwards, adults have caring conversations with the children about the incident, exploring their feelings and whether they have been hurt. They also remind the children of the strategies they can use when feeling unsettled.

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

The registered manager has good oversight of incidents and has individual conversations with the children and adults after incidents. Adults are asked to comment on each other’s practice and identify any learning. This approach creates an open culture where adults are held to account.

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

The registered manager responds swiftly when children raise concerns about adults, using safeguarding escalation processes appropriately. The home has a robust agreement in place with the local authority for one child, which is strictly followed and is overseen by the child’s social worker.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious for the children, and this extends to different aspects of their lives, including their health, education and family time. They work with the children when writing their care and behaviour plans, ensuring the child’s voice is heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager strongly advocates for the children’s needs and aspirations. They are child-focused and work alongside the children’s families and social workers to enhance the prospect of reunification, supporting the children to return to their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a culture of openness in the home, where shortfalls in practice are quickly identified and addressed. For example, some adults identify when they have made mistakes and share this with the registered manager, who responds appropriately. Team leaders also reflect with adults about their practice and highlight areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive the right support and training to enable them to care for vulnerable children who have experienced trauma. Adults speak positively about the ethos of the home and the support they receive from the registered manager. They also speak highly of the training programme delivered by the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There were no requirements or recommendations made during this inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 5

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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: 1277584 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: De Novo Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bank Green House, Fox Lane, Holmesfield, Dronfield, Derbyshire S18 7WG

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Inspector

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1277584 7 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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