Children's home run by City of York

Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 1 Registered provider: City of York Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority owns and manages this home. The home offers short breaks for up to eight children who have physical or learning disabilities and are aged five to 17 years.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/06/2022 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy coming to the service and benefit from trusting relationships with staff who know them well. Staff are diligent in their approach to ensure that children have fun, benefit from new experiences, and feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Difficulties in retaining permanent staff have placed a continued burden on children having to adjust and form new relationships with different workers. Staff leaving and the use of agency workers have impacted on the consistency the children experience. The more established staff are significantly important. Their commitment is helping to reduce some of the impact of staffing changes as managers work on establishing stability in the team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and their families benefit from the staff’s close working relationships with their social workers and schools. Open lines of communication ensure that everyone is kept up to date with the children’s changing needs. Some parents have exceptionally strong relationships with their child’s key worker and highly value the service. The quality of these relationships gives parents confidence and trust in staff to care for their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some parents have mixed views about the service and have been critical of the help their child has received. However, managers make difficult decisions in the best interest of all children. New routines are introduced to help children to be more sociable. Additional stays are arranged for children when families need more help. Staff go above and beyond their normal care responsibilities. For example, when it has not been safe for one child to stay at the home, staff ensured that they maintained their important relationships with the child as plans are made for the child’s future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed planning enables staff to have the information they need to care for the children’s complex health needs. Well-written plans guide staff on areas where children need additional daily help, such as healthy eating and helping to improve the children’s independence and personal care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff’s calm approach helps children to feel emotionally safe. Staff understand the children’s diverse range of sensory needs and adapt the children’s activities when other children may be struggling emotionally. The layout of the building, different rooms and break-out spaces make this more achievable. Recent challenges with caring for one child’s complex behavioural needs have made it difficult for staff to consistently uphold this practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are lots of opportunities for children to exercise their right to choose. Staff promote the children’s views and opinions by using the children’s communication aids and understanding their social cues. Staff involve the children when deciding on Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 4 activities and the food menu. One child was able to speak with the manager about their choice of key worker.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have stimulating experiences through their access to modern apparatus in the home and the large outdoor space. They have ample social opportunities for fun and learning. Individual targets are woven into the children’s experiences, such as sharing with others, developing independence through cooking, and staff encouraging children to talk about their feelings. The mix of opportunities enables children to have fun, develop friendships, and grow their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a high standard. The environment is brightened by an abundance of photos that show the children having enjoyable experiences. Children keep their favourite personal items at the home, which staff lay out in the bedrooms in preparation for the children’s stays, to help maintain the children’s sense of connection to their family home.

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

Staff understand the children’s risks and provide them with a safe environment. Staffing levels give children one-to-one care, enabling staff to be responsive to the children’s needs. Planning with the children’s families keeps staff up to date so they can adjust the children’s plan to maintain their safety at the home.

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

Physical interventions are not common practice at this home. Staff find alternative ways to help children cope when they experience overwhelming emotions. Difficult decisions are made about the children staying in the service when behavioural incidents occur that could result in children or staff being injured.

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

Incident records do not demonstrate how staff consult with the children after restraint incidents occur. The children’s plans do not guide staff about what they must do to observe or communicate with children to ensure they are safe and well. This will lead to inconsistencies in staff practice and does not keep children safe because children are not being given their voice after incidents occur.

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

Managers are clear about their responsibilities and follow safeguarding procedures when concerns are raised about staff’s practice. They work in collaboration with other safeguarding agencies to gather information and assess if children have come to harm, and if staff continue to be suitable to work with children.

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

Staff plan the children’s transitions into the home by structuring the day. They make special arrangements to reduce risks when the children’s transitions into the home have additional complexities, such as children attempting to run away from staff.

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

The recording and assessment of bruises are closely scrutinised by managers. Shortfalls in recording are addressed with staff through team meetings. Open lines of communication with parents and schools help staff assess if any marks seen on Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 5 the children’s bodies are signs of harm. This enables a swift response that helps to evaluate the children’s safety.

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

Improvements made with the administration and recording of the children’s medication have been sustained after a period where several shortfalls occurred. Managers sought guidance from qualified nurses and the system has been simplified to reduce the risk of mistakes being repeated.

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

Regular fire evacuation drills help children to be better prepared should they need to leave the building in the event of a real fire. Individualised plans direct staff about what they must do to assist the children who need additional help. Staff evaluate the evacuation to confirm if any further help is needed to assist children to leave the building safely.

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

Managers are over-reliant on a recruitment agency commissioned by the provider to complete the necessary checks on the suitability of agency workers. More detailed information is not requested on working histories and the quality of references are sometimes poor. This means managers cannot be fully satisfied with the information available to them about the suitability of workers before they start at the home.

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good

The manager has the required knowledge and experience for the role. Although relatively new in post, the manager has an action plan aimed at improving the quality of the service. Equally, managers and leaders are eager to provide the best care for children. They know and understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses.

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good

Difficulties with staff retention have had a limiting impact on the upskilling of staff and the embedding of care practices. Staff inductions have to be repeated, reducing the team’s capacity to strengthen the consistency of practice across the workforce.

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good

The established members of the team are highly committed to their roles. However, staff coming and going, and excessive use of agency workers, have intensified the demand on the core staff. This has had a negative impact on staff morale.

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good

Managers have reviewed the recruitment process and the strategy for identifying suitable staff. More explicit information about the role is presented to the candidates during the different recruitment phases. Managers have made recent changes to the working rota to reduce the number of gaps. This is starting to have a positive impact, as the need for agency staff is reducing and more limited to covering shortages as a result of staff sickness. However, the team has yet to feel the full benefit of these changes.

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good

Special supervision training for senior members of staff has developed their knowledge and enhanced their delivery of effective practice-related supervision to the staff. The manager was not sufficiently supported after she took on the role due Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 6 to a number of supervisions sessions being missed. A more structured system of support is now in place to help the manager to be effective in her role.

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good

Managers use the forum of team meetings to address practice development areas and bring the team together to discuss pertinent matters for particular children. Training is well organised, and the manager takes steps to improve the quality of training available to staff when gaps are identified.

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good

Senior members of staff benefit from newly introduced meetings with managers, completed away from the home, that allow them to discuss the demands of their role. Senior staff are more involved in managerial decision-making. Managers affirm the expectations of the senior role and agree on what the staff need to be effective in within their roles. Further work is needed to help the rest of the staff team to feel more connected, as some staff have said they do not feel listened to.

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good

Management support for staff after incidents occur is lacking. Some staff feel their welfare is not being adequately considered or supported. Staff use peer support during and at the end of shifts, but managers do not consistently debrief with staff after incidents. This does not enable managers to have a deeper understanding of incidents, or help staff decompress and reflect objectively on the children’s needs.

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good

The manager does not use feedback from the children and relevant others to support the quality-of-care review. The most recent report is structured and provides an evaluation of the progress and experiences of children. However, the lack of analysis of the children’s views places limitations on the progress that can be made.

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good

Leaders have responded to concerns raised by the regulator about the quality of the independent person’s monthly visits to the home. Reports of the visits did not demonstrate staff being interviewed about any concerns they may have, or how they felt about working at the home. Children were observed by the independent person, but rarely interviewed to capture their views. These shortfalls have been addressed, but practice needs to be embedded as part of the external monitoring process.

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good

The children’s records are disorganised and some of the recordings completed by staff are poor in quality. Some handwritten records are difficult to read. It is not always straightforward to see how the children’s targets align with their care plan. To add to this, staff are duplicating some records, which increases the burden on their workload. However, parents do have access to a personalised online facility for their child that staff use to upload photos and write comments about the children’s experiences. This keeps parents informed and connected about their child’s journey at the home.

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good

The statement of purpose for the home has out-of-date and inaccurate information that has not been identified by the manager when reviewing its contents. This does not affect the functioning of the home, but a more detailed review is needed to ensure it holds accurate information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 7

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive appropriate support and debrief after being involved in serious incidents. This support must enable staff to reflect and act on their own welfare, particularly following serious incidents. 19 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c)) 19 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review the home’s statement of purpose to ensure that the information is accurate and a true reflection of the care provided to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)  The registered person should ensure that they have all of the information they need from an agency to be satisfied that workers are suitable to work with the children at this home. The checks completed by the agency should also meet the expectations described in The Children’s Home Regulations that are designed to ensure that the children are safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that they consult with the children, their families, social workers, other professionals and staff members when completing the quality-of-care review. They should analyse and evaluate the feedback to help

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Recommendations

them decide on the actions they will take to improve the quality of service delivered to the children and their families. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s records are well organised and represent a significant contribution to their life history. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2608630 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Offices, Station Rise, York YO1 6GA

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Inspector

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 10 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 2608630 11

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