Children's home run by Nottinghamshire County Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 1 SC044692 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 home is operated by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager. However, an application to register has been made to Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2022 Full Good 24/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The overall care of the children is compromised by inexperienced staff, high staff turnover, poor safeguarding practices, and ineffective management oversight. This means the children’s overall experiences are adversely affected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s progress is variable. Two children are not in full-time education. One child is permanently excluded from school while an alternative provision is explored. Another child is making progress despite the difficult situation in the home. Arrangements have been put in place for this child to have longer days at school, to support with creating a peaceful environment, that will help concentration and prepare for upcoming exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There is poor communication between staff, leaders, and managers. This impacts on the care provided to the children. Staff reported that children know more about what is going on in the home than they do. This presents challenges for staff when supporting children, and often results in children’s behaviour escalating and staff struggling to manage these more difficult behaviours.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The quality and accuracy of children’s records is variable. Children are identified as having a learning difficulty in some records, and in others not having a diagnosis. As a result, staff have very little understanding of children’s needs, and how best to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff are not adequately trained and supported to help children regulate their behaviours. This means that staff responses to children are often poorly informed. This results in children receiving a high level of restraints. The impact upon staff morale and resilience is significant. Staff have left the home due to feeling unable to manage the children’s behaviour. This has resulted in staff turnover being high, the children not getting the consistency of care they need, and poor endings of relationships between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have not always been listened to. When children identify activities, or items that might help them process difficult emotions, this has not been actioned. For example, one child felt that a punch bag might help to manage difficult emotions. Staff failed to undertake a risk assessment to explore how this could have been made possible. This means that an opportunity has been missed for children to feel listened to by those that care for them, and to support the building of much needed trusting relationships between children and adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that repairs in the home have been completed in a timely manner. One child’s bedroom window was boarded up, and there is a delay in repairs being completed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 4

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

The risks in relation to children have escalated since the last inspection. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate a proactive response in managing, responding, and recording of serious incidents relating to children. The reporting of incidents is ineffective. Children have been involved in serious incidents which have not been recorded. Additionally, these have not been shared with the relevant professionals, to allow investigations to be completed.

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

An incident of restraint has led to a child receiving injuries, including marks, and bruising. There was no record of any action being taken in response to the child’s medical needs or any professional curiosity as to how these injuries may have occurred. There was no referral to safeguarding agencies. Consequently, it is unknown if poor restraint practice is going unchallenged.

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

Children are at risk of developing a negative perception of the police, and their role in helping people. Staff routinely ask the police for support when they are unable to help children regulate their behaviours. Children have been both restrained and arrested by the police.

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

The residential care staff do not have access to risk assessments that have been overseen and reviewed by a manager. One child had no behaviour support plan. This means that staff have limited guidance on what they must do to keep children safe.

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

Leaders and managers have not provided clear plans on how they will ensure that children are supported to reduce the risk of harm. The number of physical interventions for children has increased, and there is no reduction plan in place to tackle this.

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

Children who have complex and challenging behaviours, do not have a behaviour support plan, although having lived in the home for eight months. This means that staff are not guided in how to respond to children’s emotional and behavioural needs during stressful times. Staff are unable to review the effectiveness of measures taken, and to consider alternatives where supportive measures have not been effective.

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

When children have gone missing staff follow procedures to ensure that children are safeguarded. This includes following children and keeping them in sight where possible, looking for children in known places and reporting them as missing when required. Staff request return interviews to unpick the reasons for children to go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have poor oversight. They fail to identify shortfalls or develop the home to improve the quality-of-care that children receive. Incidents involving children, some involving physical interventions, are not decreasing. This has impacted upon children’s quality of care, and staff morale. The standard of care being provided to children has therefore declined. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 5 Staff said that they are tired and that they are not supported. Some staff report a culture of blame and others worry about speaking up. This lack of support was confirmed in some records reviewed. Staff do not have space to reflect upon incidents’ they have been involved in. Not all staff are trained in the specific skills needed to care for the current children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have struggled to retain a stable workforce, and this has impacted on the support and care that children have received. The staff group is relatively new and underdeveloped in dealing with children with complex and challenging behaviours. This has resulted in staff leaving, not wanting to return following incidents in the home, staff feeling tired and potentially not being emotionally available to support children. The home has also had to utilise more experienced staff from other homes for short periods of time, but this has not brought stability for the children and workforce in the longer term.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have poor oversight of children’s records. Some records are not on file, not dated, signed, or kept up to date. The use of language on reports is not sensitive to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have an effective monitoring process, ensuring a robust oversight on the safeguarding of the children. For example, staff had not recorded that a child had self-harmed. This has resulted in leaders and managers not knowing that a serious incident relating to a child had not been recorded and reported to relevant authorities. This has left children at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although there is a system that identifies the staff training required, the monitoring of this has not been effective. As a result, several areas of training identified as being required, has not been completed. The supervision of staff is inconsistent, and not reflective, or supportive. Supervision records are not signed, and the use of language is not sensitive to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to notify the regulator of serious events involving children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Several requirements from the previous inspection had not been met. On this inspection six requirements have been made. Additionally, Ofsted will issue two compliance notices in respect of the protection of children and leadership and management standard. Ofsted has also issued a restriction of accommodation notice to prevent any children being admitted to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to staff not having access to behaviour support plans which guide staff to know what to do to keep children safer.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers not having a robust system to oversee, review, and reduce incidents of physical interventions.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers not ensuring that all safeguarding concerns, including marks to children, are reported to the appropriate safeguarding agencies. 24 June 2024

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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— 24 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to poor oversight, and the lack of effective support to staff by a manager. This particularly relates to inexperienced and new care staff.

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 24 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 24 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 8 This relates to staff who are unable to create a quiet and unsettled environment for children to undertake schoolwork and exam preparation.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers not acting on children’s views and choices about help with their self-injurious and anxious behaviours. 24 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 24 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 9 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to children sleeping in a bedroom where windows have been boarded up for five days.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to children not having reliable access to WIFI, and an increase in incidents as a result.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that children can share any concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Managers are required to have a system that clearly records any complaints by children. Regulation 39 sets out the requirements on the registered person to have a complaints procedure. Children must be aware of this procedure and be reminded of it as necessary. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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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: SC044692 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7QP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jennifer Whiston

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Inspectors

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Netsai Muzuva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC044692 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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