Children's Home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 1 Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since February 2024. A new manager has been appointed but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection. Significant progress has been made since moving here. The home is well maintained and has been decorated and furnished like a family home. The gardens are well looked after by staff. The child and staff have plans to grow food and create new spaces to relax in. The child is happy in the home and has trusted relationships with the staff and manager. They are supported to spend positive time with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home supports the therapeutic needs of the child, including arranging professional clinical intervention. This is consistent and effective. The child is positive about the clinical support and how much it has helped them improve their emotional well-being. The manager ensures that the whole staff team is trained in how to support the therapeutic input the child receives. This creates a whole-team approach to supporting their progress. The child said, ‘If it wasn’t for the home, they don’t think they would be alive.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has aspirations for the future. They are excited that they will now attend college. The staff have supported the child to access education at home. They celebrate the child’s talents and interests. The child’s artwork is displayed around the home with pride. The staff ensure that the child explores different cultures, through theme nights which include learning about food and the child has developed a skill for cooking different meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made friends in the community and is building positive relationships. They enjoy shared activities and attending clubs. The staff support the child to exercise and explore their interests, in particular their love of animals. The child has a pet hamster and takes really good care of it. They visit animal parks and are due to learn to ride a horse. The manager and staff ensure that the child has new experiences to look forward to. This helps the child see the future as positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The chid is actively involved in their care plans. The staff make sure that the child’s voice, wishes and feelings are continually heard and explored. The manager is present in the child’s life and ensures the child can read and respond to what is discussed and recorded. The child is supported to take ownership of their long-term plans and progress, which gives them a sense of pride.

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

The manager and staff have supported a restrictive care plan for the child. They have understood and responded to significant risks with effective strategies. As a result, the child’s risks, in particular self-harm, have significantly reduced. All professionals involved in the child’s care agreed that restrictions could be removed. Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 4 The child creates their own safety plans, demonstrating an understanding of their own emotions and how they process them. They feel safe and protected living at the home.

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

The staff have detailed behaviour support plans in place for the child. These guide staff on how to manage behaviours. Staff use learning from incidents as an opportunity to improve practice and to track positive progress made by the child. The manager has a consistent approach to behaviour support and ensures the staff are consistent with the boundaries that need to be in place. Staff consistency and stability promote a sense of safety for the child.

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

There are plans in place should the child go missing. These need to be updated to reflect the current care plan for the child. There is a risk that staff might not have clear instruction on steps to follow in the event the child goes missing. Given the vulnerabilities of the child, this could increase the risk of harm. Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities. Staff would recognise behaviours that were out of character for the child and take action to safeguard them.

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

The manager ensures that staff develop their knowledge and understanding of safeguarding. The manager uses refresher sessions to ensure that staff feel competent in managing risk. The child knows how to raise concerns or make a complaint. The manager and staff know how to respond and what the processes are. The manager has created an open culture in the home where staff feel confident to raise concerns and share information to safeguard children.

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

Safe recruitment processes are not robust. Managers do not always verify employment references or gaps in employment history for staff. Managers are not therefore able to satisfy themselves that all staff working at the home are fit to do so and that recruitment arrangements comply with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager post has been vacant since February 2024. The home’s new manager is applying to register with Ofsted. They have driven improvements in all areas since the last full inspection. The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual and managers from other homes in the organisation. Recruitment is under way for a deputy manager and team leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to the development of the relatively new staff team. They have high aspirations for the home and the children. The manager is passionate about creating a positive ethos where staff support each other. The manager leads a culture of learning and development and has improved this area of practice. They have robust oversight of the home. One staff member said, ‘They have improved this home so much. They are amazing.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 5 The manager has development ideas for the home and the staff, however, these are not yet formulated into a working document. The manager supervises staff regularly and ensures that team meetings take place. These are carefully planned and delivered. The manager plans careful inductions for new staff. Inductions are not rushed. They involve bespoke training and shadowing opportunities to build confidence and knowledge. The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

manager ensures that staff receive training in how to apply the therapeutic model of care and how to understand the input of the clinical team. Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for leading a team which provides high-quality care for children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4) This relates to the home’s statement of purpose accurately reflecting the specific care plans the home intends to support, including deprivation of liberty orders.  The home should play a full part in promoting the best interests of the child, proactively advocating for the child to ensure that others play their role and deliver the high-quality support that is needed. Such partnership working should always take place when the child prepares to return home, move to another setting or leave care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11,

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Recommendations

paragraph 2.4)  Children’s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child’s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or allow a particular course of action. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.7)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28) This relates to missing-from-home protocols being clear and related to the child’s current care plan, as well as staff being informed of how to record incidents of children going missing.

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Recommendations

 As set out in regulations 31-33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1) This relates to ensuring that all safe recruitment checks have been completed and explored. Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 7

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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: 2670263 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malt Cross, 16 St James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Gallaher

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2670263 9 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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