Children's home run by Total Care Matters Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 1 SC449954

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Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. Three children were being cared for at the time of the inspection. However, one of these children had chosen to move out to live with their family.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since May 2024.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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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: SC449954 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Good 16/11/2021 Full Good 15/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s feedback about being cared for in the home is mixed. Two children said they did not enjoy living here; however, they did feel safe. One child was more positive about care, but discussed feeling let down by a situation that had taken a long time to resolve. All children commented that they perceived the type of care provided at times as feeling ‘unfair’. For example, one child said they felt staff did not give them the same amount of attention as other children because they did not ‘make a fuss’ or present with challenging behaviours. Another child said that staff do not have time to spend with them as they must complete paperwork, and despite assurances that staff would spend time with them, the child said this was not honoured but met with further excuses.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend education. One child is not in education; however, they are being supported to access training on the home’s training portal. This is in addition to completing job applications. One child recently gained a distinction in one of their course modules. Another child, who is living in their family home, is still supported to attend school and is offered emotional support via the phone.

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improvement to be good

Staff are good at advocating for children’s health needs. Staff recently advocated for a child to have an autism spectrum disorder assessment. They are now also advocating for another child to have the appropriate assessment completed so their needs can be further supported. Professionals spoke positively of the support that children receive.

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improvement to be good

The home is in a good state of repair. Children’s bedrooms are well furnished and reflect their personalities. Children’s bedrooms have door alarms that are active during the daytime. These alarms are not deemed necessary for safety reasons, yet they remain active. This gives the home an unnecessary institutionalised feel and is a reminder to children they are looked after.

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improvement to be good

The progress of children’s plans is compromised by the quality of recording. Children’s key-work discussions are not reflective, and records do not evidence what involvement the child had during the sessions. The language used in children’s records is not empathetic to children, and at times reads as punitive. For example, one record described a child as ‘functioning at a lower chronological age’ and another recorded ‘the child must not show any concerning behaviours and prove that they know how to keep themselves safe online and out in public’. Other records contain language which is not child friendly. This does not support the organisation’s ethos as set out in its statement of purpose. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been some improvements in the recordings and reporting of safeguarding incidents. Ofsted has been notified accordingly of any such events.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff are proactive in trying to locate them. Staff actively request return home interviews. Although one child is currently being cared for by family following a missing-from-home incident, staff remain in communication and offer support.

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improvement to be good

Strategies in place to support children to manage their behaviour and regulate their emotions are not yet working effectively. This is because staff are not caring for children in accordance with the model of care that is outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. There are missed opportunities to talk to children about what would make them feel safe or what they would like to happen as part of their day-to-day care. For example, one child went missing from the home following a power cut and having told staff they were bored. Staff had worries about the child’s online activity prior to going missing but had not spoken to the child about their worries, nor made attempts to engage the child before they went missing. During a debrief conversation the child was told they would have their phone removed due to having gone missing which is not restorative in nature.

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improvement to be good

The provider was slow to respond to a child’s complaint on one occasion. The child shared during the inspection that they did not feel listened to. The provider has since reflected on how the child’s worries and concerns could have been addressed in a more meaningful way at an earlier stage.

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improvement to be good

Staff lack professional curiosity about children’s behaviours and do not consistently follow risk reduction plans. This has led to delays where risk management and safeguarding practices could have been improved. For one child, staff failed to follow the child’s risk behaviour support plan resulting in the child’s behaviour escalating and the child taking an overdose. For another child, staff failed to explore during a keywork discussion what had led to the child self-harming. Missed learning opportunities such as these prevent staff developing their knowledge of how to reduce further incidents.

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good

The registered manager recently left the organisation. The deputy manager has stepped up and is currently supported by the operations manager to ensure continuity of care while they recruit a new registered manager.

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good

Although staff receive regular supervision, the quality of this is not reflective and lacks evaluation of children’s progress or safety needs. Supervision records are Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 5 brief and lack context to matters that are discussed regarding the children. Team meetings happen but similarly lack reflection.

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good

Managers have not ensured that children’s records have adequate and consistent management oversight. There is a lack of professional challenge about the language that is being used in children’s records. For example, the language used in one child’s key work session following a self-harming incident did not acknowledge the child’s age and stage of development to support their understanding of the issue being discussed. In addition, a letter sent to the children describing consequences for breaking a house rule could be described as punitive. This is despite the provider stating that they do not subscribe to such consequences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 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 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to management oversight of children’s records and the staff team’s approaches to behavioural management. 9 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 9 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff being more accessible to children and for staff to be supported to care for children in accordance with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff should receive reflective supervision regularly.

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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: SC449954 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 230 Bathley Street, The Meadows, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG2 2ER

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Inspector

Netsai Muzuva, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 9 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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