Children's Home run by In Safe Hands Care Ltd in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 1 Registered provider: In Safe Hands Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It provides care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, two children were living in the home. Two children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2016 and is suitably skilled and qualified.

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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: 1232171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/05/2023 Full Good 03/08/2022 Full Good 02/08/2021 Full Good 16/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built secure and trusting relationships with the staff in the home. Regular key-work sessions demonstrate positive relationships between children and their key workers and a sense of understanding. One child finds it very difficult to form relationships, but the staff are continuing to support her in slowly building these with other members of staff, who are determined to build this bond. This supports children’s relationships and feelings of safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child attends school full time and is achieving in education. Another child is struggling to access their educational provision and, as a result, has missed out on a lot of education opportunities. However, the staff support the child to attend school as much as possible and have a good understanding of how best to do this. Life skills are offered by staff at the home to provide additional support to the children. This promotes the children’s learning and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have not used restraint in the home since the last inspection despite some challenging behaviours from the children. This demonstrates the positive working relationship that staff have with the children to de-escalate situations without the need for restraint. This promotes children’s overall well-being and dignity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has felt safe enough to unpack their belongings in the home, which they have not done before due to their anxieties since they entered care. Staff and other professionals feel that this is positive progress and demonstrates that the child feels safe and secure in their environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in activities and extra-curricular clubs. One child is regularly attending cadets, which is supporting his independence and socialisation skills. Another child is taken by staff on trips to the seaside and cinema. A range of activities in and out of the home are offered to children, and staff encourage them to take part. This promotes children’s well-being and positive experiences.

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

When a child goes missing from home, staff follow the procedures and record information accurately. The relevant authorities are contacted, and return-home interviews are offered to the child. Staff are debriefed upon the child’s return, to reflect on the incident. Welfare checks from staff and police also take place upon the child’s return. Key-working sessions that explore the feelings of the child and the reason for their missing episode take place. This helps children and staff to understand and reflect on what has happened in an attempt to prevent this happening again.

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks, in line with their care plans, to develop independence skills. Risk assessments are available that detail the management Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 4 of the risk for staff, alongside the benefits to the child of taking this assessed risk. This promotes the rights and independence of children in the home.

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

The manager and staff keep in regular contact with external professionals to share information and develop plans to ensure the safety and well-being of the children in the home. The manager has good relationships with external agencies, such as the police, which provide an added layer of safety, especially for the child who goes missing. This multi-agency approach supports the protection of the children.

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

Risk assessments are in place for each child and individualised to their needs. However, not all staff fully understand the risks that are specific to the children and how to respond to these effectively without strong management oversight. Some members of staff have not had training or updated training regarding the key risk areas for the children. This is likely to have an impact on the ability to independently safeguard children in the home.

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

While the home does have adequate fire safety measures and internal checks in place, staff have not consulted with the fire and rescue authority for additional oversight. This may have an impact on the safety of children and staff in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the children and their needs. The manager advocates well for the children and has their best interests at heart. The manager engages in direct work with the children and remains involved in their day-to-day care. The management team is present in the home on a regular basis, including late into the night to check in with their night staff. This presence in the home helps staff to feel supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing is consistent and agency workers are not used. When staff are not able to come to work, the management team ensures that shifts are covered. Often, staff and management will offer their own time to cover shifts. This promotes consistency in the care of the children and enables the children to have a good sense of security in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and family has been positive about the staff and management. Professionals say that they are informed of any changes or developments, and that the manager attends all meetings required of him. Feedback from a parent stated the staff were ‘amazing’, and the parent feels that her child has made a lot of progress as a result of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While some staff understand the expected behaviour for themselves and the children, there remains some staff who are not clear on what these standards are. This has resulted in children being given different boundaries to what has been agreed by management and written in policies. Some members of staff do not appropriately challenge children on their behaviours. This impacts the children’s learning of appropriate behaviour and boundaries and may affect their feelings of stability. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 5 While most of the information is recorded effectively in the home, there remains information that has not been updated or adequately explained. The home has numerous documents for the same information, which can cause confusion among staff and may contribute to missed information. Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 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— that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 1 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and 1 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 7 ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the expectations for standards of behaviour are high for all staff and children in the home. The standards should be clear and unambiguous. Poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed, and boundaries made clear around behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review and streamline the recording systems in the home to ensure ease of access and the documenting of information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: 1232171 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: In Safe Hands Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peter Wray Accountancy Services, 48 50, Wakefield Road, Pontefract, South Yorkshire WF7 7AB

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Inspector

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1232171 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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