Children's Home run by Derbyshire County Council in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 1 SC036248 Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority and provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2023 Full Outstanding 19/04/2022 Full Good 13/04/2021 Full Good 04/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and her staff are truly dedicated to the children. They go above and beyond to support the children in all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children benefit from living in a large home that has lots of indoor and outdoor space for them all to enjoy. The children have opportunities to choose the decor for their room, and this allows their personalities to shine through. Changes are due to be made to the physical environment to enhance the home further and benefit the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work collaboratively with external agencies to ensure the children receive support relating to their health. At times, the children have been reluctant to attend appointments, for various reasons. Staff acknowledge how the children are feeling but highlight the importance of the appointment. The tenacity of staff has meant that children do finally progress to having the appointment. This shows how much staff care about the children and want them to be happy and healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff ensure that each child receives personalised support tailored to their specific and unique needs. They adopt a creative and imaginative approach to focus on developing the skills and knowledge of each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children continue to exceed expectations and they have made considerable progress since the last inspection. One child has been successful in securing a job, which involved them having several interviews before they were offered the role. Another child has been constantly supported by staff over the last year with their mental health. They have progressed from being withdrawn to now wanting to spend time with staff and being part of what is going on in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff are fully focused on supporting the children through all that life brings. Their aspirations for the children always remain high. One child came to live at the home when they were not able to live with family. Staff supported the child and worked closely with the family and external professionals to ensure the child was later able to return home. This was an excellent outcome for the child. They keep in touch with the staff, which shows how much they valued their input and support while they were living away from their family.

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

The relationships between children and staff are respectful and meaningful and resemble those of a family. Staff have made tireless efforts to cultivate these bonds. As a result, trust has become the cornerstone of these relationships. This makes the children feel safe in their home, knowing that they have committed and trusted adults they can rely on. Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 4 Safeguarding is at the heart of how staff support the children. Discussions about children being safe are part of individual work sessions. Staff do not shy away from difficult conversations with children. When these are undertaken, they are done so sensitively, and a written record is always made for the child and sent to them. Additionally, staff weave safety issues into daily chats. Over time, children have become equipped with the knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, in and outside the home.

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

Detailed risk assessments for each child are implemented by staff to keep children safe. Staff know children well and can identify potential risks and triggers. Plans to reduce risks are detailed and highly effective, providing staff with guidance on how to keep children safe. The therapeutic ethos and culture of the home are reflected in the children’s relevant documents and records.

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

Incidents continue to occur in the home, however, no child has gone missing in over eight months. Staff are very proactive and use their skills and experience, relationships with children and theoretical approach to creatively de-escalate situations quickly. If an incident has occurred, staff are quick to support the children and provide care and nurture to ensure they know they are safe and cared about.

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

There is a clear medication process in place. Staff receive detailed training. There have been a small number of medication errors since the last inspection. When these have been identified, decisive action has been taken by the manager to improve staff competence and reduce further risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly experienced, committed and passionate about providing children with outstanding care. She has high aspirations for the children. Her passion for delivering outstanding care shines through all that she does each day. The manager is creative in achieving aims and seeks to overcome any barriers, to make a difference to the children’s lives. She is focused on children remaining safe and experiencing a positive family life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The team has faced several challenges since the last inspection. Through these difficult times, the manager has remained resolute in her support for the staff and children. The manager has provided consistency and stability, which has been valued by the staff and reinforced their continued commitment to the children and to delivering exceptional care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular opportunities for further training and development. Training is relevant to the needs of the children. Team members benefit from regular supervision and appraisals, in which they feel able to discuss the impact of their work. This has helped to maintain a core team of stable staff who work well together and display exceptional energy and tenacity, which helps children develop and grow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team has excellent oversight of the activity in the home. There are systems in place that allow the leadership team to have oversight of what needs to be done and by when. They work collaboratively with staff and external professionals to Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 5 progress the children’s care plans. One professional spoke positively about the home’s partnership approach to ensure positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team takes pride in children’s achievements and always has time for children. Children who have left the home keep in regular contact with them to share their news or ask for advice, even long after they have moved on. This demonstrates the enduring nature of relationships and attachments that children develop with the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No statutory requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection.

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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: SC036248 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Derbyshire County Council, County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC036248 7 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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