Children's home run by The Place Young People’s Company in Rushcliffe

Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 1 SC480655 Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and one child has moved in.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left their post shortly before the inspection. A new manager has been appointed and is undergoing recruitment checks. The home is currently being managed by the responsible individual with support from other managers in the organisation.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 06/10/2021 Full Good 17/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care from staff and the ethos of the home resembles family life. Children and staff enjoy close and meaningful relationships. They spend time together doing activities and going on holiday. For example, one child travelled to a foreign country with staff and another child is planning a holiday in England. As a result, children feel cared for and have a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy good health. Children are helped to live a healthy and active lifestyle. For some children, an improved diet means they no longer need to take medication. This is good progress. Children’s emotional and mental well-being is also well supported. Staff seek further support from specialists, such as mental health services. Therefore, children’s overall health improves.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do well in education. Staff help children to learn and achieve through supporting with homework, advocating and encouraging children to attend and engage in learning and education. Two children have successfully passed their first year of college and are progressing to Year 2. Another child has been supported to return to school gradually with a personalised plan, helping him to enjoy school again.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Older children are well prepared to live independently. They are supported to learn essential skills such as budgeting, shopping and cooking. One child is learning to drive and has saved up for a car. Careful consideration is given to transition plans and children being able to stay in touch with people who are important to them. As a result, children feel well prepared and supported, and are hopeful for the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some aspects of children’s day-to-day care are not consistently recorded, and information is not always written in a way that is helpful to children. This is an area for development.

p.3

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

Children know how to complain. Children’s concerns are taken seriously. Complaints are fully investigated, and children receive a prompt written response from managers. This helps children feel heard and valued.

p.3

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

The risks and vulnerabilities of children are well known by staff. Safety plans are up to date and regularly reviewed. They tell staff what to do and provide them with strategies in how to respond. Staff are skilled in responding to behaviours that are difficult to manage. This ensures an effective approach to safeguarding.

p.3

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

Children who present with self-injurious behaviours receive good support from staff to keep safe. If children require hospital treatment, staff remain with them. This helps children to feel safe and provides continuity of care. Staff help children to find effective Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 4 strategies in times of distress. For example, one child is supported to use a range of visual images on her bedroom door, informing staff how she is feeling. This enables staff to respond quickly to the child’s needs and is helping to prevent further incidents.

p.3

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

Physical restraint is occasionally used as a last resort to keep children and others safe. The least restrictive measure and force are used. Children are spoken to after each incident and given an opportunity to express how it made them feel. However, the manager does not routinely discuss the incident with staff. This prevents the manager from reviewing the appropriateness of restraint practice effectively, and staff are not receiving the necessary support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management of the home has at times had a negative impact on team morale. The manager has been heavily involved in the day-to-day care of children and this has hindered her capacity to complete management tasks. For example, staff do not receive regular supervision. Therefore, staff are not receiving the support they need, and the manager is not able to review staff knowledge and practice regularly.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

While there are monitoring and quality assurance systems in place, these are not robustly followed. The manager is behind on tasks that oversee the care of children, such as medication competency checks and a review of children’s daily records. A review of the service has been undertaken and there is a plan in place to address these shortfalls, but time is needed for changes to be effective.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not received the necessary training to meet children’s specific needs, such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and substance misuse. Therefore, staff feel they have lacked understanding and have found some behaviours too difficult to manage. This was rectified during the inspection and the relevant training has been organised.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff have positive relationships with professionals and parents. The manager communicates well and works effectively in partnership with others. This ensures a collective approach to care and safety planning.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Learning from incidents and placement endings is used to inform practice. Staff are actively involved in learning reviews, helping them to feel heard and valued. Staff feel supported by the changes taking place and morale within the team is improving. Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 5

p.4

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.

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to staff having the right training in relation to children’s needs and ensuring robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place that are used and reviewed regularly. 31 October 2024

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.5

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 31 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 6 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.5

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager undertaking debriefs with staff following a restraint.

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping, and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62,

p.6

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: SC480655 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Place Young People’s Company

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Lymevale Court, Lyme Drive, Parklands, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 6NW

p.7

Inspector

Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC480655 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.8

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8