Children's Home run by Nottingham City Council in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 1 SC034969 Registered provider: Nottingham City Council

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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 by a local authority. It is registered to provide care for three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an experienced manager who registered with Ofsted in 2013.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: 22 January 2024

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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: SC034969 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2024 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 28/02/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 23/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved on successfully since the last inspection and is now living in semi- independent accommodation. Two children have continued to live at the home and have been there for almost two years. One child has made very good progress. They have grown in confidence, which means they are enjoying new friendships, activities, and interests. This has enabled the child to develop their talents and feel good about themselves. Another child’s progress is much slower. There have been some good attempts to help them with their emotional well-being and to develop relationships and hobbies. However, these have not yet been fully effective. The impact of past experiences is affecting the child’s quality of life. For example, the child does not have a good routine and struggles to attend school consistently. The manager and staff have welcomed a child to the home recently. He is gradually starting to build relationships. The child has been out of school for a significant period

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and is being supported to resume education or training at his pace. This is in the very early stages.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure children attend health appointments. Children have attended on some occasions with a lot of support; however, one child has anxiety about going to the dentist and has struggled to take up this service. Staff are considering different ways to help the child make progress with this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in activities with staff as a group and individually. They enjoy having barbecues, cooking and visiting places of interest. Staff take children to see family and friends. The manager acted quickly when one child recently reconnected with a family member and wanted to see them. This has been important for his sense of belonging.

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

The manager and staff have been required to manage a considerable number of incidents in which children have gone missing from home. They have worked effectively with other agencies and children’s families and friends to ensure children are found as quickly as possible. The police commented that the home is proactive and instigates processes in terms of managing risk.

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

Overall, risk management plans reflect the risks posed to and by children. They are kept up to date following incidents. This ensures that staff have accurate information and clear guidance to help them keep children safe. There has been one occasion when risk was not assessed well. A child brought an e-scooter into the home for a brief period. The manager had not considered the hazards of using and charging the scooter. Children Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 4 were at increased risk during this time but did not come to harm. The manager rectified this during inspection. The manager and staff have provided excellent support to a child with self-injurious behaviour. As a result, the child has developed healthier coping strategies and has not harmed themselves for a considerable period. This is very good progress and has improved the child’s quality of life. They now have hope for the future.

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

Children feel safe with the manager and staff. There have been no allegations of harm from children and physical interventions have not been used. Staff have the skills and confidence to de-escalate situations before they become serious or harmful. Staff undertake regular room searches to ensure that children are kept safe from items that maybe harmful. This is proportionate due to some of the current risks present in children’s lives. The frequency is reviewed regularly to make sure children’s privacy is not breached unnecessarily. Children and relevant professionals are aware of this so that practice has appropriate oversight. Children are included in the room searches where possible and their views are sought and recorded. One member of staff has been recruited since the last inspection. Overall, the relevant vetting processes were followed. However, there was one discrepancy in the information collated which had not been identified. As a result, the existing recommendation

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

regarding safe recruitment is reinstated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable management team whose members work well together. They have good oversight of the home and ensure that staff are trained and supervised regularly. There is a development plan in place which is kept up to date and includes goals for children which keeps focus on their work. The managers have good relationships with children and have the confidence to set boundaries which keep them safe. The manager tracks children’s progress so that patterns and trends can be identified and acted upon. Where children require specialist help, the manager enlists the support of external agencies. The manager and staff have effective relationships with external professionals who are confident in the care the home provides. As a result, children have good support networks around them who communicate regularly about their changing needs. The manager advocates on behalf of children where there are shortfalls in services

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

provided. This has proved challenging in some cases. Following the inspection, the manager recognises the importance of using formal complaints where escalation processes have not been effective. The staff say they are happy in their work and feel well supported with personal and professional issues. There is good diversity in the team, which benefits children’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 5 learning about different views and perspectives on life. The staff speak about children with great warmth and want the best for them. The manager ensures that the home is maintained to a good standard. A new kitchen has recently been fitted. Children can choose how the home looks and they often help with painting and decorating. Their rooms are colourful and comfortable. They are checked regularly to ensure they are safe and hygienic. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 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—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep children safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to assessing the risk of any new items or equipment brought into the home and taking action to address those risks. 30 September2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; 18 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 7 help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that therapeutic support and parenting strategies are implemented to help children make progress with the impact of their lived experience. This includes supporting them to develop healthy routines so they can take part in their daily lives.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure ongoing good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. This includes checking dates of employment to ensure they are correct. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that children who have experienced severe trauma, have mental health difficulties or have been excluded or out of education for significant periods work through their past experiences and present needs so that they can positively participate in learning activities and formal education. This includes ensuring that education providers understand children’s needs and help them to make progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 26, paragraph 5.3)

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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: SC034969 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nottingham City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham NG2 3NG

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Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034969 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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