Children's home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group

Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 1 Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by an independent provider. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional needs.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children were spoken to during the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be 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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 December 2023

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Children and staff enjoy spending time together. Children will actively seek out staff to talk about how they are feeling and for affection and warmth. Staff maintain open and effective communication with children. This results in children being able to express their emotions and share any concerns or worries they may have. One child said, ‘I love the home and staff listen.’

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are consulted about their home environment. They currently have a focus on developing the garden area. Children are involved in creating plans to shape this space according to their preferences. However, the overall home environment requires further attention to foster a more homely and welcoming atmosphere. Delays in completing some maintenance tasks often result in certain areas appearing untidy and less inviting.

p.3

improvement to be good

For one child, a court order restricting their liberty has ended. This demonstrates considerable progress since they moved to the home. This positive development has been supported through the establishment of safe and trusting relationships with staff. However, the documentation relating to the order is not available in the child’s file. While there has been consistent communication with the local authority regarding the restrictions to the child’s liberty, the absence of such crucial documentation means that staff do not have full access to important details about the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are making steady progress with their education. Staff recognise the crucial role education plays in children’s development. When children are unable to attend a school setting, the staff ensure children have access to the necessary resources, such as tutors, to create a tailored education package. Staff will advocate for the children when they feel their education provision is not meeting their needs.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff actively support children in maintaining relationships with the people who are important to them. This supports children to develop a strong sense of identity and belonging. In addition, staff make efforts to build positive relationships with key individuals in the children’s lives. One family member expressed appreciation, noting that staff consistently keep them informed about any incidents involving their child.

p.3

improvement to be good

Allegations against staff are managed appropriately. The manager takes all the necessary actions that are required to keep children safe. These include a thorough investigation, and the right external professionals are informed. However, there are instances where staff do not promptly report allegations to the manager in accordance with safeguarding policy and procedures. This resulted in a member of staff continuing Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 4 to support a child, despite an allegation of harm being made by the child against the staff member.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently adhere to the required staffing levels and oversight and supervision of children. This led to an incident of a child gaining access to knives, despite risk assessments clearly stating that the child required constant staff supervision. Immediate and appropriate action was taken to minimise further risk and ensure children’s safety. Incidents where staff conduct has been highlighted as a concern are investigated by the manager. However, investigations are not always conducted in a timely manner. As a result, there are delays in addressing issues and implementing necessary improvements.

p.4

improvement to be good

The review and update of risk assessments have not been carried out consistently. This has led to unclear documentation of the current risks and needs of children. As a result, assessments have lacked clarity regarding necessary actions staff need to take when a concern arises. The manager has highlighted this as an area requiring improvement. Those assessments that had been reviewed and updated now contain accurate and comprehensive information. These updated assessments clearly outline the specific actions staff must take to safeguard the well-being and safety of the children.

p.4

improvement to be good

Information about children is not always recorded or shared effectively with new staff coming on shift, leading to gaps in critical information being passed on. Staff have reported that handovers are often not thorough, with important details frequently missed. The manager has recognised this as an area for improvement and has developed plans to address the issue.

p.4

improvement to be good

There are gaps in safer recruitment processes. When difficulties arise in obtaining references, additional references are not pursued to ensure that staff are fully vetted and suitable to work in the home. This resulted in a staff member only having one appropriate reference, leading to gaps in safer recruitment checks. Additionally, a crucial risk assessment that was completed around this issue is missing from the staff member’s file.

p.4

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

The home has experienced a period of instability. There has been a lack of effective monitoring from senior leaders that has led to shortfalls not being identified and addressed promptly. When concerns have been raised, they have not been reviewed to ensure that appropriate actions are being taken to resolve the issues. As a result, there have been delays in addressing key areas of improvement and improving the quality of care for children.

p.4

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

Staff attend regular team meetings and have access to a clinical team to support their practice. This supports staff to consider how best to support children. Staff supervision offers a valuable opportunity for reflection on their care practice and consideration of areas for development. However, staff supervision is not always consistent. Additionally, Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 5 staff are not regularly provided with records of their supervision or have these saved in their staff file.

p.4

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

Management oversight of incidents is inconsistent, leading to some incidents not being reviewed and evaluated. This inconsistency limits the ability to identify key learning opportunities and to respond to emerging patterns or concerns. However, when oversight has been provided by the manager, there has been effective evaluations of incidents. Furthermore, when the manager has been directly involved in incidents, they have been reviewed by an independent person, ensuring an additional layer of scrutiny.

p.5

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

Internal monitoring, including quality of care review reports, does not provide a comprehensive evaluation or analysis of the quality of care provided to the children. When shortfalls are identified, there is often a lack of clarity regarding the specific actions required for development or improvement.

p.5

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

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left and a new manager has been appointed. The manager, working closely with the new operations manager, has gained a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Immediate action has been taken to address key concerns. As a result, there has been noticeable improvement in certain areas. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 6

p.5

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.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that staff have the skills and knowledge to report concerns regarding child safety immediately, especially following concerns of allegations against staff. This specifically relates to risk assessments being reviewed and updated regularly to ensure they reflect the ongoing needs of children. 28 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 7 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.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to continued monitoring of the home, and that when there are actions identified, these are appropriately addressed. This also specifically relates to ensuring that there is clear and consistent management oversight of incidents. 25 April 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that appropriate references are obtained for staff working in the home. 28 March 2025

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing, supportive and homely environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 8  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 ensure that information relating to the children is clearly recorded and shared with new staff coming on shift. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be

p.7

Recommendations

skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. The registered person should ensure that their review of information from independent monitoring provides a comprehensive evaluation or analysis of the quality of care provided to the children. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being conducted in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

p.8

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: 2691185 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: YMCA Robin Hood Group, Malt Cross, 16 St James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

p.9

Inspector

Jess Baines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 10 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.9

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.10

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10