Children's home run by Total Care Matters Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 1 SC414296 Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by an independent provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered with Ofsted to provide care for up to four children. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. These children may require support with their emotional and behavioural needs. All children were spoken with as part of the inspection process.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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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: 7 November 2023

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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: SC414296 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 14/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2021 Full Good 13/01/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children told us they are happy living in the home and have good relationships with staff and the manager. All children have made progress from their starting points as a result of living in the home and from the encouragement they receive from staff to reach their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Staff work with children to understand positive relationships, both to keep themselves safe and to create a positive environment in the home. Children have their identity fully accepted, and this gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children are making progress with their attendance and development in education. The manager has repeatedly worked with the children to understand their needs and has encouraged them to attend education to fulfil their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children’s health is promoted and improving. Children have access to all health services, such as GP and dentist, and one child who was reluctant to see a dentist has recently attended an appointment. Therapeutic engagement is child led and staff respect the time children need before speaking or engaging with therapy. Arrangements for medications storage and administration are appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children’s independence skills start early in order to prepare children for adulthood. Staff consider when this may be overwhelming and can be increased or decreased as required. Children express when they want to stay at home until they move to semi- independence, and transitions are introduced slowly and discussed sensitively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

Children have their family time arrangements relentlessly encouraged providing this is safe for them, even if there are obstacles to this. Managers and staff ensure that they respect these arrangements and facilitate them wherever they can, unless children decide they do not want such arrangements to continue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: Good

The home offers a personalised and homely environment for the children. The standard of cleaning throughout the home fluctuated, and although this demonstrated a realistic home environment, this was discussed with the manager, who re-introduced a cleaning list to ensure that cleaning standards were maintained to a high standard.

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

Children feel safe living at the home and can identify adults they trust to confide in and support them. Children have honest conversations with staff even when these are uncomfortable. This has enabled staff to give them the education they need to keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 4 There are individual risk assessments in place that enable staff to understand the individual risks children are vulnerable to and how to respond to these. Risk assessments for door alarms captured that this surveillance measure is in place to safeguard children but were not personalised as to why they are needed for each child. This was discussed with the manager, who immediately added the additional information so that the quality of risk assessments is consistent.

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

Staff exercise professional curiosity in the case of all children and raise any child protection concerns, quickly and appropriately. Staff and managers do not hesitate to involve multi-agency professionals about any concerns they have, no matter how small, to build a picture of concerns that can pre-emptively protect children before hazards become risks. The manager completes safeguarding scenarios with staff at every opportunity.

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

Children who going missing from care receive a well-coordinated response that all staff are aware of. When children do go missing, staff know how to respond. Reasons for missing-from-care episodes are explored with children to minimise repeat occurrences. Consultations with children identify creative ways to enable children to manage their emotions, such as welfare walks to reduce children feeling the need to leave the home unauthorised.

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

Staff are consistent in setting boundaries for children and implementing these. When children receive consequences for their behaviour, these are educational in nature and relate to the behaviour displayed.

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

Incidents are fully investigated, and appropriate actions taken with professionals notified where required. Management oversight of incidents reflects on practice and how this could be improved and themes that occur to try and minimise repeat incidents.

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

Room searches are conducted appropriately and are successful in keeping children safe. However, ensuring that children are consulted with and understand the reasons for property searches could be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

The new leadership and management team shows a united approach to working in the best interests of the children. Their members have implemented processes, which are continuing to be developed, that support the staff team to provide quality care. The manager and deputy have created a good foundation for growth in the service and are starting to work to their strengths and understand the home’s areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

The staff team reports developing together since the registered manager came into post, which gives them strength as a staff team. Staff were eager to give their unanimous feedback about the strength of their teamwork that is instigated by a strong leadership team. All feedback supports that staff and children have faith in the manager to meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 5 Supervision takes place and reflects on development and children living in the home. A new appraisal tool was in development to assist staff towards their professional goals and captures children’s voices on how they see staff. External scrutiny is used as a development opportunity to improve practice. Audit processes are delegated to staff, which instils a sense of ownership of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

Children are at the centre of the ethos of the home. The manager and the staff have provided children with the opportunity to engage in activities based on their likes and dislikes and have a focus on building positive experiences and memories with them and instilling self-belief for the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: Good

Managers make child-centred decisions about children coming to live at the home and ensure that staff have the skills to meet their needs as known at the time of admission. Planning considers the needs of the children already living in the home and ensures that plans for individual children comprehensively identify their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 6

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that the property and grounds are well maintained and repaired to a good and consistent standard, including children’s bedrooms, and that they have oversight of this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9.)  The registered manager should ensure that rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being but ensure that children are informed and educated about the reasons for this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20.)

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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: SC414296 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Chantrey Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7NR

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Inspector

Vikki Thwaites, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC414296 8 regulates and inspects to 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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