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Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 1 SC437069 Registered provider: Derbyshire County 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

This local authority home provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities. The statement of purpose for the home changed in October 2024. The home no longer delivers short-term breaks. It is now registered to care for children who live in the home on a long-term basis and have learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All three children contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2011.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/01/2024 Full Outstanding 17/01/2023 Full Outstanding 12/10/2021 Full Good 20/06/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans for children moving into the home were coordinated effectively and well managed. The children remained central to the process. Time was taken to ensure that the children knew what to expect once they moved in, and who would be caring for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have various health needs. Staff support the children to attend appointments when needed. Staff are proactive in arranging appointments should a health issue arise. The children eat a varied and balanced diet, and they make requests about menu options.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school daily, and they were able to remain at their existing schools after moving into the home. Staff collaborate closely with education professionals to provide consistent support. Additionally, they communicate with school staff at the end of each day, allowing them to take a proactive approach in supporting the children on their return home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children really enjoy spending time with their families. Staff have worked hard to show family members the best way to support their child. Working together in this way has allowed children’s relationships with their families in some instances to repair and strengthen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a wide variety of activities. Should staff identify barriers that would hamper a child’s ability to experience an activity, they work hard to reduce these so that children can be included in activities in their community. These varied opportunities help children to improve their confidence and support them to develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at seeking the views and wishes of the children. An area where this practice needs strengthening is in relation to direct work with children on a one-to-one basis and in children’s meetings.

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

The home itself has undergone a transformation. Some of the rooms have been repurposed to allow the children to have their own lounges and areas to relax. The necessary equipment to support children has also been incorporated into the home environment. This ensures that the children and staff remain safe in the home.

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

Risk management plans are detailed and clearly identify the needs of the children and how the staff can best support the children. These are updated on a regular basis as the staff continue to increase their knowledge about the children.

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

Staff are proactive in their care for the children and observations of children are central to this. Should staff note that a child’s behaviour is changing, they are curious about this Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 4 and what it could mean for the child. Staff support children effectively to try and stop their behaviour from escalating, which helps children to remain as calm and safe as possible.

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

When incidents occur, they are evaluated and documentation is completed to a high standard. The managers have oversight of all incidents. However, children are not consistently given enough time to process what has happened before a debrief is undertaken. Allowing children time to reflect on incidents would help them to explore their behaviour and develop an understanding of the effect that this has on themselves and others.

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

When safeguarding issues have arisen, the staff have followed protocols in place effectively by raising these concerns with managers. Managers have then completed the appropriate investigations and actions, with the primary focus being on keeping the children safe. All the relevant records are clear and very detailed.

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

There are medication processes and systems in place. Staff receive detailed training, and their competence is assessed before they can administer medication. There has been a small number of medication errors since the last inspection. When these have been identified, there has been action taken by the leadership team to improve the competence of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated to the well-being and development of the children in his care. He strives to create a supportive environment where the children can make good progress. He is supported by two deputies who share his vision and commitment. Together, they have created a safe and nurturing home for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have been affected by the changes to the home and the new systems in place and have been supported by the managers throughout this transition. There have been some new processes introduced that focus on capturing the children’s views and wishes, and supporting them to develop their awareness through direct work sessions. While staff are familiar with the new processes, they have not fully embedded these into daily practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have not benefited from regular supervision. Staff know they can speak with the managers at any time and value this support. However, staff are not receiving individual supervision sessions, as set out in the home’s policies, that would provide opportunities for staff to receive guidance and feedback and to reflect on ways to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked hard to establish new systems and processes. The staff are still learning these, and they are not consistently integrated into daily care activities. The manager has undertaken an audit of practice in the home, and this has assisted with his oversight of the home. However, he is unaware of whether staff have completed Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 5 required tasks. This is a missed opportunity to learn from the manager’s review of documentation and care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive and reinforces that new relationships are still being developed. Information is shared promptly, and professionals are of the view that they are kept up to date about the children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The parent of a child was highly complimentary of the support their child receives. The parent praised the work of the staff and commented, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’ In a short space of time, the parent had already started to notice the positive changes in their child and the progress that they had made. Staff shared their resources with the parent to ensure that the child receives consistent care and support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 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

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”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to staff and children being debriefed after measures of control have been used. 9 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The employment of staff standard is that the registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing personal development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice led supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once a year.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to ensuring that staff are supervised in line with the home’s supervision policy. 9 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(b)) 9 May 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: SC437069 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Derbyshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Offices, Matlock DE4 3AG

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437069 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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