Children's Home, Residential special school run by SENAD Limited in Derby

Inspection report children's home: 2581909 1 Registered provider: SENAD 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 home is the residential provision of an independent special school. It provides care for up to eight children who have learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.

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Information about this children’s home

Six children were living at the home at the time of the inspection. Five children were seen and spoken to by the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting manager in post who has applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account requires improvement

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 17 December 2024

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2581909 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2024 Full Outstanding 25/07/2023 Full Outstanding 05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2581909 3

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improvement to be good

There have been changes in the leadership of the home. This has added to the negative impact on the effectiveness of the service and the care afforded to children. Children’s outcomes and experiences within the home are mixed. Whilst some children are flourishing, two children are not making progress and have regressed.

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improvement to be good

Not all children are provided the opportunity to access regular activities outside of the home. This prevents children from feeling part of their community. It also limits children’s potential to enjoy and achieve, impacting on their overall progress.

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improvement to be good

All children are regularly visited by an advocate. This provides an opportunity for children to be seen by and share any worries with someone independent to the home. However, children are not meaningfully consulted to ensure they have a genuine say in their day- to-day care. For example, children who do not communicate with words do not always get a say in what meals they eat or places they would like to go. This is an area for development.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and some children choose how their bedroom is decorated. However, damage and wear and tear are not always promptly repaired, and some areas of the home require improvement, such as bathrooms and the sensory room.

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improvement to be good

Most children’s health needs are well met. For two children, staff have been organised and proactive in preparing the children for significant health interventions. As a result, these children have been supported to receive the necessary healthcare, improving their overall health and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff prioritise children’s education and the children go to the onsite school daily. Staff and education colleagues work collaboratively to help children achieve. When progress is identified, these achievements are celebrated. This encourages children and helps to improve their confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed safeguarding procedures. There have been delays in reporting concerns to a manager. This has increased risks to children, and hindered managers ability to undertake a timely investigation. Once concerns are known, appropriate agencies are consulted, such as the local designated officer and Ofsted. Thorough internal investigations are undertaken. However, not all safeguards put in place whilst allegations are investigated are robust enough. Inspection report children's home: 2581909 4 Staff are trained in physical intervention and supported by a behaviour support instructor. Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep children and others safe. However, managers have not had oversight of all incidents involving children. Therefore, the manager cannot be assured that staff are responding appropriately, nor can she use learning from these incidents to improve practice.

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improvement to be good

Children have detailed safety plans. These documents tell staff how to respond to keep children safe. However, some risk management plans are not reviewed regularly. This means that risks to children have not had effective oversight or monitoring by the manager.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well to children in distress. Staff help children to recognise when they are upset and learn how to regulate their emotions. For some children, this has resulted in a reduction in incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home is poor. Managers have failed to take effective action on two occasions when concerns have been raised about unsafe practice in relation to deep pressure techniques. This has increased risks to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager has not provided staff with regular supervision. This limits opportunities for staff to access support and guidance. It also reduces the manager’s ability to regularly assess staff competency and their care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff enjoy working at the home or feel supported. Team morale is mixed and there are fractured relationships within the team. Regular team meetings do not take place. Therefore, the team do not have opportunities to bond or learn and develop together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager has positive relationships with some external stakeholders. However, communication with some social workers and parents is poor. Social workers and parents of two children have not been happy with the standard of care and have made formal complaints. These concerns have been taken seriously, and there is a plan in place to address the shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff are appropriately qualified to work in the home. Four staff have failed to complete the relevant qualification in the required timeframe. Managers have not taken effective action to address this in a timely manner. Inspection report children's home: 2581909 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers embedding monitoring systems in the home to improve the quality of care provided and ensure oversight of incidents and physical interventions. It also relates to managers ensuring that all staff receive regular supervision and team meetings. 30 June 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2581909 6 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii) and (b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring staff share safeguarding concerns with a manager without delay and managers taking effective action when practice concerns are raised. This also relates to ensuring risks to children are regularly reviewed and have management oversight. 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child's interests and hobbies; 30 June 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2581909 7 participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child's interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to providing children with regular opportunities to access the community and take part in chosen activities.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the 31 July 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2581909 8 date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff achieving the relevant qualification in the specified time.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children's homes are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. ((‘Guide to the Children's Home Regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Children who cannot or choose not to verbalise, have the right to have their views, wishes and feelings heard and respected in the same way as other children. There may be children whose abilities and understanding are such that regulations 7(2)(a)(iv), (b)(i) and (c) will need interpretation according to their individual circumstances in consultation with their social worker. ('Guide to the Children's Home Regulations including the quality standards', page 24, paragraph 4.24)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection took place on 6 and 7 May 2025, but we also returned on 19 May 2025 to gather additional evidence.

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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 children's home: 2581909 9

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Children's home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1 St. Georges House, Vernon Gate, DERBY DE1 1UQ

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Inspector

Simon Hunter, Social Care Inspector Emma Dacres, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2581909 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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