Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 1 SC036240 Registered provider: Derby City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to six children and young people with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2024 Full Good 24/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is maintained to a good standard. Staff work hard to ensure that the home feels cosy and inviting for children. There have been recent efforts to adapt the use of spaces within the home. Children now have several rooms where they can talk privately with professionals or choose to spend time away from other children. As a result, children are choosing to spend increasing amounts of time outside of their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in education and working towards personalised milestones. When children are not enrolled at school the manager is tenacious to ensure that children are quickly able to access provisions right for them. One child was well supported to progress from tutoring within the home to a specialist provision. They are now able to learn alongside their peers for the first time in several years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to experience fun and special activities. Staff listen to the interests of the children and quickly establish local groups and trips out that they can attend. This is valued by children and prevents children becoming socially isolated. One child was well supported to explore their gender identity at a local specialist group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear and considered plans in place. Information is set out in a logical and accessible way for staff to follow. They help staff to understand children’s needs in the wider context of their historical experiences. Staff understand the purpose of the child’s care and how they can support their progress. Consequently, children are cared for by staff who are empathetic and understand the needs of children well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported when they move into and out of the home. The manager prioritises planned transitions, so children experience these positively. Some children have been supported to move into foster care following the consistent and stable care offered at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers build warm and trusting relationships with children. Children can express their views and identify staff that they trust and can talk openly with. However, Children’s meetings are not currently taking place. This means children do not have a regular opportunity to work collaboratively with their peers to influence their care in the home.

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

There have been serious incidents in the home, and on occasion staff have been injured by children when they have become upset. Staff understand their required actions to keep children safe and have a focus on de-escalating situations. They support children to understand the consequences of their actions whilst remaining curious about what may be informing their behaviour and how this can be prevented in the future. Children are Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 4 not shamed by staff and there is a focus on repairing relationships. Children recognise that staff care for them unconditionally and this has encouraged more positive behaviour in recent months.

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

When children make complaints or allegations about staff these are taken seriously by managers. There is appropriate and timely escalation of concerns to safeguarding partners. Where there are concerns about staff practice, they do not work in the home until investigations are complete. The manager keeps clear and chronological recordings, which evidence excellent multi-agency working to resolve matters.

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

Some children have struggled to stay safe online. Where there have been concerns staff have temporarily removed devices. Staff then work directly with children to ascertain their ability to use the internet safely and to understand the potential risks online. The manager is now prioritising activities that encourage children away from screens and their bedrooms. This has been well received and is encouraging better dynamics amongst children.

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

There have been occasions where children have been injured during a restraint hold. Managers are curious about how restraint incidents are experienced by children. Managers appropriately raise concerns about restraint practice with staff members involved. Decisive action taken by the manager has safeguarded children effectively. Recordings of holds could however be clearer. Documents are not always clear about what hold has been undertaken and the outcomes of conversations held by the social worker with the involved child.

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

Several children take medication. Recently, some children have been appropriately supported to manage these independently, in line with their age and ability. Staff do not consistently ensure that audits happen for when children take medication independently. There is not yet a recorded agreement in place to manage this change of care plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a committed and dynamic management team. They understand the unique strengths of staff members and utilise these effectively. Staff value having regular team meetings and a chance to discuss and adapt practice. Staff shared that they enjoy working at the home and that there is good morale amongst the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works excellently with involved professionals. Those spoken to shared that the manager is a clear communicator and advocates well for children. One social worker shared that working with the manager was one of the most effective working relationships he had experienced in his career.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises training for staff. Staff access comprehensive mandatory training in addition to bespoke training, to meet the needs of children. Staff have particularly valued recent training about autism. The manager has encouraged staff to complete the required qualification, and staff are committed to this learning. As a result, children are being cared for by staff who are well informed and skilled. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 5 The manager uses auditing systems to identify both good practice and areas of improvement. Social workers receive a monthly overview of children’s progress. These pictorially celebrate children’s progress and are important contributions to their future understanding of their time spent at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions of staff are not occurring on a consistent basis. This means staff do not always have the space to reflect on incidents or discuss personal matters regularly. Managers do not yet ensure that supervision meetings are set in advance and prioritised by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place regularly and particularly following difficult incidents. 7 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.1)  The registered person should ensure that children must be 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- children’s meetings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 7

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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: SC036240 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Council House, Corporation Street, Derby DE1 2FS

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Inspector

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 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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