Children's home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group

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

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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 owned by an independent provider. It provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has employed a new manager since the last inspection. The manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home. The child was spoken to during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/12/2023 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 3

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improvement to be good

There has been significant instability in the children’s home since the last inspection. Several staff who had positive relationships with children have left. The use of agency workers and staff who the children do not know has been high. Children have been impacted by the inconsistency of staff caring for them. Children have not had positive experiences of staff leaving. One child has moved since the last inspection as the home could no longer meet their needs. Although the new manager has brought some stability, children have struggled with forming new and positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff have begun to improve the environment that children live in. The manager has plans for the refurbishment of living spaces and the garden. However, at the time of inspection, the home still required work in order to create a homely and caring place for children to live. The child’s bedroom is personalised and reflective of their interests and character. The child said that they liked their bedroom.

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improvement to be good

The child who left was supported with their move to a new home. Staff ensured that the child was reminded of their progress and provided with positive memories to take with them. Staff gave good support to ensure that the new staff team was aware of the child’s needs. The other child in the home has continually expressed their desire to move. The child feels listened to by the new manager and professionals when sharing their views.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children with their education and know that it is important to them. When children are not in school due to exclusion or reduced time, they are well supported to engage in education and learning at home. Staff ensure that this is structured and planned, and children engage with it. Staff are improving the relationship with professionals at the school. There are collaborative plans to support the child back to increased hours in a way that better recognises their needs.

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improvement to be good

There has been a lack of recording of discussions with children since the last inspection. Staff inconsistency and a lack of guidance from managers has meant that meaningful and necessary conversations have not been captured. Children’s views of their home have not been regularly listened to. The new manager is implementing better systems so that discussions with children are planned, well recorded and reviewed.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see their families where this is safe to do so. Staff understand the impact that time with family can have on children, and react dynamically to support children when they may be affected by this.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to have a healthy diet and children enjoy regular exercise as part of their week, which supports them to be active. One child’s passion for cooking is celebrated in the home and they prepare their own food regularly. Children participate in Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 4 activities and hobbies that are important to them. This means that children are provided with opportunities to develop their interests and spend time in their communities.

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improvement to be good

Children have safety plans in place, which provide staff with guidance on how to support children when they are struggling with their feelings and emotions. Some information for when certain actions or interventions are required to keep children safe is still missing. Staff are beginning to be more consistent with boundaries and behaviour support. Staff who were spoken to understood children’s experiences and how they shape behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Staff have plans for how to support children who self-harm. The frequency and severity of incidents are low. However, children have been able to access areas used to store items that were removed to prevent harm. This has led to children being able to repeat the harm to themselves. This shortfall was not reflected on sufficiently to improve systems for prevention of this happening again. The manager has begun to improve the environment and this has provided more space for children to use.

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improvement to be good

Children have gone missing from the care of staff. Staff respond to children going missing by following the procedures in place. However, there is information missing from children’s plans that would provide staff with more information and options when trying to safely locate children. Some previous incidents of children going missing have been poorly recorded. Since the new manager started, the system for recording and reviewing incidents is improving. Children are spoken to after they go missing, to explore the reasons behind this. This provides opportunities for children to share any worries or concerns that they may have.

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improvement to be good

The use of restraint to keep children safe is proportionate to the risk. When restraint is used to prevent children from going missing, there is a lack of evidence to show that the child’s placing authority agrees with this type of intervention. There has been an improvement in the recording of restraint more recently. The manager is now reviewing incidents to identify patterns and triggers that may help to reduce the use of restraint. The use of medication for behaviour support has not been regularly reviewed, which means that the guidance for staff on its use and administration is not clear.

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improvement to be good

Most checks required for the recruitment of new staff are being completed. However, there are shortfalls in staff’s employment history being properly explored by the manager. The manager is improving their oversight of the checks. They have not yet satisfied themselves that all the required checks have been completed. This could put children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The response to children making complaints or allegations has been inconsistent. Some information and follow up actions to incidents are missing. The manager is training and developing the staff’s skills to better understand the process of how to support children when they make a complaint. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 5

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

Staff retention in the home has been poor. The new manager is improving the structure of leadership, and this is stabilising the staff team. Staff are inexperienced and inductions to the home have not been supportive. Staff spoken to felt that the home was a difficult and chaotic home for children to live in, but the manager has significantly improved the environment. Staff said that they now feel well supported and are subject to more structured and planned training and development.

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

The manager knows the areas that require improvement. They are experienced and have plans in place to raise the standard of care being provided to children. Staff were not receiving regular supervision at the time when they were being inducted to the home and lacked experience. Staff needed more guidance and support due to their lack of experience in their roles. The manager and deputy have ensured that better systems are in place, which mean that the staff are now receiving positive supervision.

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

At a time of crisis in the home, staff were not meeting regularly as a group. The opportunities for reflection and the setting of expectations and standards were therefore missed. Team meetings have now been introduced, and these are well planned and effective. Staff spoken to said that they enjoyed these meetings. The clinical team attached to the home have also provided additional support and reflection for staff to improve their practice.

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

Management oversight of incidents has continued to be inconsistent. The systems for the monitoring and review of care have not been effective. There are still incidents that have not been reviewed or evaluated, and this was a shortfall at the last inspection. The new manager knows the importance of oversight and its role in improving care practices. The manager still needs to review and reflect on the last six months, to inform their programme of development in the home.

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

Roles that are senior to that of the manager have been subject to change. This has impacted on the sharing and handover of essential information to the new manager. It is not evident who has the responsibility to provide oversight of incidents that the manager is involved in. This means that incidents do not get reviewed in a timely manner.

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

Professionals who were spoken to felt that the new manager has brought about immediate and positive change in the home. They feel that communication has improved. Staff spoken to said that they had changed their views on working in the home because of the new manager’s impact on everyone’s well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the planned redecoration and refurbishment of the home are carried out 28 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

that staff— 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 7 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practice skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children are supported to understand when relationships with staff come to an end.

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Requirement Due date

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— that staff—

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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; 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 8 help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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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)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that records of incidents are clear, detailed and demonstrate management oversight, reflection and learning. It also relates to the need for children’s safety plans to contain all the relevant information to guide staff in keeping children safe.

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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

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to ensuring that robust quality assurance and monitoring systems are in place, used regularly and recorded. 28 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that they 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. This also includes ensuring that the point-in-time surveys are distributed to all relevant people so they have the opportunity to provide feedback. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2691185 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malt Cross, 16 St. James’s Street, Nottingham NG1 6FG

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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691185 11 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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