Children's Home run by Capstone Care Provider Limited in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 1 SC392712

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Registered provider: Capstone Care Provider 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 privately owned. It provides care for up to three children. The manager of the home is registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and no children have moved out of the home. At the time of inspection, three children were living in the home. Children contributed to this inspection.

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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: SC392712 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/07/2022 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are extremely settled at the home. Staff are resolute in their support of children and as a result children have lived in the home for several years. This has offered stability and consistency to children. Children are relaxed and comfortable with staff and they enjoy spending time together chatting. Children can identify staff they trust and whom they can go to with concerns. Children shared they like living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have clear plans that are well informed by their past experiences. This offers important wider context to the children’s needs and behaviours. Staff speak to children about topics that are linked to the aims of their care plans. Staff feel comfortable to challenge children where appropriate and develop their understanding of how to stay safe. Children respect staff and are often receptive to these conversations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made excellent progress in their education, considering their starting points. Children have been supported to sit their exams despite historical long periods out of schooling. Staff have supported children to see the value in learning and have worked collaboratively with educational professionals to encourage engagement. Where children have struggled with the school environment a tutor has been provided at the home. As a result, several children are intending to progress to further education and are aspirational for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the manager has good communication with key professionals to inform care planning. The manager ensures that required information is known about children’s needs. However, there is not yet a process to understand how children will safely live together. This has the potential for difficult dynamics between children to develop. The manager is aware of this vulnerability and has recently developed a system to address this in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have identified that children do not wish to engage in children’s meetings which they view as too formalised. Staff have consequently developed journals to capture both views of children and conversations had. However, these are not used consistently and could be more targeted to understand children’s views on the care they receive.

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

Staff have warm and reciprocal relationships with children. They understand how to prevent incidents from escalating and encourage children to be calm. As a result, staff have not had to use physical intervention.

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

Children are supported to spend time in the community. Staff understand the risk this poses to children, particularly their vulnerability to be criminally exploited. Risk assessments advise staff of their required actions to keep children safe. Staff remain curious about activities children undertake whilst out of the home and have regular Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 4 discussions that educate children about potential dangers. Management work collaboratively with multi agency partners to share information and work towards reducing this identified risk.

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

Staff understand the risk posed to children through substance misuse in both the short and long term. There are appropriate plans in place to reduce children’s usage, and referrals have been made to appropriate external agencies for specialist support. Staff recognise the risk of children smoking in their bedrooms and have sought appropriate advice about this. The manager is not always proactive in understanding fire risk assessments once received and completing the required actions in a timely manner.

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

Children understand how to raise their concerns with staff. When allegations have been made, staff know how to respond. Management has good oversight of allegations, ensuring appropriate liaison with relevant safeguarding professionals for investigations to take place. However, children are not consistently updated about the outcome of these investigations.

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

Children go missing regularly from the home. Missing from care procedures are well understood by staff and they follow the required actions to keep children safe. Staff consistently welcome children back to the home in a warm way. On one occasion missing from care procedures were not followed fully. The manager had oversight of this and followed up on the expectations with staff. Return interviews with children are not always completed which means reasons for children leaving the home are not always explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run by a committed and passionate manager who has appropriate oversight of the home. The manager and staff work collaboratively with key professionals, and they recognise the progress children have made whilst living at the home. Professionals shared that the staff often go ‘above and beyond’ for the children they care for. They recognise the commitment of staff and the managers and their advocacy for children during more difficult periods that children have experienced. Social workers of the children value the stability and consistency offered to children by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective support systems in place for staff. Staff have clear inductions and have access to regular team meetings which staff value. These offer an opportunity where staff can share their views openly and learn with their colleagues. Staff receive regular supervision from the manager; this affords them space to reflect and share the challenges of their role. Staff look to the manager and feel that he leads by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff love working at the home and are inspired by the manager. Staff look to the manager and feel that he leads by example. They understand the ethos of the home as a ‘family’ and evidence this in the way they talk to and work with children. Consequently, staff are committed to their roles and are ambitious for their careers at the company. Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 5 Training is undertaken by staff and is tailored to meet the needs of children. Staff do not yet ensure that they prioritise the completion of training, this is necessary even during periods of challenge in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 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 prepare and implement a policy ("the missing child policy")

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent. (Regulation 34 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to ensuring independent return home interviews are arranged following a child being missing from the home. 4 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The home should work in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support. (Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards Page 22 paragraph 4.6)

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Recommendations

 Children’s homes should work closely with the placing authority to understand the child’s relationship history and the impact that the child’s arrival may have on the group living at the home. (Guide to Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards Page 38, 8.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. To ensure staff can understand and can meet each child’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 7 needs, in line with their responsibilities, the registered person themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to 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: SC392712 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Capstone Care Provider Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Renewal Trust Business Centre, 3 Hawksworth Street, Nottingham NG3 2EG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: James Broadfield

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Inspectors

Louise Copping, Social Care Inspector Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC392712 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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