Children's Home run by K & G Care Ltd in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 1 Registered provider: K&G Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager who was away from work at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector was aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected and their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 12 November 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 3

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inadequate

All the children were spoken with as part of the inspection.

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, children’s experiences have been variable. Children have not always been kept safe, and this has affected their progress and development. The responsible individual is overseeing the home while the manager is away from work. The responsible individual has reviewed and updated the children’s plans, which is beginning to have a positive impact on the children.

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inadequate

The staff have worked hard to repair their relationships with the children. This work is still in its infancy and will be ongoing for some time. The children want the support from staff and accept the advice and guidance that they provide.

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inadequate

Staff carry out individual key-work sessions with each child. The manager has, at times, requested that staff explore specific issues with a child, but they have failed to do this. Additionally, the manager does not have a system in place whereby they check that children have received the support they need to help them make progress.

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inadequate

The children have individual education plans. These plans have previously been too broad and have not been tailored to children’s specific needs. Recently, the plans have been reviewed by the responsible individual and updated to strengthen them. New timetables have been developed, which, when followed, offer structure to the children’s day. The children are starting to work with the staff and are participating in various educational opportunities.

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inadequate

Children are registered with local health services. A child recently missed two essential health appointments. Staff are working to rearrange these appointments. However, this delay in treatment does not benefit the child.

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inadequate

The children can express their views and opinions, and staff will listen to them. Children can also express their views to independent advocates. This enables children to speak openly with external professionals about their experiences of living at the home.

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inadequate

Serious safeguarding concerns have arisen as a result of the registered manager’s failure to ensure children’s safety and protection. The organisation is currently investigating this matter in collaboration with external safeguarding agencies. Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 4 Risk assessments are not used effectively to safeguard the children. The assessments lack the clarity, specificity and responsiveness required for their effectiveness. The assessments are not clear regarding the actual risks and what steps staff must take to safeguard the children. This undermines staff’s ability to manage risks safely and proactively.

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inadequate

There have been incidents of concern in the home that the staff have managed well. Staff are supportive towards the children and work to prevent any concerning behaviours from escalating. However, this has been undermined by the inaction of the registered manager. The manager’s oversight of incidents has required staff to carry out debriefs with children following incidents. Staff have not been proactive in carrying these out. This could leave children managing difficult feelings that could cause them harm and prevent an understanding of the key triggers to children’s behaviour escalating.

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inadequate

Medication procedures are not yet strong or effective. Some medication recording is inaccurate. There is no oversight or auditing of the processes. For example, one child has been given medication, but staff were unable to identify the child had a specific diagnosis that required the medication. These errors highlight the weaknesses in this system and lack of oversight from a manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to provide children with safe care which has negatively impacted on the positive experiences that promote their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not had sufficient oversight of the home. Senior managers have also failed to provide strong oversight of the home and the registered manager’s practice. Senior managers failed to identify the shortfalls that were found during the inspection. Monitoring and review systems are not being used to oversee the home effectively. This contributes to an overall lack of scrutiny of the staff and registered managers’ practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received regular individual supervision, which results in missed opportunities for support, guidance and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff have benefited from regular team meetings. However, the lack of minutes limits their ability to reference past discussions or agreed actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Currently, there is no up to date workforce development plan or wider development plan for the home. As a result, the future focus on the home and development of staff in their roles is not well defined.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers meet and plan training each year to develop and enhance staff’s skills and knowledge. However, some staff have not completed elements of mandatory training within the required timescales. This puts some staff at a Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 5 disadvantage, as they lack the necessary information to assist them in their work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff say that they enjoy working in the home, but they acknowledge that the whole team has recently experienced a difficult period. Staff feel valued in their role, and they recognise the value of the responsible individual now assuming the day-to-day operations of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External professionals have confidence in the care provided to the children. They believe that the children’s needs are best met in the home and remain committed to helping things improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following this inspection, two compliance notices have been issued relating to the protection of children and the leadership and management standards. Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 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 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

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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that risk assessments are up to date and provide staff with the strategies to manage behaviour and reduce risks. In addition, staff must carry out their role in accordance with the home’s child protection policies and procedures. 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 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

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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to leaders developing a system to ensure that supervision sessions are carried out and up to date. Leaders must develop a system to assist them in their oversight of the home and ongoing monitoring. There must also be a system that tracks children’s progress. 1 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 8 understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to staff ensuring that children attend all medical appointments and their health and well-being are continually supported.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly relates to ensuring that there is a robust medication process in place. Children must be given medication in line with their agreed health needs. In addition, medication audits must be regularly carried out. 1 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 9 This particularly relates to ensuring that children’s records are up to date and accurate.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan is up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that all staff undertake the training required as part of their role. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that every team meeting is fully recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2788411 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Knightsbridge House, Rooley Lane, Bradford BD4 7SQ

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2788411 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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