Children's home run by YMCA

Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a charity.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 2588599 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/11/2022 Full Good 28/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were two children living at the home at the time of inspection, and observations were made of their interactions. Staff know children well and want the best for them. They help children with good routines that support their development. This has led to quick progress in self-care and daily routines. Staff enjoy spending time with children, and by observing their interactions, they have got to know them quickly. Children’s birthdays are thoughtfully planned and celebrated by staff, contributing to a sense of belonging and making of memories. Staff use visual aids and social stories to communicate with children, which helps children to understand and engage with planned activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and out of the home are carefully planned and personalised to meet each child’s needs, with information given to children about the home that suits their age and understanding. Staff benefit from clinical consultations, which allows them to offer the right support for children. When children leave the home, staff write to them and share photos and memories from their time there, which helps to support their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in their education. Managers make quick links with school when children move into the home, and value multi-agency planning about children’s education. Staff support children to attend schools outside the local area to help maintain stability in their education. Children are supported by staff to undertake activities they enjoy and are encouraged in their achievements. Progress for one child meant they were able to be supported by less staff and enjoy more time in the community, doing activities and developing friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s meetings take place regularly, and leaders have introduced different approaches to suit each child’s needs. Children are encouraged to share what they would like to see change. However, the manager does not always provide specific feedback to children about the requests they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for children is child centred, and children are involved in the care planning process when appropriate. Children’s cultural needs are clear within care plans. When children move into the home, managers ensure that they have relevant information which supports staff to make effective plans for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see people who are important to them. Managers challenge decisions about family time when they identify that children need more support, and this multi-agency working is valued. As a result, children spend time with their family in ways that are in children’s best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and comfortable, with a spacious garden where children enjoy outdoor play. Children’s bedrooms are in the process of being personalised to reflect Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

their preferences. Positive relationships have been built with neighbours, and children have formed friendships with others in the local area. For one child, this connection continued even after they moved out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When external agencies carry out reviews of the home, including assessing fire risks, the resulting required actions are not always fully completed in a timely way.

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

Children feel safe in the home. Children do not go missing, but there are procedures in place should this happen. Positive feedback has been provided from professionals about how the manager and staff care for children.

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

Behaviour support plans give clear support to staff on how to manage and respond to children’s behaviour effectively. Plans are individual to the child and are regularly updated. These updates include any learning to help improve how children are cared for. Managers work closely with key professionals to understand specific risks and agree on the best ways to support children. Staff who do not work regularly in the home are able to quickly understand children’s needs and how to care for them. This is achieved because handovers and plans are detailed and effective in supporting the team.

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

Children know they can complain, and managers have taken steps to support children’s understanding of what this means in an age-appropriate way. Managers review incidents and respond appropriately when allegations are made. They work closely with other professionals to ensure that the right steps are followed. Managers do not always let children know the outcome of these investigations.

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

Children and staff are not consistently offered debriefs following incidents where restraint has been used. The manager’s oversight has been delayed. Staff have not always used the therapeutic techniques taught within the home. When concerns are identified, investigations occur. However, identified actions are not always completed in a timely way. Staff have the opportunity for regular reflection with the clinical team, which supports their therapeutic approach to caring for children through identified goals.

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

Children are given homely remedies. However, this is not written into their plans. Administration and recording of medication practices are detailed, and managers have improved the procedures following external advice.

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

The home is managed by an experienced manager who is committed to the children. The manager works well with professionals to support the needs of children. There has been some instability in the staff team due to staff leaving and new staff joining. This has affected both the management and staff team. During periods when no children were living in the home, staff were temporarily working in other homes. A new staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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

team is now in place, and staff feel well supported by the manager and are enthusiastic about working in the home and caring for children.

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

Alongside these changes, there have also been changes at a senior level within the organisation. This has affected the support available to the manager, who has not received consistent supervision. In addition, staff are not receiving regular supervisions, including new staff, in line with the policies of the home.

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

Team meetings are held regularly, where children’s needs and children who may move into the home are discussed. These discussions are thoughtful and consider the potential needs of children and how staff can best care for them.

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

Most staff are up to date with training, and where concerns have been identified, the manager has taken action. However, some training deadlines have passed without follow-up with staff, highlighting a need for improved oversight from the manager.

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

The organisation has not enrolled some staff on the course where they can achieve the required qualification for working in a children’s home. The workforce development plan outlines how the manager will support the team through her experience, but it lacks detail around individual staff needs. Recruitment processes are in place but need improved oversight from the manager to avoid any shortfalls in safe recruitment practices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child;

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 3 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular staff training should be up to date and procedures should be followed when staff have not completed expected training. Staff qualifications should be recorded on the statement of purpose, and the manager should have oversight of safe recruitment checks. Also, the workforce development plan should be specific and relevant.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 3 October 2025

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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. 3 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should receive regular supervision from an appropriate person. Also, the staff should receive regular supervision, as should staff in their induction as per the policies of the home.

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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, including ensuring recommendations from fire assessments are fully implemented. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that each child has all non-prescription medication recorded in their relevant plan. (Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.14)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2588599 9 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Georgia James-Deaton

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Inspector

Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2588599 10 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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Inspector

regulates and inspects to 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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