Children's Home run by City of Doncaster Council in Doncaster

Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 1 Registered provider: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority. It provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities.

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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 home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 20 February 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

Date of last inspection: 17 September 2024

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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: 2771730 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector saw and spoke with all three children who live at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making good progress. Staff encourage children to express their wishes and needs using personalised communication tools. The children are becoming more comfortable using these to communicate their views, wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff nurture the children and understand their needs well. They model a calm and gentle approach to children. Staff are skilled at putting boundaries in place, which helps children build trusting relationships with them. It also helps children learn to build positive relationships with each other and share experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in seeing their families. Staff work creatively to ensure that children can have positive experiences with the people they care about. Staff have helped some children to rebuild relationships with family members. Families speak highly of the staff and the way they care for the children. One family member said about the staff and the home, ‘It is the best place, and the staff are amazing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the children to be as independent as possible. Children are learning new skills around self-care and life skills that will help them in the future. The goals set for children are considered and planned with other professionals and families. This is done to try and make sure that children receive consistent support and are more likely to be successful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children in attending school, and one child finds the transition to school much easier now than they used to. Each child has specific routines and items that help them as they move from one task or activity to another. The manager and staff work closely with education professionals, sharing skills and knowledge to help the children succeed.

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

Managers and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities towards the children. If a concern arises, staff promptly take action to safeguard the children and follow procedures in place. Managers share information effectively with safeguarding partners and seek their advice and guidance to ensure that children’s safety is prioritised.

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

Staff use various skills to support children in expressing their feelings. This, together with the staff’s calm and fair approach, has resulted in fewer incidents occurring. Staff rarely physically intervene with children because children can express their needs and feelings, and staff can offer support in response. Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 4 Managers carry out thorough checks on the suitability of new staff coming to work at the home. Managers have reviewed and strengthened the process for employing temporary staff after reflecting on it. They have improved the induction process for new temporary staff, incorporating easy-to-read information and providing access to the home’s own training. This helps temporary staff understand risks and responsibilities in the home.

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

Staff recording of incidents has improved since the last inspection. Records are clear and detailed, and staff identify patterns and trends and contribute to managing risks by sharing this information with their managers and team and playing an active role in making plans.

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

Children occasionally display behaviours that may unwittingly cause them harm. The children’s records do not always indicate whether medical advice has been sought for children in line with their plans and what medical advice staff are following.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has improved their oversight of the home in the past year. There has been an emphasis on reflective learning and development for the staff in the home. This is captured in various ways. Staff are reflective and keen to learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have focused on learning to capture the children’s voices, and this is an area where they continue to review progress and move forward. Managers advocate for children, and they also involve an independent advocate to support the children’s views. Managers challenge professionally when they observe others failing to meet children’s needs. At these times, they advocate for the children and work constructively with other professionals to try to achieve the best outcomes for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective supervision, and they are provided feedback on their performance. Staff feel supported by their managers and can speak to them freely. Staff recognise that their work positively impacts children's lives. They enjoy their roles and understand the children’s needs well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been occasions when there have not been sufficiently experienced and skilled staff working in the home. Permanent staff on shift have had to take on additional responsibilities, which has made some situations difficult to manage. Not all staff are up to date with the organisation’s required training, as outlined in the home’s plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The most recent quality of care review report lacked the necessary focus on children’s feedback and opinions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 5

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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 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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)) 10 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should carry out a review that focuses on the quality of care provided in the home. This should evaluate the children’s experiences there, their views about the care they receive, and the effect that the care is having on their outcomes and achievements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 64 and 65, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should actively assess the risks associated with self-injurious behaviour for each child and create a plan. The plan should specify when and how staff should seek medical advice or help. The manager should ensure that all staff understand and implement this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 6

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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: 2771730 7

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Children’s home details

Registered Provider: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Richardson

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Inspector

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2771730 8 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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