Children's home run by Total Care Matters Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 1 SC449954 Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for four children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/03/2023 Full Good 16/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children are living at the home. The staff consistently offer children opportunities to develop positive relationships through activities and conversations. One child has lived at the home for a year. They are making progress in some areas of their life; however, this is very gradual as they find it difficult to trust adults. The other child has recently moved in and is starting to build relationships and share their wishes and feelings. One child has moved out. They said they were very well cared for and the staff were ‘amazing’. The child was well prepared when they moved on and remains in contact with the manager and staff. Children are not attending education regularly. One child’s attendance has improved very recently, but it remains low and is not yet consistent. The other child is not attending school as they are waiting for a place. There is a ‘home learning’ timetable, but the child is not yet taking part. The manager and staff are trying to support children with

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

education, but efforts are not yet effective. The manager and staff try to engage children in activities and time out of their bedrooms; however, this is not always achieved. This means that children do not have good routines. They are spending a lot of time in their bedrooms during the day and are more active in the evenings. This is potentially contributing to incidents with staff which are difficult to manage. Children are supported to attend general health appointments. One child has a specific health need which needs assessment. They are anxious about seeing medical professionals. The manager is working tenaciously with other agencies to help the child accept the help they need. The manager is aware that the child may need to escalate the situation if progress is not made soon. The staff ensure that children see people who are important to them. They have friends to visit and spend time away from the home independently. There is a plan in place for

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

one child to spend more time with their family, which they are looking forward to.

p.3

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

The manager and staff work tirelessly to keep children safe. There are well-considered risk management plans in place which address children’s key risks and vulnerabilities. Plans are followed by staff, and they are updated following any new incidents. There is one issue, relating to an allergy, which has not been fully explored for one child. This has not impacted on them. However, following inspection, the manager recognises the importance of consulting with professionals to ensure that she has accurate information to keep the child safe. Staff respond very well when children are missing from home. They show considerable commitment to locating children and work closely with other professionals to keep Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 4 children safe and return them home. Staff keep in touch with children where possible and share information in a timely way if risks increase. This shows children they care

p.3

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

about them and minimises the risks of exploitation. Children receive significant help with a range of issues, including self-injurious behaviour, substance use, sexual harm and managing their emotions. This support helps them through periods of acute distress and ensures they are kept safe. Overall, serious incidents are well reported to Ofsted and other relevant agencies. There was one incident, involving self-injurious behaviour, which was not reported. This can impede opportunities for the regulator to have full oversight of children’s safety and well-being. Staff have managed several incidents where they have had to intervene to keep children safe. They are trained to use de-escalation techniques and use physical interventions only where necessary. Incidents are recorded well. Children and staff are spoken to afterwards to gather everyone’s feelings and identify any learning. Managers provide good oversight and reflections identifying any areas for development.

p.4

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

Children have made allegations of harm against staff. These are always investigated, and there are clear and proportionate outcomes. Children are kept informed of actions taken in response to allegations. Staff are recruited safely through required vetting procedures. This prevents children from being cared for by unsuitable adults.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and highly motivated. She has a clear understanding of how children’s life experiences have impacted on them. The manager spends time with children and works hard to gain their trust. The manager is proactive in her work with other professionals. She has challenged other agencies where services have fallen below expectations. This demonstrates her commitment to meeting the needs of children. The staff speak positively about the manager and feel well supported. They receive regular supervision and opportunities to meet as a team. As a result, staff have time to reflect on their relationships with children, receive support and challenge regarding their practice and work through any performance issues. The manager provides regular training and development, which helps staff to care for children’s individual needs from an informed position. The manager has recruited an experienced staff team; however, some staff have been

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

away from work recently. This means that staff from the provider’s other homes are caring for children. Consequently, there has been some inconsistency in the care of children, for example differing levels of confidence when implementing boundaries. This is contributing to the challenge of helping children establish good routines. Professionals and children’s families have confidence in the manager and staff. Communication is generally good and feedback from a range of professionals was positive. Meetings are held when there are concerns or disagreements. This helps to keep the child’s best interests at the forefront of decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 5 Leaders and managers have good oversight of the home. The registered manager is introducing quarterly audits to further improve her understanding of areas for development. She is currently making significant improvements to the garden so that

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

children can use that space when they feel overwhelmed. This demonstrates the manager’s ongoing commitment to improving children’s experiences at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 6

p.5

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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to supporting children to attend education regularly, to finding ways of helping them to overcome barriers to learning and providing them with informal learning opportunities when not at school. 10 December 2025

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well- being needs are met. Staff should work to make the children’s home an environment that supports children’s physical, mental and emotional health, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. This includes helping children to Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 7 establish a healthy daily routine. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33 paragraph 7.3)  The registered person should ensure that the health and well-being of each child is agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child’s placement plan. It is the joint responsibility of the registered person and the placing authority that this is agreed at the time of placement. This includes establishing the nature and severity of any allergies children may have. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

p.6

Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 34 paragraph 7.7)  The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. If children complain, or give a view on how the staffing structure could be improved to promote the best care for them, appropriate action should be taken. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54 paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). This includes serious incidents of

p.7

Recommendations

self-injurious behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 63 paragraph 14.10)

p.7

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: SC449954 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Total Care Matters Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Chantrey Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7NR

p.8

Inspector

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC449954 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9