Children's Home run by North East Lincolnshire Council in North East Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 1 Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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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 managed and run by the local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were seen as part of the 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: 2563216 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good 10/05/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel happy and settled. Children benefit from a consistent staff team that knows them well and understands their individual plans. This consistency supports children’s emotional well-being and enables them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated. Staff meet children’s day-to-day needs and take time to recognise their ‘little wins’ each month. These are shared with children, helping them to feel valued in their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education. Staff promote learning, and children understand how education supports them in achieving their future aspirations. This has meant one child sat their end-of-year exams and has progressed to college, working towards their future goals. When barriers to learning are identified, staff work collaboratively to overcome these challenges. This proactive approach supports children’s engagement in education and contributes to their overall progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are listened to, and their views are valued. Children are supported to contribute to their own plans. Staff act as advocates, ensuring that children’s voices are heard and considered in wider decision-making processes. When children move in or out of the home, this is planned for in a child-centred way. For one child, this has resulted in living alongside peers, more positive routines, improved engagement in education and a reduction in incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships with family and friends. Staff help children to keep connections with those who are important to them. Staff build positive relationships with family members to support the children. When relationships with family are strained, staff work sensitively with children to help them understand and reduce the impact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence planning lacks structure and does not show progress. Children who are preparing for independence are developing some life skills. Children are supported to build confidence in their own practical abilities. For one child, minimal progress has been made, and there is no plan to support a successful upcoming move to independent living.

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

Children feel safe. Children can identify trusted staff they feel confident sharing worries with. Children trust that staff will take action to help keep them safe. This reflects a strength in relationships and the protective environment created by the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 4 Positive behaviour is promoted. Staff are skilled in de-escalation strategies and creative approaches to help children learn how to keep themselves safe. There have been no incidents requiring physical intervention. Staff identify natural consequences for behaviours and apply a restorative approach. Children are helped to reflect and repair relationships.

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

Staff understand children’s plans. When incidents happen, children are supported to stay safe. Staff complete a written record, and managers provide oversight to support learning to enhance future safety. This supports children feeling safe and benefiting from predictable care.

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

Risks associated with children are known and understood. Individual risk assessments are in place and regularly reviewed to reflect children’s vulnerabilities. Staff are aware of where to access a child’s plan and use it to provide a safeguarding response.

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

Staff follow children’s plans when they are missing from home. Staff act to locate the child, including searching for children to ensure their safe return. Written records do not consistently reflect that these plans are being followed. Information is recorded in different records, which is inconsistent. This is not identified in managerial oversight, which limits opportunities for learning and improvement. For one child, this caused a delay in alerting and coordinating a multi-agency response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager who ensures that there is good quality of care. Team meetings are regularly held, which provide opportunities for staff and managers to share information. This ensures a shared sense of ownership and accountability, which promotes the safety and well-being of children. Staff speak highly of their managers and feel valued and supported. Feedback from partner agencies is positive. There is effective communication and information-sharing, which supports positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Written records are completed with care and attention. The language in documents reflects a nurturing and respectful approach. Records that children may return to in the future include personalised comments that help bring memories and experiences to life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Supervision includes reflective discussions to promote learning and development. This provides the manager with insight into staff thinking and practice, to shape and improve the quality of care. Staff benefit from a training offer that equips them to meet the needs of children. Training needs are reviewed through supervision to ensure the staff team is knowledgeable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff who have progressed through their probation period are enrolled on the relevant qualification. This helps to ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles safely and effectively. Some staff have Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 5 been assessed as having equivalent experience or learning, allowing them to bypass formal qualifications. The assessment process is not sufficiently robust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems to provide oversight of the home. This helps to ensure that the quality of care is a priority and that there are positive outcomes for children. Not all aspects of care are consistently aligned. There is some inconsistency in documents, which has not been identified through managerial oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 6

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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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare and alert the relevant authorities. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff maintain an accurate record of children missing from home incidents and that procedures are always followed when children go missing from home. 15 December

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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 to 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 15 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 15 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 7 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification, and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and practical skills, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2563216 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North East Lincolnshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, South Humberside DN31 1HU

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Inspector

Kate Jackson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2563216 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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