Children's Home run by YMCA Robin Hood Group in Nottinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 1 Registered provider: YMCA Robin Hood Group 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 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is owned and run by a charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since January 2025. A manager is now in place, and they have applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke with the inspector and contributed their views.

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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: 21 October 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was subject to compliance notices issued under regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/05/2024 Full Good 06/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 3

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Summary of findings

The home had a full inspection on 21 October 2025 and received a judgement of ‘requires improvement’. An assurance inspection on 24 February 2026 identified serious and widespread concerns. This resulted in 2 compliance notices for the provider. One compliance notice was met during a monitoring visit on 13 April 2026. The remaining compliance notice was met at this full inspection, where the inspector found improvements across all judgement areas. The child at the home is making encouraging progress and is feeling safer and more settled. They are actively contributing to their care and are developing positive relationships with staff. Staff are managing safeguarding concerns more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been subject to some significant damage since the last inspection. At the time of this visit, there had been improvements and maintenance work carried out. The home is now well presented but it does not have a homely feel. There are some photos and pictures displayed; however, the child feels more could be done to make it feel like their home. There have been improvements to the child’s bedroom in terms of furniture. However, there is significant damage to the carpet from cigarette burns. The manager is considering options to rectify this, and the child is involved in exploring ideas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home uses surveillance cameras in the external areas of the property. Some of these cameras cover areas of the garden where the child likes to either relax or, at times, release frustration by using a punchbag. This is an intrusion of the child’s privacy that has not been considered sufficiently. This was discussed during the inspection and was accepted by leaders as needing to be addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults are now consistently engaging in relational work with the child. The new manager is role modelling good practice in this area with the team. Adults are more confident in their roles, and as a result are more consistent with the care being provided. Staff are more enthusiastic about building relationships with children and getting to know them. The child is responding positively to this, and now values the relationships that are being built as they are more authentic and genuine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults are committed to providing the child with opportunities to share their feelings and opinions. There is a new and well-planned approach to how meaningful and relevant discussions are instigated. It has been identified how and when it is best to have important conversations. Adults now know when the child is more likely to want to talk, as well as knowing when to give them space. This is resulting in the child feeling heard and cared for. The child now feels their views are important. They were able to chair a team meeting, and created the agenda based on their ideas. Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 4 Adults have encouraged the child to engage in activities and interests and to explore new things. Adults have recognised that the child needs any boredom to be alleviated. This has offered more opportunities for strengthening relationships, and the child is now putting suggestions forward for activities. This has led to a plan for them and several

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

adults to go on a camping and activity holiday in the summer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults are supporting the child to better understand and manage their health. There is consideration to the child’s past experiences and a realistic approach to the pace at which their perceptions can be changed. Specialist health services are involved where needed, and there is a multi-professional approach to seeking diagnosis that will provide better access to the right support. Adults have carefully built the child’s confidence in accessing time with the doctor and the dentist and in advocating for themselves.

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

Adults in the home have recognised that the need to build relationships with the child is essential in supporting the child to know and understand how to reduce risks. The child’s targeted conversations and care planning are reflective of this approach. This has been evident in work surrounding substance misuse and physical health. Discussions have been child led and interactive. There is an emphasis on promoting honest and open conversations about risk. As a result, incidents of substance misuse or risk in the community are reducing.

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

There continues to be a risk of the child smoking in their room. There have been significant changes in how staff respond to this risk, which includes more health and safety checks. Staff have worked proactively with fire services, who visit the home. There has also been more consistent transparency about the dangers. As a result, the frequency of smoking is reducing. The child is also more understanding and accepting of adults implementing boundaries and checks.

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

Adults in the home understand how the child processes their emotions and feelings. When the child has felt unsettled, there have been significant incidents of property damage. To support the child, the manager has changed the working culture of the home. Consistency and a relationship-based way of working with the child are now central. Adults take the time to understand how the child manages their feelings and use a consistent approach to support the child. The child is now feeling more secure and incidents have reduced.

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

There are clear safety plans in place to manage risks around the child. These are child focused and effective. The child has contributed meaningfully to these plans, and their thoughts have been considered. Adults understand and follow risk management actions during incidents.

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

Shortfalls around safeguarding practice and responding to allegations have previously been identified. This has included delays in notifying the regulator or referring to wider Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 5 professionals. Managers have reflected and learned from this. They have committed to a stronger oversight of all safeguarding incidents. There are now more effective auditing and monitoring systems in place. This enables timely referrals and actions. As a result of this, safeguarding practices in this home have improved and there are safer outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to the development of the home and has made a positive impact in their short time in post. The manager has a strong background in working with a therapeutic approach. They are committed to supporting children to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is currently focused on the development of what is a new and inexperienced team. They are a positive role model for staff practice. The confidence in the team has improved under their leadership. There are still areas for improvement, and some training that aligned with the specific needs of the child had not been prioritised. Some staff remain outside the timescale to achieve the required qualification for residential care. This is being addressed by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Adults unanimously said that they felt supported. They feel the team is now more cohesive and supportive of each other. Team meetings are prioritised and regular; as a result, there has been an improvement in the culture within the team. This is having a positive effect on morale and the care being provided to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager said that they are supported effectively by a strong senior leadership team and that this had been integral to their decision to step up to the role of manager. There is a strong peer leadership group developing in the organisation. The manager said this is helping their development and prevents them from feeling isolated as they adjust to the new role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals spoke highly of the team and the manager. They feel that communication is positive and effective. The manager is an advocate of the impact of strong multi- professional teams around children. Professionals consistently fed back that the child is making significant progress living at the home. One professional said, ‘It felt like I was seeing a different child from previously.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 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 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 promotes their welfare.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to new and inexperienced staff being subject to continued development and upskilling. It also relates to staff achieving the required qualification for those outside of the timescale. 30 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and 30 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 7 any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the use of CCTV in certain areas of the garden that are used by the child, and this being intrusive.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home environment is personalised and feels like the child’s home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2670263 8

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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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Inspector

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2670263 9 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 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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