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

Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 1 SC033127 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

This home is owned and run by a local authority and is registered to provide care for up to 11 children with special educational needs, learning disabilities and physical disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

Some children live in the home, whereas others receive short-break, overnight care. At the time of the inspection, 6 children were living in the home and 3 children were staying for an overnight stay. Inspectors spoke to 8 children during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2023 and was not present during the inspection. The inspection was supported by the deputy manager with the support of a senior manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/06/2025 Full Good 20/08/2024 Full Good 30/04/2024 Full Inadequate 17/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 3

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Summary of findings

Managers in this home have not ensured that all children accessing the home have the same social opportunities or gathered the children's views, wishes and feelings about the home.

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Summary of findings

Managers have moved children who struggle with change between buildings, which has upset, or caused anxiety for, some children.

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Summary of findings

Managers have not ensured that a child's bedroom is safe or maintained the gardens and outdoor play equipment appropriately. Health and safety checks have not been effective.

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Summary of findings

Staff turnover has been high, and this has also affected the continuity of care for some children. Staff have worked hard to support children through this time and show warmth and care to all of the young people.

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improvement to be good

Children who live in the home permanently have different experiences to children who visit for short breaks. The facilities provided for children having short breaks are poor. The bath has been out of order for several months; children who use a wheelchair are not able to benefit from baths during their stay.

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improvement to be good

Children who live in the home personalise their bedrooms and communal areas. The bedrooms in the short-breaks area do not reflect the children's interests. One bedroom just has a bed in it, and staff had removed light bulbs from the ceiling light. Children sleeping in this room have no light during the night. Children who are able to verbally communicate with staff have expressed that they do not want to sleep in this room.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff do not consistently capture children's views, wishes and feelings or act upon them. Nonspeaking children are particularly affected, and tools are not in place to help them share their opinions. Staff understand children's needs and communication styles. For one child, visual timetables are used to help them understand their routines.

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improvement to be good

Staff have been unable to offer some children continuity of care due to frequent unplanned moves into the home. Staff turnover also makes this challenging. Some children have moved buildings and staff teams, which has upset them. Staff try to manage the moves sensitively and reassure children; however, many children struggle with change, and some have moved more than once in a short period of time.

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improvement to be good

Some children who live in the home access local clubs and activities, which they enjoy. Children who have short breaks have less-stimulating play opportunities in the home and do not have free access to toys. Children are, at times, unnecessarily restricted. Children Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 4 enjoy playing outside, but the garden is not accessible to all and has damaged equipment in it. There are not always enough staff to go outside. A child who moved in an emergency is described by staff as 'sitting in their chair all day and is surviving, not thriving'.

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improvement to be good

Staff genuinely care about children and talk about them with pride. Staff take time to build relationships with children and understand their individual needs. Children seek out staff for reassurance and comfort and for some to play games. Staff recognise children's achievements and the progress they make. Most children are accessing education, and the routines in the home support their attendance.

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improvement to be good

Managers have a long-term plan to improve the residential provision, which is a large building with grounds. Some decoration and refurbishment have taken place, improving the living areas.

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

Children who access the home, and use words to speak, feel safe. The families and professionals of other children have not had any concerns around children's safety.

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

Staff had sensitively planned discussions around safety topics with one child. Staff recorded the discussion using kind language to help the child better understand risky behaviours. If the child looks back at their records in the future, this will hopefully be helpful to them.

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

Staff understand how to help children when they are upset or angry. Staff effectively use their relationships to help children feel calmer. Staff enforce boundaries with care and compassion, offering ongoing reassurance to a child who struggles with anxiety. Physical interventions are rarely used and are a last resort to ensure the safety of children or staff. Medication is used appropriately and in line with the child's plan.

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

When children go missing, staff take action to try to help them return home. Only one child has been missing from the home, other children have high levels of supervision to reduce this risk. When the child returned home, they were welcomed back and offered a return home interview. However, staff have not recorded a child's missing episodes clearly or accurately and have not always followed children's plans.

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

Health and safety checks in the building and grounds are ineffective. Staff have removed fire safety equipment from the children's bedroom corridor, and bedroom lights and a broken window fitting in a child's bedroom had not been noticed. Senior managers acted swiftly during the inspection to address the concerns, but recommendations had already been made regarding these by the independent visitor and action had not been taken.

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

Staff are skilled in the administration of medication. When an error occurred, managers completed an investigation and lessons were learned and shared with the staff team. However, recent changes made to the home environment mean that staff cannot access Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 5 one medication cabinet that contains a child's regular medication and some to be administered as needed.

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

The home's statement of purpose has recently been reviewed to amalgamate it into one document but is unclear how many children can stay in the home. It also refers to children having education statements rather than education, health and care plans. This does not reflect the current education system.

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

The independent visitor has not made a visit every month to the home. The visitor has not always stated their view as to whether children are effectively safeguarded in the home. Safeguarding concerns have not always been followed through, and regular consultation has not always taken place with children, families and professionals to inform the visitor's views.

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

Managers have not notified the regulator of serious events in the home in a timely manner. This prevents the regulator from understanding the current risk to children in the home.

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

Staff shortages have been challenging to manage in the home, and the changes have affected the continuity of care for children. Numerous staff have left and managers have struggled to recruit. Staff are concerned that staff from this home are sent to support other homes and temporary staff are being sent to work with children with complex needs. Staff morale is low and some staff feel burnt out. Staff who are required to sleep in the home overnight do not always have suitable accommodation to sleep in.

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

Children's records are inconsistent. There are inaccuracies in children's plans around one child with dates, which is confusing if the child wanted to read their records. Records kept for children who have been missing from care do not reflect the actions taken by staff to help keep them safe. Managers' records did not agree with the information in reports shared with the regulator around complaints, and they could not identify how many there had been.

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

Most staff feel supported by the deputy manager and have regular supervision. Some new staff have started at the home and they have not received supervision in their first month. There has been recognition that the staff morale is low. A therapeutic support worker has been brought in to support staff to have a space where they are able to share their views effectively and receive further support due to feelings of burnout. Team meetings have been helpful, and staff feel able to raise concerns.

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

Staff work effectively together and support one another to deliver care to children. Staff have the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children.

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

Managers are reflective and know the children well. Professionals have commented on the manager's insight. There is an awareness of the shortfalls in respect of staffing and Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 6 recording, with plans in place to try and improve many areas. Some parents find that communication is inconsistent. Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 7

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2) (a)(b)(i)(iv)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)) 17 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 8 In particular, ensure that all children's bedrooms are designed to meet their needs and personalised. Children should be able to access toys and games, and specialist equipment should be repaired promptly.

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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

that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the garden areas and outdoor play equipment are safe for children to use and that the building is safely maintained, including the positioning of fire extinguishers. Plans for staff to help children need to be clear and implemented consistently. Staff should be able to access medication cabinets at all times. 17 June 2026

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)) 8 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 9 The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7 (1) (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consultation takes place with children who do not use words to speak and they have access to individualised tools to share their wishes, views and feelings. 8 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home:

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed. Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that careful planning takes place around children's needs when they move into the home in emergency situations, and the impact for children with additional needs is carefully considered where they are moved internally between buildings and staff teams. Where children have legal orders in place, these should be kept under review. 8 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 8 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 10 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40 (b)(d)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children's home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person's report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

and the conduct of the home promotes children's wellbeing. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b)) 8 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (a)(b)) 8 July 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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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: SC033127 11

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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 DN31 1HU

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Inspectors

Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC033127 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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