Children's Home run by Derby City Council in Derby

Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 1 SC036240 Registered provider: Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in November 2003 and is operated by a local authority. This home provides care for up to 6 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 4 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All children were spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024. They were present for both days of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account Requires improvement

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected Requires improvement

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Requires improvement

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good 16/07/2024 Full Good 24/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 3

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Summary of findings

Children have positive relationships with staff and make progress in some areas. Staff work with families and partner agencies and understand the children’s risks. However, children have experienced disruption and further moves because staff have been unable to meet the needs of all the children who have come to live in this home. Safeguarding practice is not proactive or consistently trauma informed. Management oversight and quality assurance arrangements have not consistently identified, evaluated or addressed poor practice. Although leaders and managers have begun to address these shortfalls, improvements are not yet embedded in practice in the home.

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improvement

Children develop positive relationships with staff and say that staff make efforts to get to know their personalities and preferences. Children speak positively about living in the home, can identify adults they enjoy spending time with and say they feel listened to. Staff respect children’s individual identities and preferences and help them to access specialist support where appropriate, including community groups.

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improvement

Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their interests and identities, providing them with comfortable private spaces that they value. Communal areas do not currently reflect the homely environment the registered manager is trying to create; however, she is taking action to improve these spaces.

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improvement

Staff support children to develop greater confidence and engage more successfully in education. An education professional for one child described the positive impact staff have had in helping the child to express their views, resulting in a reduction in negative behaviours at school and improved engagement and learning. Where children are unable to access formal education, staff provide meaningful planned activities to promote learning and development.

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improvement

Children have not consistently experienced the stability they need. Although staff and the registered manager make efforts to sustain placements, there have been instances when the capacity, skills and experience of the staff team have not been sufficient to meet the needs of children moving into the home. This has led to disruption in the home, with behaviours negatively impacting other children and resulting in some children experiencing further moves.

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improvement

Children are encouraged to express their views through regular one-to-one discussions, and they understand how to raise concerns or make a complaint if they need to. However, when one child raised concerns about feeling unsafe in the home, the registered manager was unable to demonstrate this had been responded to appropriately. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 4 Records are not consistently written in a child-focused way, using language that is helpful or accessible to the child now or in the future. Although the registered manager has identified these shortfalls and has started to address them with staff, improvements are not yet embedded in practice. Consequently, opportunities to ensure records serve as a positive and meaningful account of their childhood are limited.

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improvement

Staff maintain appropriate supervision of children and take reasonable steps to promote their safety both in the home and in the community. When children spend time away from the home, staff maintain contact in line with what would be expected of a caring parent. Children are supported to understand how to stay safe online.

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improvement

Staff work collaboratively with safeguarding partners to protect children. Allegations are managed appropriately and involve senior managers where necessary. Professionals, including the police, speak positively about the registered manager and staff team’s understanding of safeguarding risks and the quality of information-sharing. When concerns such as bullying have been identified, staff work proactively with partner agencies to try to reduce incidents and improve children’s safety, although this has not always been effective.

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improvement

Despite some positive action being taken, safeguarding practice is not consistently effective in helping children become increasingly safe. Staff do not always use de- escalation strategies and training effectively to prevent situations from escalating. Consequently, incidents that may have been avoidable have escalated to require police involvement, which increases the risk of children experiencing criminalisation.

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improvement

Staff do not consistently speak to children in a timely and sensitive way following incidents. At times, these discussions have focused on the impact of the children’s behaviour on staff rather than helping children to reflect on, understand and recover from what has happened. This limits opportunities for children to feel understood and supported at times when they are most vulnerable.

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improvement

Missing-from-home risk assessments are detailed, and staff understand and follow the strategies identified to reduce risk. However, children’s day-to-day risk management plans do not consistently provide staff with effective guidance about how to proactively reduce escalation or avoid children reaching crisis point.

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improvement

Although staff receive training in physical intervention, this knowledge is not consistently applied in practice. Physical interventions are not always used appropriately, and records do not provide a clear account of the incident, measures used or the effectiveness of the measure. Records are not always reviewed by the registered manager. This limits opportunities to evaluate whether children are always cared for using the most effective approaches. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 5 Management oversight has not been effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls. There is no meaningful reflection on incidents or staff responses to children to evaluate staff practice or identify learning. Consequently, opportunities to improve practice and strengthen safeguarding arrangements have been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. She is committed to improving the quality of care provided to children and demonstrates insight into the home’s strengths and areas requiring development. She has worked with senior leaders to develop and implement an action plan and reviews progress regularly. Staff describe the registered manager and leaders as approachable and supportive and speak positively about a child-centred culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Staff shortages have meant that the registered manager has worked a number of shifts in the home to ensure that children are cared for by staff who are familiar to them. While this is positive for children, it has led to shortfalls in the registered manager’s oversight of the home. Leaders and managers are working to address this. Safer recruitment processes are implemented appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Management oversight has not been robust. Quality assurance systems are not yet effective in driving improvement. Records relating to significant incidents do not provide a clear account of what happened or demonstrate effective management evaluation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

Known practice concerns have not been responded to in a timely or effective way. Although development plans for staff have been introduced where concerns have been identified, these have not been monitored or reviewed to ensure that improvements are made and embedded in practice. Staff supervision has not taken place regularly or with sufficient focus on areas requiring development. Consequently, further opportunities to improve staff practice and prevent repeated shortfalls have been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

There have been periods where monthly visits from an independent person have not taken place. The registered manager did not ensure that alternative arrangements were made for this period of time. There is no plan in place to ensure that there is independent scrutiny of practice and feedback from children and others going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement

The registered manager has made practical changes to improve practice, such as incident ‘packs’ to provide a clear chronology of significant events and a comprehensive guide to recording to support staff. Training is up to date and monitored to help ensure staff have the knowledge required to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 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

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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 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is sufficient capacity, skills and knowledge within the staff team to meet the needs of children prior to any child moving into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that all significant incidents are reviewed and any identified discrepancies in 14 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 7 recordings are explored and addressed. If staff responses contradict the approach and ethos set out in the statement of purpose and the training provided, then the registered manager needs to review and address this.

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Requirement Due date

It also relates to the registered manager taking timely, robust action when practice falls below the required standards and that they understand the impact this has on the progress and development for each child.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff using their training to respond to children in a skilled, informed way that recognises each child’s experiences and emotions to de-escalate incidents and avoid police involvement, and that staff have the opportunity in supervision to reflect on their responses and feelings following incidents. 14 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 14 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 8 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that any use of physical intervention is recorded clearly and accurately with appropriate oversight.

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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. (Regulation 44 (1)) 14 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to supervision of staff taking place regularly, particularly following difficult incidents.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 14 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 9

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Recommendation

 The registered manager should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of language used when recording information. Staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC036240 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Council house, Corporation Street, Derby DE1 2FS

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Inspector

Terrianne George, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC036240 11 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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