Welcome
National Sensory Impairment
Partnership/Learning Event
Helen Humphreys HMI
National Lead for Residential Care
November 2015
The differences between
residential schools framework
and children’s homes framework,
common pitfalls,
How to avoid ‘inadequate’ judgements
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Children’s Homes
Children’s Homes are regulated settings
This means that they are registered with Ofsted
Have to comply with Children’s Homes Regulations
Ofsted can take a range of enforcement action if they don’t
comply, including compliance notices, restriction, suspension,
cancellation and prosecution.
Children’s Homes are inspected at least twice per year
The regulatory framework
 Care Standards Act
2000
 Children’s Homes
Regulations
 Revised regulations set out clearly what
homes should achieve by adding new
Quality Standards to the regulations.
 The Quality Standards each have a
high-level, child focused, ambitious
outcomes statement with specific
underpinning requirements that homes
must meet to achieve the standard.
 We will make requirements and enforce
against the regulations.

Guide to the regulations
(revised NMS)
 NMS are revised to become a Guide to
the regulations. The document doesn’t
contain standards or objectives as the
NMS did currently (because these are in
the new regulations). Instead it
explains and supplements the
regulations.
 We must have regard to the Guide
when inspecting. There is now a clear
connection between the regulations and
the Guide, helping to increase clarity for
providers and Ofsted alike.
Children’s Homes
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With the exception of short break settings, children’s Homes
look after- ‘Looked After Children’, as defined by the
Children Act 1989
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Vary in size, location, what they do, who they care for….
One bed- many bedsSecure estate
Short breaks
RSS registered as Children’s Homes
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The judgements
The overall experiences and progress of children and young
people living in the home taking into account:

how well children and young people are helped and protected
(limiting judgement)
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the impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers
Over a 4 point scale-
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Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement (to be good)
Inadequate
How do we inspect?
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We inspect against the evaluation schedule
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We use the grade descriptors to determine the judgement
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We use the Regulations, The Guide to the Regulations and
Quality Standards and other guidance/legislation to raise
requirements and make recommendations.
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What are the key factors?

Care planning is key - are children and young people’s needs
being met across all aspects of their development? How well? Are
they having positive experiences? Are they making progress? Are
they safe? If not, why not and what is the home doing about it?

The statement of purpose is key - does the home know what it
does and does it do it well? Does it know which children and young
people it is able to help and make decisions on this basis? Does it
structure itself (the environment, the staffing levels, the ethos etc.)
and support its staff through training and supervision to achieve its
aims and objectives? Does it deliver what it says it would?
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Leadership is key - is there strong and effective leadership (at all
levels where an organisation)? Does the registered manager know
the strengths and weaknesses of the home? Do monitoring systems
make a difference?
The new framework and methodology
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Defines what good is like
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Methodology is focused on tracking children and young
people, talking managers, staff, young people, other
professionals
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Full inspection- 2 days on site
Move from adequate to ‘requires improvement’
Looking for good - if better than good, is it outstanding?
If not yet good - how serious are the weaknesses and what is
their impact on children and young people?
Interim inspection up to 1 day on site
Residential Special Schools
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Department for Education is the Regulator
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Not all children are LAC
They are not regulated settings
How the DfE operate varies on the type of school
Vary in size and location, what they do and who they look
after
RSS have to comply with NMS
Ofsted inspects on behalf of the DfE, at least once per year
and more if requested
Inspection Framework

Overall experiences and progress of children and young
people
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The quality of care and support
How well children and young people are protected
The impact and effectiveness of leaders and managers
Make the same judgements on a 4 point scale
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How do we inspect?

We inspect against the evaluation schedule
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We use the grade descriptors to determine the judgement
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We use the NMS and other guidance/legislation to make
recommendations.
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Methodology
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Observations and talking to managers, staff and young
people
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Observation of key activities
Records and documents
Talking to others including parents and professionals
Inspection of premises
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Common pitfalls or lessons learnt
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Make sure you can meet the needs of the children you
accommodate
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If you widen your admission criteria, make sure that you retrain your staff, review your policies and procedures
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If the school is a RSS- but operates as a BS- can you meet
the needs of vulnerable children, in particular supervision
and safeguarding
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Where a school accommodates significantly more children
of one gender than the other- are needs being met/are they
safe
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Lessons Learnt
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School isolation- how easy is it for parents/professionals to
get there- does this discourage them
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What happens to children if they complain
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What is the default position for managing behaviour – is it
restraint?
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Where does the residential part of the school ‘sit’ within the
hierarchy of the school?
Who is related to who- does this make children safe
Role of nursing staff- independence, clinical supervision,
opportunity to meet with other nurses, CPD
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Inadequate
RSS-

There are serious and /or widespread failures that mean
children and young people are not protected or their
welfare is not promoted, safeguarded or if their care and
support is poor and they are not making progress
Children’s Homes
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As above!
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Meeting requirements
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If you are meeting these you won’t be inadequate………..
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Regulations
NMS
Evaluation Schedule
Grade descriptors
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What makes somewhere inadequate
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Leaders and managers don’t know what’s going on
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Setting is run for the benefit of the staff
Can’t answer basic questions/lie to inspectors
Premises are unsafe- fire, maintenance………..
Staff can’t answer basic questions about the young people,
procedures
Weak recruitment and selection practices
Children aren’t safe or their welfare is not promoted
Level of care means that children will not make progress or
have a positive experience-
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How to avoid inadequate
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Good leaders and managers know the strengths and
weakness of their setting and have a plan to improve
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Good leaders and managers are visible to staff and young
people
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Good leaders and managers make best use of their resources
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Good leaders and managers want the best for their young
people and set high aspirations
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Good leaders and managers have appropriate records and
not paperwork to ‘feed’ Ofsted
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Good leaders and managers keep up to date
Good leaders and managers always have safeguarding at the
forefront of their minds
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How to avoid inadequate
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Good leaders and managers are inspection ready!
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Any questions?