Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Unique reference number SC369840 Inspector Matthew Hedges Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Stoke on Trent City Council Registered person address City of Stoke-on-Trent, Civic Centre Glebe Street STOKE-ON-TRENT ST4 1HH Responsible individual Susan Hammersley Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection 22/08/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 13/02/2015

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Previous inspection adequate Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged adequate at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

Since the last inspection, several young people have moved into the home and several young people have left. Some of these moves have been well planned and well supported. In these cases, the manager and staff have ensured robust plans are in place. These plans include input from other professionals and external agencies. This reduces young people’s anxieties and ensures they receive appropriate support. Other young people have moved in an emergency and this has limited support.

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This inspection

There have also been several management changes and currently there is no Registered Manager in post. A new manager has recently applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. He has identified some areas for improvement and has taken some action to address these. For example, increasing the support available to staff. This helps staff to be more confident, which supports young people’s development.

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This inspection

Young people’s progress has been mixed. Some young people make good progress in key areas of their life including their education. For example, an education provider confirmed that a young person had now returned to school. They felt that this was due to the support offered by the home. The young person was proud of the progress they had made and added, ‘I feel really well supported’. In contrast, other young people have moved from the home following deterioration in their behaviour. This affected their progress. There were a number of serious incidents. This included incidents where young people went missing from the home. In addition, some incidents required the use of physical intervention and police involvement. Where physical restraint records have been completed these have lacked detail in key areas. These include, a description of the measure used. Records also fail to confirm that young people are always spoken to about the use of

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This inspection

the measure. Also, some records do not record the duration of the restraint. These 3 of 6 shortfalls leave young people at risk of not getting the support they require. The manager has learned from incidents and has made some improvements to the service. These include changes to the staffing structure, additional training and support to staff.

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This inspection

Impact assessments are more robust and detail the support young people require. The home has also been redecorated and some safety aspects have improved. For example, safety glass is now fitted to all windows. In contrast, hazardous cleaning products are not always stored securely. This has the potential to put young people’s health and safety at risk.

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This inspection

The manager and staff continue to work in partnership with a wide range of other agencies. These include police, mental health professionals, placing authorities and education provisions. Professionals talk positively about their relationship with the home. One headteacher commented that the support offered by the home was, ‘stunning’. A social worker stated that communication was excellent and went on to say that they, ‘could not ask for better staff’. Partnership working is a key strength of the home. It helps young people to get the support and protection they need.

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This inspection

Four requirements were made at the last inspection. These have largely been met. Staff supervision is now held regularly and additional training has been provided. Staff comment positively about the support they receive. This support has in turn helped to improve practice. The manager now ensures that notifications to HMCI, Ofsted are completed in a timely way. In addition, the home is visited each month by an independent visitor. These reports now include consultation with a range of other professionals and where possible, parents. This helps to improve monitoring arrangements.

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This inspection

One requirement remains unmet. The manager has implemented a system to monitor the quality of the service and produces reports every three months. These reports do not fully adhere to regulations. This leaves gaps in the manager’s monitoring of key documents. The impact of this is reduced by other systems being in place.

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This inspection

A number of additional shortfalls are identified at this inspection. The home’s learning and development plan is not evaluated for effectiveness annually. This does not allow gaps in skills to be identified or addressed in a proactive way. Finally, the home does not keep an up to date record detailing the time, date and length of each supervision held. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people of either gender with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by the local authority. The Registered Manager also manages another local authority home nearby.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2014 Full adequate 07/02/2014 Interim good progress 10/07/2013 Full good 18/02/2013 Interim good progress

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include a description of the measure used (Regulation 17B (3) (c)) 13/03/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, restraint or discipline in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose of which shall include confirmation that the person authorised by the registered provider to make the record has spoken to the child concerned and the person using the measure about the use of the measure (Regulation 13/03/2015 5 of 6 17B (3) (h)) 17B (2001) ensure that where a measure of restraint is used on a child the record must include the duration of the measure of restraint (Regulation 17B 4 (a)) 13/02/2015

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at least once in every 3 months. (Regulation 34) 13/03/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that avoidable hazards are removed (NMS 10.3)  ensure that the learning and development programme is evaluated for effectiveness at least annually and if necessary is updated (NMS 18.2)  ensure that a written or electronic record is kept by the home detailing the time and date and length of each supervision held for each member of staff, including the registered person. The record is signed by the supervisor and the member of staff at the end of the supervision. (NMS 19.5) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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