Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Unique reference number SC397344 Inspector Ceri Evans Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Birtenshaw Registered person address Birtenshaw, Darwen Road Bromley Cross BOLTON BL7 9AB Responsible individual David Gerald Reid Registered manager Marie Frances Smith Date of last inspection 22/08/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 17/03/2015

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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

The home was last inspected on the 22 August 2014. The purpose of this visit is to assess the progress made since the last inspection and how any progress has improved the quality of care and potential outcomes for young people.

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This inspection

The quality of care has been maintained in the home. Young people enjoy the benefit of a consistent staff team who are well supported and trained to meet their needs. Staff are qualified and have continuing training opportunities which enable them to maintain their knowledge and skills. The quality of care provided by staff enable young people to make progress and enjoy good outcomes. The positive relationships that exist between staff and young people underpin all aspects of care practices within the home. This has undoubtedly contributed to young people finding stability in their placements.

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This inspection

Staff encourage young people to express themselves, to make choices and to enjoy a full range of social opportunities and experiences, all of which promote good outcomes. Care planning is highly personalised and individually tailored to meet the diverse and complex needs of young people. Individual support plans are detailed and reviewed regularly. This ensures staff have up-to-date information about the young people in their care.

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This inspection

Young people are making continued progress in the development of independent living and self-care skills. They are encouraged to choose their activities, choose food they like to eat and take part in a wide range of activities. All of which have a positive impact on the development of their life skills, their self-esteem and confidence. Careful consideration is given to transition planning and staff practice promotes independence. However not all eligible care leavers have up to date pathway plans. This is a records issue and is not detrimental to the well-being of young people. 3 of 6 Improvements have been made to the quality of risk assessments and behaviour management plans. They are now more robust and clearer in relation to triggers and strategies to manage those risks. The manager now ensures these plans are subject to regular review and monitoring. This ensures that information is relevant and up to

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This inspection

date and staff are clear about the agreed action.

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This inspection

Staff are trained in restraint techniques, which are only used as a last resort. Incidences of physical restraint have been professionally managed. Physical intervention records have also improved in certain areas. They are now recorded within the required timescale and offer a detailed overview of the incident. However, the manager does not routinely comment on the effectiveness of the intervention, in order to evaluate if the intervention remains appropriate.

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This inspection

Since the last inspection improvements have been made to the safer recruitment practices within the home. All new appointment references are checked as part of the selection process. An additional work history form is now completed and checked by the manager. This ensures that any gaps in employment are explored and verified. This ensures that only suitable people are employed in the home.

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This inspection

Evidence gathered at this inspection highlights a shortfall in arrangements for keeping young people safe. This relates to managing allegations. There has been at least one recorded incident whereby the manager failed to inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). This means that vital information was not shared. Allegations records are insufficiently detailed and do not provide a thorough summary of how the matter has been followed up and resolved. This means that there is no formal audit trail to monitor the outcome for those involved.

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This inspection

The Manager makes good use of monitoring and quality assurance systems which focus on improved outcomes for young people. Regulation 33 visits are regularly carried out and quarterly monitoring reports offer a good overview of the care practices within the home. In general, significant events are appropriately reported in the required timescales. However, there has been at least one occasion of a delay in notifying Ofsted. This hinders the regulator from effectively carrying out its safeguarding responsibilities to ensure that young people are protected from harm.

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This inspection

To conclude, young people benefit from being cared for by a committed, stable staff team and some continue to make good progress and enjoy stable placements. Improvements have been made to the quality of behaviour management plans and recruitment practices within the home. However, there have been some significant shortfalls in relation to safeguarding. Two requirements and three recommendations have been made as part of this inspection to ensure that young people are kept safe and can expect achieve their full potential. 4 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with physical and learning disabilities.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2014 Full adequate 25/03/2014 Interim good progress 21/11/2013 Full good 05/02/2013 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

(2001) promote and make proper provision for the safeguarding and welfare of children accommodated there; and make proper provision for the care, education, supervision and, where appropriate, treatment, of children accommodated there. This specifically relates to ensuring robust practice is followed when an allegation is made (Regulation 11 (1) (a)) 30/04/2015

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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 which shall include all information set out in that regulation (Regulation 17B (3)(f) 30/04/2015 5 of 6

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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

 A clear comprehensive summary of any allegation made against a particular member of staff includes details of how the allegation was followed up and resolved. (NMS 20.7)  The registered person has a system in place to notify within 24hrs the persons and appropriate authorities of the occurrence of significant events in accordance with Regulation 30. The system included what to do where a notifiable event arises at weekends. (NMS 24.1)  There is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action when needed. This specifically relates to ensuring that records for eligible care leavers are on file and updated accordingly. (NMS 22.1) 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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