Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

home

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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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Preparation for leaving care is narrowly focused on basic tasks that do not fully prepare young people for independence. Not enough help and advice is given to young people on pathway plans to help them maintain a good diet.  The behaviour of older teenagers who are on the cusp of leaving care is not always managed well.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Risk assessments do not accurately reflect the changing levels of risk. The lack of clear objectives in action plans means that risk is managed rather than reduced.  There is a lack of understanding about the kind of checks that need to be undertaken on new employees.  Monitoring of the home is not robust enough to drive up the quality of care for young people.  There are administrative shortfalls in the content of the Statement of Purpose and in sending the independent visitor’s report to HMCI.

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The children's home strengths

 Young people enjoy very stable placements. They get on well with staff and with each other.  Young people are ambitious to do well for themselves. They show commitment to their education and training. Health matters are managed well, particularly for those with more complex needs.  There is effective partnership working which ensures that young people get the services to which they are entitled.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard (1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

13 The leadership and management standard (1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided at the home. 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1 and ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) & (5)) 31/08/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only – (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 31/08/2015 (3) The requirements are that – (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (7) the registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if (d) the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraph 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person. (Regulation 33 (1), (2)(a), (3)(d) & (7)(d))

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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. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to (a) HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) & (7)(a)) 31/08/2015

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. Where appropriate, children should be involved in choosing and preparing meals and opportunities to sit together and eat should be promoted (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.8). This is with specific reference to ensuring that those who are preparing for independence maintain a good diet.

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Recommendations

 The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 39, paragraph 3.14) This is with specific reference to reviewing the management of behaviour for those on pathway plans

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42 paragraph 9.5) This is with specific reference to ensuring risk assessments accurately reflect changes in the degree of risk and specify clear objectives for reducing risk.

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a local authority. It is registered to look after five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

19/03/2015 Interim Sustained Effectiveness

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people living in the home are

All young people learn some of the practical skills they will need as they approach adulthood. This includes taking responsibility for some household tasks and learning to cook simple meals. Preparation for young people who are nearly at the point of leaving care is very basic. Work on independence skills lack clear objectives and do not fully consider young people’s emotional needs.

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people living in the home are

For example, young people may learn how to change a light bulb, do their laundry and microwave a meal, but not about how to deal with utility services or explore how they will cope with being alone.

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people living in the home are

One parent felt that the home was not doing enough to support their son to make sensible choices about food; there is little guidance for young people on how to buy good food on a limited income. As a result ‘fast food’ items are a regular feature of their diet and their ability to cook a meal from scratch is limited.

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people living in the home are

The home does provides a short period of outreach work once young people have left the home. Young people are invited back for treats such as Sunday dinner and get continued support from staff when things don't work out quite as they had expected.

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people living in the home are

Young people benefit from the stability and security that the home offers. They are investing in their future careers and education; some are ambitious to go on to higher education. Staff work well with education and career providers to ensure young people achieve their goals and have the opportunity to explore different options. Young people have reduced their offending behaviour and are complying with referral orders.

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people living in the home are

Good attention is paid to young people’s health and they can access therapeutic support if needed. They are helped to understand their past and to express their wishes and feelings. The complex health needs of one young person are managed very well, with an effective combination of staff support and the young person managing her own medication. There is good liaison with the looked-after-children nurse and specialists about health–related matters, particularly sexual health and contraception.

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people living in the home are

Young people decide for themselves what to do in their spare time and whether to visit family or not. The majority do so and they also go on holidays, day trips and other activities with staff. This provides them with opportunities to try new experiences and participate in events alongside their peers.

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people are helped and protected

Staff have a good awareness of the risk factors presented by young people’s behaviours and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments do not accurately reflect changes in risk levels, for example a recent but small increase in missing from home incidents. Action plans do not specify how risks are to be reduced rather than simply managed.

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people are helped and protected

Recruitment procedures are generally sound but the manager is not fully conversant with all the required checks, namely that applicants should be given the opportunity to explain why they have left jobs with other vulnerable groups. Although new staff are appropriately supervised, it is not clear how this gap in information is followed up.

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people are helped and protected

Young people generally have harmonious relationships with each other but relationships with staff are sometimes more challenging. Staff sometimes struggle to manage the behaviour of older teenagers who are on the cusp on adulthood and about to leave care. On occasion this leads to an inappropriate response.

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people are helped and protected

For example, one young person was invited to join the main group for Sunday lunch but the invitation was withdrawn when a task was not been completed. This was not a direct punishment involving the deprivation of food or drink. The manager addressed the appropriateness of the staff response immediately.

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people are helped and protected

The home complies with locally agreed protocols for young people that go missing from home. Staff keep up to date with any research and guidance on safeguarding matters, and channels of communication with the police and social workers are good.

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people are helped and protected

There is careful consideration of the needs of the existing group and those who may be referred to the home for a placement. This ensures that the needs of all young people can be successfully met. The usual tensions of teenagers living together are managed well. Staff are good at defusing minor altercations and rarely need to use methods of restraint. Judgement grade

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leaders and managers

The Registered Manager has a social work qualification and the Registered Manager’s Award. She has managed the home since 2006.

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leaders and managers

The manager has an adequate oversight of the performance of the home, but this is not robust enough to provide a systematic analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. As a result areas of success as well as areas for development are not fully identified and captured. Day to day monitoring lacks insight into emerging patterns and trends, such as the general lack of clear planning objectives and the content and tone of weekly updates on young people for example.

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leaders and managers

The independent visitor’s reports give a good general overview of the home but the reports are not always sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. This prevents the regulator from taking prompt action should the need arise. The home’s Statement of Purpose is not compliant with the revised regulations. This makes it hard for parents and stakeholders to hold the home fully to account.

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leaders and managers

These are not matters that compromise the overall welfare and safeguarding of young people. Improvement in these areas would however raise standards of care and better illustrate young people’s progress.

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leaders and managers

Staff say they are well-supported by the manager. They are a well-established, experienced and well-qualified team. They work in successful partnership with all the professionals involved in the lives of young people. Concerns are escalated to the appropriate level if barriers to young people’s progress is identified.

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leaders and managers

Effective action has been taken to meet the requirement set at the last inspection. The independent visitor’s reports now include an opinion of how well young people are safeguarded and their welfare promoted.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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