Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Good

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

p.2

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people benefit from the excellent care and support of a manager and staff team who clearly prioritise their individual needs. Parents and professionals are extremely complimentary about all aspects of their child’s progress and experiences, which are not limited by their disability. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘This is an excellent service. The thing that strikes me is that they do everything to make sure that opportunities are not limited by disability.’

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people have positive relationships and strong attachments with staff. These are integral to all aspects of care practice and are used effectively to help young people overcome the challenges they face in life. One parent said, ‘(Name) has benefited loads from being here. His quality of life is much better; he is settled and has made loads of progress. When I see him I see a happy and relaxed boy who likes where he lives and the people he lives with.’

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are safe. Staff sensitively and effectively manage their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities, including those associated with their complex needs and disabilities. Social workers say that staff are not risk averse and seek every opportunity to enable young people to develop and progress.

p.3

The children's home provision is good because:

 The manager is extremely child-focused and works diligently in ensuring young people’s needs are at the forefront of the home’s operation. This is recognised by parents, social workers and staff who are extremely complimentary about his motives. A number of shortfalls are identified relating to management oversight and monitoring and staff induction, supervision and training. It is acknowledged that these shortfalls have not had a detrimental impact on the care and support of young people but do reflect the current learning journey of the manager.

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, in particular, the standard in paragraph 1 requires the registered person to-

p.4

Requirement Due date

(2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.4

Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to ensuring the manager maintains rigorous oversight of all aspects of staff development, including induction, supervision and training. 08/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience, in particular new staff. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 08/10/2015

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the independent person’s report sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)) 08/10/2015

p.4

Recommendations

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

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure a homely environment is maintained, in particular, that the lounge is redecorated and worn furniture is replaced and that a suitable, safe source of heating is installed in the new sensory room. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person must ensure that the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction and core training are adhered to, and that evidence of this is maintained. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the homes workforce development plan. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 15, paragraph 9.12)

p.5

Information about this children's home

This is one of a number of children's homes operated by a charitable organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities.

p.6

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.6

Recent inspection history

15/01/2015 CH - Interim declined in effectiveness

p.6

good

Young people are making excellent progress in many aspects of their lives. This is because staff provide them with a high standard of care and support which enables them to grow, develop and explore their potential, regardless of the challenges presented by their disability. The views expressed by parents and professionals recognise the positive impact the home has made on each individual young person. One parent said, ‘I have nothing but praise for staff. They provide (Name) with lots of opportunities to grow and develop. They see him as normal and seek to overcome his disability with no restrictions. They do not let him miss out on having positive experiences.’

p.7

good

Staff have a detailed understanding of each young person and make every effort to involve them in all aspects of care delivery. They do this using a range of communication styles, aids and forums, which provide regular opportunities for them to make choices about their day to day care. A social worker said, ‘The home is run around children. Staff are constantly seeking ways to gather their views and opinions, which they always act upon.’ A parent said, ‘(Name’s) needs are important to staff and they do their best to get his opinions. He has his picture exchange communication system which they regularly use to help him make choices about his meals and activities, for example.’

p.7

good

Young people are happy and content in their home and share strong, trusting and affectionate attachments with staff. Staff are calm and patient and demonstrate a genuine warmth toward them. This means young people feel safe, well-cared for and are very settled in their home. A parent said, ‘Relationships are great. (Name) enjoys being with staff who are always listening to him and responding to his needs. There is a real sense of home about this place. Staff are very motivated and like being with the children.’

p.7

good

Staff use a range of recreational activities to encourage participation and inclusion in the community. They work hard to overcome the barriers to participation and provide young people with an array of experiences which nurture their personal development. For example, life story work was recently undertaken with one young person in preparation for a holiday to the seaside, including visits to the location. This helped the young person to become familiar with his new environment, resulting in him enjoying a seaside holiday with his peers and staff. One social worker said, ‘I am really impressed with the home. (Name) is given lots of opportunities, especially activities which develop his social skills. They promote socialisation through these activities including jump nation, walks, shopping, having meals out and going on holiday. Nothing is too much trouble for staff.’

p.7

good

The promotion of education is a shared responsibility between the home and school. Young people attend a range of education resources, including the organisation’s school or college. Staff maintain good links with each young person’s respective education placement. This has promoted excellent attendance and good progress relative to their individual ability. When necessary staff will support young people in the education setting, an arrangement which has recently proven successful in helping one young person make a successful transition to college. Staff and young people are fully involved in any events or celebrations which are arranged by the school. For example, all young people, including one who attends another school, attended an end of year prom which was held at a local hotel. Staff were keen to show the inspector photographs of their young people who were dressed in their prom suits and were clearly having a good time dancing and

p.8

good

Staff practice is underpinned by good care and health planning and assessment of risk. Young people’s records are regularly updated and information is discussed and shared among the staff team. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to meet each young person’s unique needs and diligently strive to deliver the right level of support to them. This includes supporting them to access needs specific services such as speech and language therapists and occupational therapy. Staff work with these professionals in delivering interventions which are designed to improve young people’s communication skills and mobility. The effectiveness of this approach is evident in the progress young people are making in this respect, something that all parents cited as an example of the progress their child make. One parent said, ‘Overall I am really pleased with how the home supports (Name). The improvement is massive. I give them 10/10. They have encouraged him to

p.8

good

walk rather than rely on his chair. He is doing this a lot more when they take him on walks and to activities for example. He is feeding himself, which is a real achievement, and staff have helped him improve his communication. They understand him and (Name) uses sign language in a much better way.’

p.8

good

Effective planning and support is given to helping young people prepare for their transition to adult living. Staff work in partnership with parents and professionals in formulating a plan which is conducive to the young person’s needs. For example, one parent has expressed the wish for her child to remain within the organisation because of the positive care experiences he has had since coming to the home. This arrangement has been agreed and is currently being facilitated through an inclusive approach which fully involves the young person, his parents and social worker. The social worker said, ‘The organisation has been really proactive in identifying the right place for him and the right person to share with. It is planned that staff will continue to support (Name) when he moves, which will give him some continuity and help him settle in. If they deliver everything which is identified in the plan it will be a really good transition.’

p.8

good

Young people live is a safe and secure home which provides them with a suitably adapted environment in which to live. Staff make every effort to ensure the home is well maintained and wherever possible reflects the individual needs and tastes of the young people. They make good use of the space available and have created some pleasant activity areas such as a computer room and a small sensory room, both of which are well used. There is a need to identify a suitable source of heating for the sensory room as currently staff are relying on oil filled heaters, which present a potential hazard for young people who suffer seizures or those who have mobility issues. Also, the lounge and dining area, which is the hub of the home, is looking tired and worn in terms of decoration and furniture. Staff advised the inspector that the manager has requested funding to address this issue.

p.9

good

Young people are safe in this home. This is endorsed by parents and external professionals who are confident in staff’s ability to keep their children safe. Staff know young people very well and fully understand the complexities of their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities, many of which are brought about by their disability. They put in place effective risk management measures such as high levels of staff supervision and the use of risk assessed and suitably approved protective equipment including helmets and vehicle harnesses.

p.9

good

Care practice is underpinned by up-to-date safeguarding policies and procedures. These clearly identify the processes for staff to follow in the event of any allegations, suspicion of abuse or unsafe practice. There have not been any concerns of this nature since the last inspection, confirmed by the Local Authority Designated Officer.

p.9

good

Staff knowledge of young people and the relationships they share are the foundation of good behaviour management. Young people are given lots of positive attention from staff who are consistently anticipating and responding to their changing behaviours. One parent said, ‘Staff are attentive to (Names’) needs. They explain things to him which helps him to know what he is doing so that he can adapt. His behaviour is no way as bad. He used to self-injure by biting himself and banging his head against the wall. This is now very minor and not as serious. He no longer needs his helmet.’ Staff demonstrate an admirable patience and are resilient to the difficult and challenging behaviour which arises as a result of young people’s frustrations and anxieties. The majority of staff are trained in the use of physical restraint and have used this on a number of occasions when all other methods have failed. When restraint has been used, it has been used proportionately to prevent young people

p.9

good

harming themselves or others. The manager monitors such incidents and staff are continuously looking for ways to enable young people to manage their own emotions and feelings. This level of analysis has led to changes in approach such as the introduction of weighted blankets which provide one young person in particular with a sense of security. Some methods have proven extremely successful and resulted in a significant reduction in the use of physical restraint.

p.10

good

Four staff have been recruited since the last inspection. Records confirm that all required checks are complete and are relevant to working with children, before the staff member started work with young people. Staff are diligent in ensuring they check the identity of visitors to the home and the visitors log is fully complete. They provide all visitors with information about how to evacuate the home in the event of a fire and maintain appropriate levels of supervision throughout their visit.

p.10

requires improvement

The home has been without a Registered Manager since April 2015 when the previous manager suddenly passed away. The current manager, who is in the process of registering with Ofsted, took over the day-to-day management of the home before being officially appointed to the post in June 2015. He is currently undertaking the Level 5 Diploma, has relevant childcare experience and is quickly learning the necessary skills that are required to be an effective manager.

p.10

requires improvement

Young people and staff have benefited immensely from the support offered by the manager, whose main focus was on ensuring that standards of care and safety did not deteriorate. He ensured that staff remained focused on their main purpose during a very difficult period in time. This ensured young people’s needs were prioritised and that they continued to receive highly individualised care and support, including helping them deal with the loss of an important person in their life. One social worker said, ‘When the manager passed away it badly affected young people and staff. Staff did not lose sight of this or their responsibility to care for children. They made sure the impact was minimal.’

p.10

requires improvement

A number of new staff have been inducted to the home since the last inspection. Staff confirm that the manager and experienced colleagues provided them with good peer support. This enabled them to spend time getting to know young people, reading their records and becoming familiar with the home’s policies and procedures. A number of systems are in place to enable the manager to monitor staff performance but these have not been used to good effect. For example, new staff are registered with an on-line training provider and are expected to complete mandatory training as an interim measure, until face-to-face training can be delivered. The manager has failed to monitor this self-learning activity which means that a small number of staff have not completed any form of safeguarding training. Also, a number of staff are not receiving formal supervision. This includes one new starter who has not had any formal supervision since she started at the

p.10

requires improvement

beginning of August 2015. While peer support is strong, this lack of focus on professional development means that staff do not have the opportunity to acquire and build upon the rudimentary skills and knowledge associated with their work.

p.11

requires improvement

The manager is diligent in his monitoring of young people’s progress and development. This ensures that their individual needs are fully addressed in accordance with their care plans. Links with parents, social workers and a range of professionals are strong and promote a collaborative approach to meeting young people’s needs. Staff are in frequent contact with key people and provide regular updates on how their children are doing. For example, they provide them with monthly reports which include photographs of all the wonderful things they have done. However, this rigour needs extending to the wider aspects of the homes operation, including staff performance and development.

p.11

requires improvement

The home is subject to external scrutiny by an independent visitor. Reports of these visits are completed and submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner. The reports are clearly focused on the care of young people but can vary in quality, dependant on the person undertaking the visit. The organisation has gone some way to addressing this by recruiting a quality assurance manager who will be responsible for ensuring the monitoring activity is of a consistently high standard. It is extremely important that this includes the expectation that all matters of regulation are met, which is not currently the case. For example, submitted reports do not include the visitor’s opinion about how well the home safeguards young people or promotes their well-being.

p.11

requires improvement

Suitable action has been taken to address the requirement and recommendations from the previous inspection. Procedures for recruiting staff have been improved to ensure a more robust approach is taken to make sure staff are suitably checked and vetted. A number of improvements have been made to the environment, including replacing carpets and curing the utility room of damp. Radiators have been fitted with covers to minimise the risk of injury to young people who suffer seizures, although this work was not fully complete until prompted by this inspection. Also, the way the home shares information with third parties has been improved to ensure young people’s right to confidentiality is maintained.

p.11

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.

p.12

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

p.12

What the inspection judgements mean

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

p.12

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

p.13

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 .

p.13

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,

p.14

Information about this inspection

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

p.14

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.14

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

p.14