Children's Home run by Bristol City Council in Bristol

Requires improvement

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:

 The health and well-being needs of young people are not fully met. Young people who have experienced significant trauma and neglect do not have their emotional needs addressed in a timely and appropriate way.  Care planning lacks detail and fails to highlight care needs that require priority attention. Care plans do not identify the role of other professionals for a clear plan of who does what.  Risk management has improved yet some assessments still lack specific details. As a result, known risks to young people are not sufficiently monitored.  The leaders and managers of this home fail to adequately monitor and review the quality of care. The system to review practice does not fully consider the views of young people, their families, staff and professionals. The independent person fails to report on current practice, often reviewing the previous month. This does not provide an accurate assessment as to

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

whether young people are effectively safeguarded.  The leadership of this home is not strong. Staff members do not work effectively as a team. They do not always recognise individual skills or their collective potential to be a cohesive team.

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The children's home strengths

 This inspection was to follow up from the inadequate judgement at the last full inspection in August 2015. Leaders and managers have responded well to the compliance notice to ensure that the failings identified have now mostly been addressed.  Leaders and managers have developed systems to improve the quality of care provided to young people. Young people are consulted regularly on changes within the home.  Young people report feeling safe at this home. They like their new environment having chosen the furniture and colour schemes. Young people enjoy the activities available to them in the home and in the community.  The manager and staff work well with parents and relatives, actively supporting young people to maintain contact with their family and friends. Social care professionals and parents report positively on the levels of communication they receive about young people.

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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

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, with particular reference to meeting the emotional needs of children, the registered person must ensure that staff-

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child's relevant plans. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(b) ensure that staff work as a team. 31/12/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a quality of care review and must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 31/03/2016

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Recommendations

 Ensure that placement plans clearly identify young people’s needs and how they will be supported. The specific responsibilities of the home towards supporting the health and well-being of each child should be agreed with the placing authority and recorded in the child’s placement plan. It is the joint responsibility of the registered person and the placing authority that this is agreed at the time of placement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 34 paragraph 7.7)  Ensure that written risk assessments include explicit details of known risks. Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 42 paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should agree with their local police force, procedures and guidance on police involvement with the home to reduce unnecessary police involvement in managing behaviour and criminalisation of behaviours. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 47 paragraph 9.40)

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Recommendations

 Any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. In particular this assessment must cover the period up to, and including, the day of the visit. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 65 paragraph 15.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people of either sex, with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is operated by the local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

09/10/2014 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

23/01/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Requires improvement

Supporting young people with their emotional needs requires improvement. The manager and the staff team fail to effectively support the emotional well-being of young people. Health and social care agencies provide support services for the mental and physical health of young people. The manager fails to coordinate the requisite provision for young people who have experienced significant trauma and loss. Consequently, young people are not receiving targeted services quickly enough.

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Requires improvement

Priority needs identified in multi-agency meetings are vaguely referred to in care plans, they are not listed prominently enough. A care plan for one young person lists the professionals involved yet it does not sufficiently identify who does what. There is an absence of a clear strategy on how to support a young person with their specific needs. This leads to inconsistent responses from staff and therefore slow progress to support young people in changing or modifying their behaviour.

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Requires improvement

Young people receive support to attend routine medical appointments and reassurance when they are anxious. For example, a planned appointment to the dentist had to be cancelled when a young person didn’t feel able to attend. After encouragement and explanation from the staff the young person was able to have dental treatment with the next appointment. Each young person has an individual record of any medication administered in addition to a record for the home; this is an improvement since the last inspection.

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Requires improvement

Young people are consulted well on changes within the home and have chosen colour schemes and pictures for the lounge and their bedrooms. Young people report that they like this home and recognise how it has improved since the last inspection, in particular the decoration and new furniture. The home benefits from new lighting in the lounge and the removal of metal locks and attachments from internal doors. These changes make the house more homely.

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Requires improvement

Young people are motivated to attend education. Those in alternative education settings are looking forward to a return to school once assessments are complete. The manager and staff advocate well for them and ensure they receive the education they are entitled to.

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Requires improvement

Young people benefit from regular meetings with a keyworker where they have time to look at current issues and discuss any concerns. Direct work delivered by keyworkers involves young people receiving information and advice on personal safety, sexual health, smoking and the consequences of substance misuse.

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Requires improvement

Sound relationships amongst young people and staff enable trust to develop and encourage open discussions. Young people are consulted on the use of language that is particular to residential care such as shift, handover and keywork. The manager and staff are searching for alternative words to get away from the stigma of using language that is pertinent to being in care. One suggestion to replace keywork is ‘chit chat’, a positive reflection on how comfortable young people are to spend this quality time with the staff.

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Requires improvement

Not all of the known risks for young people are considered in risk assessment documents. Incidents of bullying behaviour are not reflected as a risk to others and the risks associated with substance use are not specific enough. The written document fails to list the named substances that young people have been known to use and instead refers to a generic term. The absence of such details means that staff are not fully appraised of the risks to young people and consequently are not prepared to reduce or eliminate them.

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Requires improvement

Despite these shortfalls, overall risk management has improved since the last inspection and each young person is assessed for their vulnerability to sexual exploitation. This practice informs the protocols to follow when a young person has failed to return to the home on time and is reported as a missing person to the police. This has occurred on four occasions since the last inspection. Staff actively search for young people when they are missing from the children’s home. Staff know the local neighbourhood well enough to search key locations and they liaise with family and friends to ensure the safe return of young people. Independent social care professionals meet with young people upon their return to establish their safety and wellbeing.

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Requires improvement

Records indicate that on three occasions the police have attended the home to respond to violence and abusive behaviour from young people towards staff and each other. Some staff members lack confidence in dealing with challenging behaviour and rely on calling the police without employing a full range of techniques in behaviour management. Fortunately, these incidents have not resulted in any criminal charges and restorative resolutions have been successful. The manager is developing staff skills and confidence through opportunities to act as shift leaders. Young people are responding well to personal targets to improve their behaviour and they like the incentive of certificates and rewards. Physical intervention has not occurred since June 2015. Following safeguarding concerns identified at the last inspection, the staff have received a briefing and understand that physical intervention techniques that involve holding young people

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Requires improvement

on the floor are not appropriate and to be avoided. Staff have access to a folder with key information about the use of physical intervention, including photographs of permitted techniques. This folder includes a physical intervention plan for each young person and promotes the use of de-escalation to avoid the use of restraint.

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Requires improvement

Staff awareness of safeguarding has increased as a result of the negative impact from an inadequate judgement at the last inspection. Staff report that they have more opportunities to discuss such matters in team meetings and during their personal supervision. Young people are no longer restricted by locked doors. They have the freedom to go out without asking staff to unlock the front door for them.

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Requires improvement

Young people are involved in discussions with staff on the safe use of the internet and social media, personal safety and how to deal with any bullying. Creating posters on e-safety and watching a DVD to counter bullying are effective tools to discuss important safeguarding issues.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post for five years. She has a management qualification at level 4 and is currently studying for the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Residential Childcare.

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Requires improvement

The manager has implemented many improvements and developed new systems to address the failings reported in the compliance notice and previous inspection report. Monitoring the quality of care is more robust, however, this area still requires improvement. For example, the manager submitted a report to Ofsted as required under Regulation 45 though this report lacks the views and opinions of young people, their parents, staff and other professionals.

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Requires improvement

Monitoring by an independent person is now regularly occurring once a month. This provides some level of external scrutiny on care practices and records. The reports fail to comment on current issues, often referring to the previous month. This delayed monitoring is not effective and fails to identify any action that may urgently be required to safeguard young people.

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Requires improvement

The staff team lacks cohesion. Some staff members report inequality of tasks and the absence of a united team working towards common goals. The manager is introducing tools to address the team dynamics such as detailed shift planning and appointing a shift leader from the wider team, not solely from the senior staff. Staff meetings are held more frequently and a team day is planned before the end of this year. The manager anticipates that these events will provide opportunities to develop the staff members into a more cohesive team.

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Requires improvement

All notifiable events are reported to Ofsted to meet compliance. Records of staff meetings, supervision and young people’s meetings reflect the model of practice used within the local authority. This format enables staff to focus on strengths as well as areas of concern in order to form a plan as to what action is required. This model of practice is gradually being implemented into the home to mirror the style of working in risk management meetings held with social workers.

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Requires improvement

Staff report positively about the leadership and management of this home. The manager and staff team are able to reflect on significant changes over the last three months. They list improved recording systems, structure and routines, staff meetings, changes to the environment and shift planning as contributors to their improved practice.

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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

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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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