Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

home are

There are serious and widespread failures that mean young people are not protected. Their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and their care and experiences are poor. They are not making progress.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Young people are not kept safe.  Some young people's behaviours are seriously impacting on other young people. This leaves young people feeling unsafe when challenging behaviour occurs.  Young people continue to engage in risk taking behaviours, such as consuming alcohol. Some young people from this home are joining in other people’s risk taking activities.  Staff do not always take action which is necessary to prevent injury to any person or serious damage.  Some young people's risk assessments do not reflect their current risks.  Procedures for young people handing lighters in are not always followed. Young people with known fire starting risks have unsupervised access to lighters through the night.  Missing person protocol is not always followed. History documentation for missing young people is not in place. Missing from home risk assessments do not reflect some young people's current risks.

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The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 The risks of child sexual exploitation are not identified and assessed.  Decisions to place children in this home remain unclear without documented analysis and clear risk assessment.  Young people who do not attend education have a lack of structure and purpose to their day.  Management monitoring and oversight is lacking.  Notifications of serious events have not been submitted to Ofsted

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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

(1) The Children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who- (c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring all young people’s views and feelings are sought after a significant incident. If they have been hurt or even if they were not directly involved but witnessed an incident. 04/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) 2005 (a) applies to the home – (b) the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home (Regulation 25(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, in relation to ensuring all young people have had a fire practice. 04/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

9: The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) in particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure – (a) that staff help each child to – (i) develop the child's interests and hobbies; (ii) participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child's interests and preferences; and (iii) make a positive contribution to the home and the wider 04/01/2016 community; and (b) that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interest and hobbies.

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Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard* (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure- (a) that staff (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to child;

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensuring that young people’s risk assessments are up to date. Staff are evaluating risky situations such as self- harm risks; young people under the influence of alcohol; how risk associated with other young people impacts on individuals in the home; how they are supervised during the night if under the influence of alcohol. Arrangements are made to ensure young people’s welfare is monitored to ensure they are safe.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to assessing individual's risk of child sexual exploitation with a multi-agency approach to all risk assessments. 15/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

Before implementing, or making an amendment which the registered person considers to be substantive to the missing child policy, the registered person must have regard to any relevant local authority or police protocols on missing children (Regulation (34)(b)).

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Requirement Due date

This relates to young people having up to date risk assessments and history documents in line with local police protocol. Young people to be reported missing or absent in line with protocol. 04/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to -

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Requirement Due date

(f) understands the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experience of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 04/01/2016 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any serious other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (Regulation (40)(e)). 04/01/2016

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Information about this children's home

This is a Local Authority children's home. The home provides care for up to five young people between the ages of eight and 18 years 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

24/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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people living in the home are

Due to the conflicting demands of young people's needs, some individual’s behaviours negatively affect the experience of other young people living in this home. Drunken incidents, aggressive and unpredictable outbursts give young people cause for concern. Young people have had a knife thrown at them and others have been punched in the face during incidents with other residents. Staff have tried to manage the situations, however some young people feel they need to help staff manage this behaviour. They intervene placing themselves at risk.

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people living in the home are

Some young people continue to consume alcohol and smoke cigarettes; this has immediate and long term effects which are detrimental for their health. They continue to place themselves at risk while under the influence, resulting in associating with unknown adults in the community, self-harming, and returning home with missing and ripped clothing. Some vulnerable young people who are easily influenced accompany individuals while they are drinking alcohol and try smoking cigarettes themselves, this places all young people at risk. No young people are currently accessing any services to support alcohol or smoking. Referrals are about to be made.

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people living in the home are

Educational attendance for some is good. For others attendance has improved. Some individuals who have been out of education for long periods now have placements for one hour per day. Despite staff efforts, attendance remains low. Consequently, individuals struggle to maintain healthy sleep patterns and often get up later in the day. Their days remain unstructured and lacks focus.

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people living in the home are

Some young people enjoy activities such as cadets, drama groups, trips to a caravan and swimming. This helps broaden young people's experiences and gives a sense of achievement and belonging. Some individuals support annual events by getting involved in causes such as the poppy appeal, where they help to sell them in the community. Judgement grade

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people are helped and protected

The majority of young people in this home report they do not always feel safe. They worry about other young people's unpredictable and aggressive behaviour. One young person reported, 'I feel like ringing 999, I am so worried.' One parent commented, `they cannot keep them safe.’

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people are helped and protected

When individuals are placing themselves in risky situations, on some occasions, necessary action to safeguard young people is not always taken. Consequently, young people have been allowed out of the home unsupervised. They are absent for periods of time. As a result, they have consumed large amounts of alcohol and have engaged other vulnerable residents in the outings. Young people have left the home under the influence of alcohol resulting in them being laid in the road, walking into moving cars or entering the house of strangers with unknown adults.

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people are helped and protected

Some young people's risk assessments do not contain young people's current risks. Consequently, staff have no clear documentation to follow and some risks remain unidentified or assessed. Assessments do not always explore individual's specific risks in the home environment. This leaves the individual themselves vulnerable and others in the home.

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people are helped and protected

Missing from home protocol is not always followed. On occasions young people are not reported absent or missing. This means their whereabouts is unknown for periods of time. Staff do not always follow young people who leave the property unauthorised, even if they are already in drink. As a result, they have been found by emergency services and returned home or taken to hospital.

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people are helped and protected

A multi-agency approach to risk assessments is not evident. The risks of child sexual exploitation for some young people is not identified and assessed. As a result, some individuals remain at risk.

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people are helped and protected

Procedures for handing lighters in are ineffective. Individuals with known fire starting risk have unsupervised control of lighters. As a result, a toilet roll has been scorched and fire has occurred in the garden. One young person has not had a fire evacuation practice. In the event of a fire, their understanding of evacuation instructions has not been tested. Judgement grade

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leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since November 2014. He is suitably experienced and qualified to undertake this role. The manager has set out the aims of the home in the Statement of Purpose. These are, 'to provide support for children and young people in order to obtain the five Every Child Matter’s outcomes, for children and young people who are looked after by the local authority.' Including, being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achievement, making a positive contribution to the community, achieving economic well-being. However, these are not being met.

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leaders and managers

The management monitoring and oversight of case recording, behaviour and young people's progress and experience is ineffective. As a result, safeguarding issues have not been identified and attended to. Young people's experience has not been explored and progress for some is not clear. External monitoring systems have identified some issues but have failed to detect many of the safeguarding concerns detailed in this report.

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leaders and managers

Notification of serious incidents have not been sent to the regulatory body. This has denied external oversight of practice to keep young people safe.

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leaders and managers

Effective working with other professionals is variable. External professional input in young people's risk assessments and plans is lacking. Consequently some areas of risk and care are not adequately addressed. On other occasions, parents, teachers and social workers report they are kept well informed by the staff.

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leaders and managers

Staff have regular supervision. As a result, they all feel well supported by the manager. One staff member commented, `He is very supportive, he has an open door policy. We can ask anything when we want.’

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leaders and managers

Staff have training to meet individual young people's needs such as autism. Mandatory training courses around safeguarding and child sexual exploitation are kept up to date. Staff are able to verbally identify risk and predictors of exploitation. However, it is not clear the skills have been transferred into 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

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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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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