Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home is a short-term reception unit and will often admit young people in emergencies or in a crisis. Their needs and those of their families are the focus of staff practice.  Well-organised practice ensures that planning meetings and essential information are in place and bedrooms are made up prior to young people arriving.  Young people are welcomed into the home by qualified and committed staff who are experienced and fully understand the trauma that young people may be experiencing.  Relationships are built from the point of admission for emergency placements, and for those young people accommodated in a planned way, relationships are formed prior to admission.  Arrangements for meeting young people’s health, education, emotional, social and psychological well-being are in place. Staff work well with partner agencies and ensure that young people’s needs are identified and met.  Young people and their families are fully involved in decision making and

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The children's home provision is good because:

regular consultation is a strength of the home.  Individualised plans and risk assessments provide young people with a structured day and enable staff to respond appropriately to agreed strategies to keep young people safe.  Young people are safe in this home and say that they feel safe. Staff are skilled in managing behaviour and respond well to incidents caused by peer pressure. This enhances young people’s day-to-day experiences.  Robust procedures are understood and followed by staff in any event where young people may be absent or missing from the home. This practice safeguards young people and reduces risk.  The home is effectively managed by a registered manager and she is supported by an experienced management team who place the needs of young people at the centre of their practice.  Support for staff is good and enables them to reflect on their practice and identify training needs.  Agreed plans ensure that young people do not drift in the home and they

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The children's home provision is good because:

move on in a planned way. The home is fully compliant in meeting regulations and operating in line with the statement of purpose document.

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to accommodate four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.  The home is managed by a local authority.  This is a short-term reception home. The home aims to provide a nurturing environment in which young people can feel safe, supported and respected with opportunities to rebuild confidence and regain feelings of self-worth, as written in the home's statement of purpose document.  The home will provide a Police and Criminal Evidence bed for young people irrespective of gender, and aged 10–17 years. Greater Manchester Police should provide staff with information regarding the nature of the offence committed, and any known risks, as outlined in the home's statement of purpose document.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

9 March 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18 March 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

The home is effective in welcoming young people, and for some this may be their first experience in care. While some young people enter the home in a planned way, others are placed in an emergency. Systems are in place to ensure that essential information is sought for all admissions and time is set aside and booked in advance for planning meetings. These arrangements fully involve young people and their families and they contribute to reducing any anxieties that young people may have about moving into the home. Plans are agreed before the point of admission when young people are known and expected to be accommodated. For young people accommodated in an emergency, planning meetings are arranged within regulated timescales. This ensures that everyone involved in the care of a young person fully understands and agrees their plan of care. These arrangements enhance young people’s experiences and ensure

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Good

that plans are individualised to meet their needs. This home has a positive impact on young people’s lives, by providing short-term placements that enable ‘time out’ where conflict has arisen within their family environment, or providing longer-term care in preparation for young people to move on to alternative accommodation. Alternative accommodation includes foster care, independent living, long-term residential care or a return to the family home. As a result, young people’s experiences are improved whether they stay in the home for one night before returning to their family environment or for longer until they prepare for their next placement as agreed in their plan. Staff are skilled and experienced in managing and responding to the individual needs of young people at short notice. And, while compatibility cannot always be assessed prior to admission, the skills of staff in quickly building relationships with young people

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Good

reduce peer-on-peer pressure and this creates a stable homely environment for young people to live in. Young people are looked after by a diverse and mixed gender staff team. They are treated with dignity and respect by staff who are sensitive and responsive to their needs. Young people are positive about the care and support that they receive from staff and collectively say ‘this is a good home’, ‘I feel staff support me and help me with my education’ and ‘they (staff) care about us and look after me well’. Young people confirm that they know how to complain and have received information about the home and the services it provides to them. Young people did not raise any concerns or complaints about the care that they receive in the home. All young people have signed an induction, showing important information has been provided to them, such as fire evacuation procedures and their entitlements while living in

p.5

Good

the home. Seeking the views of young people, their family and external professionals is evident in the records kept by the home. Young people say that they are listened to and that their opinions are sought daily. Thank you cards and questionnaires completed show appreciation of the work that staff undertake with young people, their family and external professionals. Consultation is a strength of the home and includes positive exit interviews of young people who have moved on. Since the last inspection in March 2016, four young people have successfully moved on from the home in a planned way. Four young people have been accommodated in the home, three of whom were placed in an emergency. Their experiences in the home have been positive and all have made progress since their starting points in the home. Young people’s health, education, emotional, social and psychological well-being is identified and planned for prior to or at the point of admission. Young people

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Good

regularly attend school and are achieving their goals. Work in partnership with teachers, health and psychological professionals ensures that young people receive the support that they need, when they need it. All staff are first aid trained and medication procedures are robust and followed by staff. Activities, interests and hobbies are encouraged and staff plan young people’s preferred enjoyment during the day and welcome young people back into the home on their return from school. Group and individual interests are catered for and the home has access to a caravan on a holiday park for use at weekends or during school holidays. Contact arrangements are in place for young people, and their families and friends are welcome to visit the home. This keeps young people in touch with those people significant in their lives.

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Good

The management team regularly attends professional meetings, such as missing from care, edge of care and family on track panel. Attendance of these meetings enables information to be shared about possible future placements where young people and their family require support. Also, the management team in this home has access to ‘Care First’, a computer system where information can be sought about possible admissions when young people are not known to social services. For example, young people may be known to the youth offending team or information has been entered about a young person by the school nurse. These arrangements enable the management team to identify risk and for staff to build up a picture of the young people who may be accommodated. This is an effective tool for partnership working and ensures that services that young people require are considered and arranged prior to or shortly after their admission into

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Good

the home. Initial risk assessments are required before young people are accommodated and as much information as possible is secured and signed by parents and social workers before or as a young person arrives at the home. Dependent on the length of time that young people live in the home, risk assessments are strengthened with appropriate strategies in place to keep young people safe. Young people are safe in this home and say that they feel safe. Staff are suitably trained to recognise, respond and report any suspicion of abuse. If and when suspicions arise, staff have appropriate working relationships with the agencies charged with protecting young people. There are no current safeguarding concerns in relation to the young people living in the home. Staff are aware of their responsibilities under the local ‘Prevent’ strategy, which is aimed at protecting young people from being radicalised. They are aware of local support groups that

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Good

young people can attend which are specific to any diversity needs. Incidents of being absent or missing from the home are low with the current resident group. Staff understand and follow robust procedures if a missing from home incident occurs, ensuring that young people return to the home safe and well. Behaviour is managed well by staff; who are trained. They de-escalate possible situations and when confrontation does take place between young people, staff responses are effective. They are quick to respond to any form of bullying and observations during an incident at this inspection provided evidence of how staff prevented young people from harming each other. Reflective practice is discussed between the team in order to learn lessons and improve responses. Debriefs for young people allow them to reflect and consider the implications and impact that their behaviour may have on others. Restraint has not been used for some considerable time and sanctions for

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Good

inappropriate behaviour are low, but when they are imposed are fair and agreed by young people. Incentives and rewards are used positively to improve young people’s behaviour and social skills and they respond well to this system. Young people are educated at school and by a visiting technical expert around the dangers of using the internet and posting inappropriate material on social media sites. This protects young people from cyber bullying, exploitation and educates them on how to stay safe online. The home is suitably furnished and decorated. Regular health and safety checks are carried out and recorded, with appliances being checked periodically by qualified contractors. All internal and external maintenance work is carried out promptly and there is no damage or outstanding repairs in the home. Staff are vetted on a regular and ongoing basis. This prevents unsuitable people from working with young people and having the opportunity to harm them or place

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Good

them at risk. All visitors to the home are required to provide identity, sign in and are not left unsupervised with young people. Staff are familiar with the home’s whistleblowing policy. These procedures further protect young people, staff and visitors.

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Good

The home is effectively managed by an experienced and qualified registered manager. She is supported by an experienced and qualified management team, which places the needs of young people at the centre of its practice. There are good support mechanisms in place from senior managers within the local authority, including the responsible individual. Together, they ensure that systems are in place and are reviewed to ensure that young people are welcomed into the home with as much information as possible to formulate a plan of care. Care planning documentation is in place, and is regularly reviewed, and next step plans ensure that young people do not drift in the home. This contributes to young people moving on in a planned way, all of which is supported by staff. Support for staff is good through regular and, as they describe it, ‘good quality supervision’. All annual appraisals have been completed and objectives and

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Good

performance are measured, with goals to achieve for the following 12 months. This provides staff with opportunities to reflect on the work that they carry out and enhances young people’s experiences and the positive impact that the home has on them. The one requirement made at the previous inspection has been met. Supervision is now carried out within the timescales as specified in the home’s statement of purpose document. While the training budget has been reduced and the majority of staff training now takes place online, the management team and staff are confident that specific training needs will be met and paid for. This was evident during the inspection, when two staff members received external face-to-face training in relation to self- harm and ligature removal. Plans are in place for this to be cascaded to the rest of the staff at their next team meeting. The home is sufficiently staffed and all residential childcare workers are qualified to

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Good

level 3 or above. The registered manager, management team and all staff have worked in this home for some considerable time, which provides consistency in the way that the team works, and continuity to the young people who they care for. The statement of purpose document is accurate, up to date and includes details of the whole team, their experience and qualifications. This document provides a true reflection of how the home operates and the services it provides to young people, their families and professionals. Equally, young people receive a welcome booklet on arrival at the home which provides them with easily understandable information on the services that they can expect to receive in the home. Specific delegated tasks carried out by staff, such as health and safety audits, activity planning and case file monitoring, support the management team’s quality assurance processes. The home’s administration systems are reviewed each

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Good

month. An independent person visits each month and reports on the care provided to young people and how effectively they are safeguarded. These arrangements contribute to the home’s development plan. The management team are fully aware of the strengths of the home, and where improvement needs to be made, this is actioned promptly. The home is effective at working in partnership and networking with other services and supporting agencies. This benefits young people and contributes to their plan of care. The home is compliant with the quality standards and regulations for children’s homes and no requirements or recommendations are made at this inspection.

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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 that 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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