Children's home in Manchester

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:

 Children are admitted to the home without due regard for the needs of other children already in placement and the home’s ability to manage their needs alongside those of the existing group of children. Consequently, children are not well matched and some have a negative impact on others, leading to instability in the home and deterioration in some children’s progress.  Children’s education arrangements are not set up prior to placement. Local authority delays in making suitable arrangements for education and lack of structure during the school day mean that some children are not adequately supported to return as soon as possible to full-time education.  Admitting several children over a short period of time does not enable staff to form strong and influential bonds with children before other children arrive. Consequently, staff struggle to manage a group of children who encourage each other to present challenging behaviour, including violence

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

towards staff and dangerous behaviour. Some children’s placements are ending because the home cannot meet their needs.  Children speak negatively about their experience of living in the home and particularly dislike the institutional nature of the premises.  The incidence of children going missing from home or absent without permission is very high, despite staff implementing and following individual protocols aimed at keeping children safe.  Allegations against staff have arisen when children have been injured during restraint. While there is no indication that injuries are non-accidental, the use of restraint needs to be reviewed so that this does not happen.  Risk assessments do not consider the risks associated with children carrying lighters, even though children have made several attempts to start fires in the home and grounds. Guidance for staff in how to support a child who regularly returns home under the influence of cannabis is not clearly set out

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The children’s home provision requires improvement because:

in risk assessments. This does not ensure that staff know the best ways to protect children in dangerous situations.  Pressures on the staff team resulting from staff sickness and absence have made it difficult to ensure that staff receive one-to-one supervision in line with the home’s policy. This means that staff do not receive good supervision, support and guidance when they need it most.  The home does not routinely notify Ofsted of serious incidents where police are called to the home. This does not enable Ofsted to fulfil its regulatory duties to oversee the safeguarding arrangements in the home.

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The children’s home strengths

 The manager and staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and provide emotional warmth and kindness to children, often in the face of animosity and high levels of aggression.  Communication within the home is good so that staff are up to date with changes in children’s placement plans and behaviour management strategies.  Children’s views are taken seriously and they are encouraged to influence decisions in their day-to-day lives and in their placement plans. The home provides regular opportunities for children to share their ideas and any concerns with key workers.  Children receive good support to develop self-care and independence skills and are helped to make a smooth transition to independence.  The home has a consistent staff team which interacts positively with children and with each other. They are ambitious for and dedicated to the children in their care. The manager and staff support each other well and

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The children’s home strengths

cover gaps in the rota so that children receive care from a consistent team of staff.  The home maintains good relationships with partner agencies and appropriately challenges the local authority and others to meet their obligations to children. A range of professionals work closely with children and staff, supporting children to improve their lives.  The home provides good support to children at risk of self-harm and child sexual exploitation.  Damage to the home is repaired quickly so that children live in a home that provides a reasonable standard of comfort, despite its institutional feel.

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular reference to ensuring, prior to placement, that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

13. (1) enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that: (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to: (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 15 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

12. (1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, in order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to implementing risk assessments that support staff to protect children who have access to lighters and those who return to the home under the influence of drugs, and to supporting children to reduce their missing behaviour, the registered person must ensure: (a) that staff: (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into 15/07/2016 account information in the child’s relevant plans and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child (v) understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(b) that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm (e) that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if: (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child, which the registered person considers to be serious. ( 5) A notification made under this regulation: (b) must be made or confirmed in writing. 15/07/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision on a sufficiently regular basis to promote continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 15/07/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Do more to create a homely, domestic environment and provide a more nurturing and comfortable environment by reducing the institutional impression of the home. In particular, consider the need for locked doors and review the decor in hallways and landings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 Where children are not participating in education, because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must support the child to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable, structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the capacity and competence to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour and assist staff to manage and reduce negative behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for. In particular, ensure that staff take into account the size, age and understanding of the child, the relative risks of not intervening and the impact of the restraint on the staff member’s future relationship with the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraphs 9.55, 9.57

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to six children 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

15 September 2015 Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

18 February 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Children and young people are, for the most part, very negative about the home and say that they cannot wait to leave. They describe it in derogatory terms, such as it is ‘like a prison’ or ‘an old people’s home’. Visiting professionals comment on the institutional nature of the premises and its unsuitability as a children’s home. For example, one said: ‘I think the building is awful and not at all suitable – it looks like a probation office. It feels like walking into a prison. It’s not homely and I think it’s not fair on the children to call this a home.’ Leaders and managers recognise that the premises are institutional in nature and try hard to make both private and communal areas homely and inviting. They encourage children to personalise their bedrooms and to contribute to redesigning rooms that are frequently damaged through aggressive behaviour. This goes a small way to reducing the high level of damage to property. For the most part,

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Requires improvement

damage is repaired quickly so that the accommodation is reasonably maintained within its limitations. For most children, admission to the home comes at a time of crisis in their lives. All present extremely challenging behaviour and emotional instability which impact significantly on their welfare and development. The quality of transitions to and from the home varies and is not yet consistently good. For example, some children move to and from the home at very short notice, with little opportunity to prepare for a change of placement. One child has been admitted to the home since the last inspection. This was following a disrupted previous placement which did not allow the child to have a period of introductory visits. Providing a home at short notice for difficult-to-place children has resulted in ineffective placement matching. The local authority has recognised that at least two of the children are not suitably

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Requires improvement

placed in the home. Their behaviour has had a detrimental effect on other children. For example, one child’s antisocial and challenging behaviour has increased following admission to the home and another child’s progress has significantly deteriorated. Most children who live at the home have a history of poor educational attendance and attainment prior to admission and some are admitted with no education arrangements in place. Of the four children and two young people currently living in the home, none are in full-time education, training or employment. Some have minimal, part-time timetables. One has no education placement and another refuses to attend her allocated school. The home promotes re-engagement with education by working collaboratively with the virtual school and education providers and by encouraging children through individualised incentive schemes. The home is proactive in challenging education professionals to improve their

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Requires improvement

services to children but the pace of implementing suitable arrangements is too slow. Interim measures do not ensure that children are engaged in structured activities during the school day that help them to regain their confidence in education. This does not prepare them to resume full-time education as soon as possible, and it is likely to have a detrimental effect on their long-term educational progress. Two young people who have lived at the home for over 18 months are not in education, employment or training, despite the efforts of the staff team and other professionals to engage them in suitable courses and/or employment. One was discharged to independent living during the inspection, and plans are in place for the other to move on to independence shortly. Although staff are supportive and encouraging, they are not sufficiently influential to ensure that young people approaching the time to leave care are in employment or training and have the

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Requires improvement

best possible start to their adult lives. The staff team works hard to encourage children to lead healthy lives. The home employs a cook who prepares well-balanced, varied, healthy meals, taking account of children’s preferences as well as their cultural and religious needs. Staff promote children’s social development by encouraging them to sit together at table for meals, but this does not always happen as some children have other priorities. Young people preparing for independence have the opportunity to plan, shop for and prepare their own meals. With support from staff, they make good progress in developing independent living skills. Young people moving on to independent living are well supported to make a positive transition. Staff fill in the gaps in the incomplete service delivered by other professionals. This reduces the negative impact of ineffective care planning. For example, where no arrangements had been put in place to help a young person

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Requires improvement

purchase furnishings and essential kitchen equipment prior to moving to live independently, staff took him on the day he moved to buy them. This meant that he was not left over the weekend without the equipment to prepare food. The looked after children nurse visits the home regularly and has established strong relationships with the staff team. She is influential in persuading children to accept the medical treatment they need and provides them with impartial, sound advice that promotes their health. Not all children respond to the good advice given and some refuse to attend health appointments. Some continue to misuse drugs and alcohol and most smoke cigarettes regularly. Younger children, not known to have smoked before moving to the home, start to do so, under the influence of other children. This means that, despite the input from staff and other professionals, children’s health needs are not always well met.

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Requires improvement

The home works with partner agencies to help children access the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS), when needed. Although some have been referred, no children are currently in receipt of a psychiatric or psychological service. Some children have received a service from CAMHS previously and are unwilling to engage with therapists again. Others are appropriately awaiting education, health and care plan assessments prior to decisions being made about accessing psychological support services. The development of safe, stable relationships between staff and children is central to the ethos of the home in order to promote the development of secure attachments. However, the quality of relationships between staff and the current group of children is variable and this means that their ability to influence children to make positive choices is not always strong. Although reluctant to admit it, some

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Requires improvement

children have a positive rapport with staff, who have a good understanding of their emotional needs. For example, some children are clearly relaxed with staff. They enjoy and benefit from friendly banter, encouragement and emotional warmth. However, there are times when the same children can be extremely challenging and aggressive towards staff. One explained, ‘They do care about me but I am not close to anyone’, and another said, ‘Some of the staff are alright’. The quality of the relationships between staff and children is not yet sufficiently good to engender a sense of belonging and investment in the home. Person-centred planning is good. Staff know children’s individual plans and work to agreed strategies aimed at promoting improved behaviour and addressing children’s emotional well-being. Staff are patient, caring and supportive. They tolerate considerable amounts of verbal abuse and physically threatening

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Requires improvement

behaviour, and several staff have been assaulted. Despite this, they continue to be positive role models, providing children with unconditional warmth and kindness. A professional who works closely with the home commented: ‘ I think the staff and young people at (the name of the home) are brilliant and I cannot praise the staff team enough for the work and commitment they show to the young people. ’ Children have regular and frequent opportunities to spend time alone with a key worker. This ensures that they have the time to talk through any matters of concern, should they want to. One child spoke positively about the home, saying: ‘I get on with everyone – staff and children. It’s better than foster care and better than my last home. I like it here. They listen if I say something about the home. We have children’s meetings and they are OK.’ The same child expressed anxiety about starting afresh in a new placement and said that she is unable to influence

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Requires improvement

her care plans. She explained: ‘No one is listening. I want to stay here but I’ve got to go. I’ve told my social worker, but I can’t stay because of my behaviour.’ The manager and staff were trying hard to help her understand that the planned placement would suit her needs better. The home supports children to maintain contact and to rebuild relationships with families and significant people, where appropriate.

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Requires improvement

Individual risk assessments aimed at guiding staff to recognise and manage children’s dangerous behaviour are mostly good. However, some shortfalls undermine the quality and value of these documents. For example, although children have set fires in the home several times, putting the lives of themselves and others at risk, there has been no assessment of the risk of them carrying and misusing lighters. This does not demonstrate that the home is fully proactive in preventing the risk of fire. Guidance provided to staff to ensure that a child is fully supported and monitored should they return to the home under the influence of a substance is not clearly set out. This does not ensure that all staff are clear about how to support the child to ensure that his health and welfare are fully promoted. When children are missing, staff search for them and try to establish phone contact with them, encouraging them to return. They work collaboratively with the

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Requires improvement

police and other agencies in accordance with individual protocols designed to address each child’s known safety needs. In the nine months since the last full inspection, 11 children have been missing or absent without permission for a total of 432 times. While absent, children have been involved in drug and alcohol misuse, crime and sexual exploitation. Some children have increased their missing behaviour since admission to the home. This means that, despite the best efforts of the staff team, which convenes risk management meetings with the placing authority and review behaviour management strategies, the home is not effective at keeping children safe. When children return from being missing, staff routinely offer them the opportunity to speak with an independent person to ascertain the reason they went missing and promote their future safety. Children invariably decline initially but will later engage with the specialist missing from care worker who attends the home and

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Requires improvement

reported: ‘I visit the home multiple times a week, and although the young people may say some negative things about the staff, such as they are ‘annoying’ or ‘they tell me what to do’ (which is very normal), there has been nothing raised by the young people which I have been concerned about.’ This demonstrates that professionals involved in the protection of children who go missing are confident in the care the home provides. The management of serious incidents is not always effective. Staff are sometimes unable to de-escalate serious incidents where children’s behaviour quickly becomes out of control. At times, their interventions, including restraints, are not successful and they seek police assistance to manage violent and aggressive behaviour that is resulting in assaults on staff and serious damage to property. Consequently, children are arrested and sometimes charged with assault or criminal damage. This

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Requires improvement

does not protect children from involvement in the criminal justice system. Where there is no reduction in a child’s levels of aggressive and challenging behaviour, the home appropriately meets with partner agencies to review behaviour management strategies and the continuing suitability of the placement. Since the last inspection, children have made four complaints of being hurt during a restraint. All have been appropriately referred to the local authority designated officer and good safety measures have been followed, demonstrating that children’s views and complaints are taken seriously. Appropriate action has been taken to ensure that they are fully protected during an investigation and thereafter. Injuries sustained by children have been found to be accidental, resulting from fighting against the restraint. However, it is not acceptable for children to be injured during a restraint and this indicates that the home’s restraint

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Requires improvement

practice is in need of review. Staff respond quickly to children who self-harm, making sure that they get the emergency treatment they need and staying with them overnight in hospital as required, thus providing good levels of support when children are most vulnerable. Children at risk of sexual exploitation receive support and advice from specialist workers and from their key workers within the home. This helps them to understand the risks associated with grooming and to recognise their own vulnerabilities. Some have felt safe enough to disclose abuse and others are starting to reduce their risk-taking behaviour, so reducing the risk of sexual exploitation.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since 2007. With over 20 years’ experience in children’s social care and a qualification at NVQ level 4 in the leadership and management of a children’s home, she is suitably qualified and experienced to manage a children’s home. Additionally, she has a national diploma in childhood studies and a qualification at NVQ level 3 in caring for children and young people, which further enhance her knowledge and skills. The manager is assisted by a deputy manager who has been in post since April 2014. Together, they lead a team of 19 staff, including two regular agency staff members and four auxiliary staff. The majority of staff are suitably qualified and the remainder are undertaking courses in caring for children and young people or a social work degree. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of children’s progress and development. Most children make some progress from their starting points,

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Requires improvement

although the pace of change is often slow. In particular, access to suitable education is not always arranged quickly. Progress in children’s emotional and behavioural development is very slow because children have long-standing attachment difficulties that are not easily addressed in the demanding and unsettled environment of the home. Some children and young people continue to go missing and to misuse substances and the home’s influence on these children is not strong. Decision-making relating to new admissions is not good. A partner professional said: ‘I am concerned about the matching with other young people who live here. I would like to see better co-ordination of placements. ’ Four children have been admitted to the home since January 2016 and two of these arrived on the same day. This has not given children the time they need to settle down, to build meaningful relationships with staff or to establish good patterns of behaviour

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Requires improvement

before the admission of another child. Consequently, staff have struggled to maintain a sense of order, to implement agreed boundaries and to manage challenging behaviour effectively. The manager has quickly identified that the home is not meeting the needs of two of these children, and has instigated a review of their placements. While this is commendable, it does not detract from the fact that children have had unnecessary placement moves and avoidable instability in their lives. The home does not routinely notify Ofsted of serious incidents where police are called to the home as a result of children’s volatile and aggressive behaviour. This does not enable Ofsted to fulfil its regulatory duties to oversee the safeguarding arrangements in the home and to ensure that children are well protected and that their welfare is fully promoted. It is evident that the manager and staff team work hard to achieve the aims of the

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Requires improvement

home as set out in its statement of purpose. However, the shortfalls in placement matching, the speed of admitting new children and the institutional nature of the premises, in combination, have resulted in an unsettled period where children have not experienced the stable, relaxed and homely environment the home sets out to achieve. The home’s capacity to improve is satisfactory. Senior managers in the local authority recognise the premises are unsuitable. They are currently reviewing their children’s residential services with a view to making improvements that are cost effective. While the manager has implemented the requirements and recommendations made following the last inspection, some of the concerns raised in this report have been raised previously and improvements made have not been sustained in the long term. For example, improvements in staff supervision that were noted at the last inspection have not been sustained. Consequently, a

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Requires improvement

number of staff have not received one-to-one, practice-based supervision in line with the home’s policy. This means that staff have not had sufficient opportunity to reflect on their own practice and to focus on their personal development. A rolling programme of staff training ensures that staff refresh their knowledge and skills regularly. Some staff have attended specialist training in supporting children at risk of grooming, extremism and sexual exploitation, and plans are in place for all staff to receive this training, thus ensuring that they have the knowledge and skills required to support those children whose safety is a concern. There have been no staff changes since the last full inspection, but staff shortages as a result of sickness and suspensions have had an impact on the team. Gaps in the rota have been covered in-house and, where necessary, the manager has assisted by covering shifts. This has promoted consistency and continuity of care

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Requires improvement

for children. Staff have shown commitment and resilience under pressure but are tired. They present as a coherent and supportive team which is upbeat and positive, often in the face of extreme animosity from children. The staff benefit from regular sessions with a clinical psychologist who helps them to understand children’s complex emotional and psychological needs. This in turn helps staff to maintain a positive outlook and to overcome their own feelings so that they engage with children in a warm and friendly manner. Staff meetings are held regularly, with a focus on children’s progress and development so that all staff keep up to date with changes in children’s care plans and know about significant events in children’s lives. Behaviour management strategies are reviewed at these meetings, and where they are not effective the team is able to identify that and make changes. Good handover of information

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Requires improvement

between shifts ensures that incoming staff are quickly brought up to date with children’s progress and recent events. The home has good relationships with partner agencies. The manager regularly challenges other professionals where the pace of implementing care plans is causing delay in children’s progress. She refers children for specialist help and support, as required. For example, concerns apparent from a child’s comments and behaviour have led to an appropriate referral to the ‘Channel’ programme. This shows that the home is proactive in working with other agencies to prevent vulnerable children from being drawn into extremism. Recognising that children’s access to education is unsatisfactory, leaders and managers have introduced new arrangements to improve the communication between the manager of the home and the virtual school. This is a work in progress but the manager is confident that it will enable her to have a stronger

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Requires improvement

voice in driving suitable education arrangements for children.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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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