Children's home in Stockport

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 manager has not used monitoring processes effectively to improve the outcomes of young people and the development of the home.  The management of the home has not been consistent during the absence of the registered manager.  There has been ineffective action by the manager to address the practice and performance of some staff. As a result, some staff are failing to record and report accurately, and medication has not been administered according to policy and safe practice.  Supervision and training have failed to ensure that all staff are up to date with the procedures to follow when reporting, recording and escalating safeguarding concerns.  The records of a young person who has moved on from the home are not archived securely.  A young person who has moved into the home has not been supported to understand the fire evacuation procedures.

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The children’s home’s strengths

 The management team has a good oversight of the home and a comprehensive knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses.  The manager and staff team work hard to ensure that young people moving in and out of the home do so with a planned and considered approach.  Young people are cared for and supported by a staff team that is dedicated, empathic, approachable and committed to improving their experiences.  Despite a number of shortfalls being identified, young people are safe and cared for by qualified and experienced staff.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(vi)(vii)(e)) 27/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to their full potential, and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and use the monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvement in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(h)) 27/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for the child is administered as prescribed for the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child, and that a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(1)(2)(b)(c)) 27/09/2016 36. Children’s case records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry, and kept in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36(1)(b)(c)(2)(d)) 27/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home and if the registered provider is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27(1)(a)(b)(iii)) 27/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working in the home and, so far as is reasonably practical, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(d)) 27/09/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to accommodate one young person with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a private organisation that also operates one more children’s home and a small education unit in the locality.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

30/10/2014 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The staff provide the young person with care and support that is personalised and tailored to their needs. They are informed by care plans and up-to-date risk assessments provided by the placing authorities. Records held within the home are in the main kept in an ordered way. However, scrutiny of these records identified that some staff routinely fail to sign and date entries. Further to this, files of a young person who has left the home were not stored and archived safely. A requirement is made to ensure that records are completed and secured according to protocol.

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Requires improvement

Staff demonstrate an understanding of the young person’s needs and worries. Through observation, they demonstrate a range of skills that enable them to moderate and adapt how they communicate with the young person. In doing so, they give the young person clear and fair instructions to follow. A strength of the staff is the time they give to listening to the young person. For example, a young person newly admitted to the home was listened to and encouraged to choose their bedroom and bedding. As a result, the young person says they ‘prefer the smaller room’ as it makes them feel safe.

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Requires improvement

For young people who move on to independence, staff aim to work with plans to ensure that this transition is as smooth as possible. Unfortunately, while one young person moved positively into independence, he did so in a rushed and unplanned manner with no local authority pathway plan being completed. The home did, however, utilise their own transition planning tools, and ensured that there was no negative impact on the young person.

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Requires improvement

The young person is provided with a level of support that is assessed by their social worker and staff. In the main this works very well, and ensures that the young person’s needs are met. However, incidents of concern records and independent visitor reports indicate that a young person previously living in the home presented with challenging behaviours. Unfortunately, the manager failed to recognise the limited skills of some staff to challenge and manage these behaviours. As a result, the young person was able to damage the home repeatedly. While repairs on occasions were actioned swiftly, staff report that they were ‘tired’ and didn’t feel supported by managers, and the young person’s challenging behaviours went unchallenged. A requirement is made to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to support young people with challenging behaviours. The young person is supported with their individual health needs. They register

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Requires improvement

and attend all necessary health appointments. The parent of the young person was complimentary in her comments, stating that she was ‘pleased how quickly the staff have responded to [my] daughter’s dental needs’.

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Requires improvement

The staff work hard to ensure that young people attend an educational resource. For the young person who has recently moved in to the home, there is a plan in place to identify a school in readiness for the September term. Unfortunately, as the previous young person began to develop independence and transition to adulthood, the staff were unable to engage him in any formal education, employment or training. They did, however, support him to develop independent living skills that have enabled him to move positively into independence.

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Requires improvement

The staff work closely with parents to ensure that they feel included and involved in the care of their son or daughter. One parent spoke with says, ‘It’s early days yet, but I am happy with how they are dealing with things.’ The parent goes further to say that they were welcomed into the home when they visited and that she feels it is a ‘nice’ place for her daughter to live.

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Requires improvement

The home cares for one young person, and staff adhere to the lone working protocols and procedures. Staff are especially careful to ensure that they use communication and apply distraction techniques to reduce the tensions of the young person. In doing so, they rarely use physical intervention. All staff are trained in the method of restraint used by the organisation which runs the home. Observation of staff interacting with the young person confirms that staff have skills to de-escalate situations safely and calmly.

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Requires improvement

Young people rarely go missing from the home. On one occasion, the young person previously living in the home did go missing. Staff followed procedures and reporting protocol appropriately and the young person was returned safely.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments are held within the home, and are updated following incidents of concern. There is evidence that these have been reviewed and shared with professionals.

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Requires improvement

A training matrix held electronically indicates that all staff have received and completed a number of mandatory courses, for example safeguarding, child protection, child sexual exploitation, first aid and the safe handling of medications. However, during the course of the inspection a number of concerns were identified. A young person alleges that on one occasion they received inappropriate material on their phone from another young person. The staff member failed to identify this as a safeguarding matter and therefore failed to report and escalate the matter.

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Requires improvement

Medications are kept safely and securely locked within the office. An audit of medication kept in the home identified shortfalls. Medication prescribed to a young person previously living in the home has not been safely disposed of. Home remedies that have not been prescribed for the young person have been given to the young person. A requirement is therefore made to ensure that staff receive training and have the necessary skills to ensure that medication is safely administered, and that they recognise safeguarding concerns.

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Requires improvement

Young people are kept safe within the home as staff undertake regular health and safety checks, including locality risk assessments. However, the young person that has recently moved into the home has not yet experienced a fire evacuation drill. A requirement is made to ensure that the young person is made aware of what to do in the event of a fire.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager oversees the leadership and management of this and one other home. She has, for a period, been on maternity leave. Ofsted was informed of this period of absence. However, the home failed to make an application to register the interim manager. The interim management measures did not provide a day-to-day presence within the home. Staff report that they did not receive sufficient leadership and direction during this period. As a result, a requirement is made to ensure that a registered manager is in charge of the home on a day-to- day basis.

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Requires improvement

The team has regular team meetings that are attended by members of the clinical therapeutic team. Young people are the main focus of these sessions. There is evidence of these meetings, including reflective practice discussions. There is also evidence of updates to staff practice being given by the head of operations, for example record writing. However, while staff report that supervision takes place regularly, records examined during the course of the inspection confirm that there are repeated errors, indicating that practice is not being addressed within supervision. A requirement is made to ensure that staff receive training and supervision to improve practice and safeguard young people.

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Requires improvement

The independent visitor’s inspections take place regularly and are comprehensive and detailed. The manager and head of operations report that they use these reports to ensure that the service provided to the young people improves.

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Requires improvement

The core staff team work closely to ensure that they provide consistent care for young people. They report being supported by the head of operations when times have been challenging, and having access to an on-call system. There have been some staff vacancies and wherever possible staff have covered these. When this has not been possible, the manager has ensured that the same person from their bank of staff is used. In doing so, they have provided the young person with consistency of care.

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Requires improvement

The manager has a range of systems in place to monitor the home. Regulation 44 and 45 reports are routinely received, indicating that recommendations are being followed up with actions to improve the outcomes for the young people. However, during the course of the inspection a number of records examined indicate poor record-keeping, staff not using the right documentation to record information, and safeguarding concerns not being reported appropriately. The manager has therefore failed to monitor records effectively and in doing so has not produced data accurately, and poor practice continues. A requirement is made to ensure that the manager uses the monitoring systems in place to make sure that the home continues to develop and outcomes for young people are improved.

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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 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 that 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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