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:

 Staff have variable levels of skill. Not all have the specialist skills needed to swiftly form supportive, influential and positive relationships with children.  The home does not have a full, permanent staff team and a large percentage of care staff are temporary or contract workers.  The home sometimes relies on agency staff who are not all appropriately trained in restraint. This undermines the ability of the staff team to restrain children when required and to prevent the escalation of challenging behaviour.  The level of support available for staff out-of-office hours is not good enough to keep children and staff safe.  Behaviour management is not sufficiently effective to deter a number of children from engaging in dangerous behaviour. Consequently, children and staff are at risk of harm and some suffer harm.  Despite the home’s efforts to protect missing children, some children are at high risk when missing or engaging in dangerous activity outside of the

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

home. The number of incidents of children being missing or absent from the home since the last full inspection is high, at 178.  The two requirements made at the last inspection have not yet been met. Action taken to improve the quality of the independent person’s monitoring reports has not yet resulted in a robust analysis of the operation of the home. The manager’s six-monthly evaluation of the home does not appropriately reflect children’s views. In addition, the latter does not show good reflection on the quality of care and children’s progress during the six- month period to which it relates.  Not all children have positive day-to-day experiences of living at the home and some children do not feel safe in the home.

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The children's home strengths

 Although not yet good, the home has improved significantly since the full inspection in January 2016 and has continued to improve since the interim inspection in March 2016.  The managers and staff demonstrate high levels of resilience in the face of extremely challenging and often aggressive behaviour. No staff have left since the last inspection.  Good day-to-day monitoring of the records and practice helps managers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the service. Managers take action to improve the quality of care. This is leading to improvements in staff practice.  Children’s health and education are well promoted.  Consultation with children is good.  The home works effectively in partnership with other agencies and professionals. This helps to ensure that children have access to the services that they need and, in many cases, they move on to suitable placements in a timely way.  The local authority recognises the home’s shortfalls in meeting the needs of

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The children's home strengths

children in crisis. It has plans in place to improve its emergency service, which include the closure of this home in the near future.

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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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The enjoyment and achievement standard

9.—(1) The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. (2) In order to meet the standard in paragraph (1), in particular in relation to children having fun through the provision of varied and easily accessible games and activities, both inside and outside of the home, the registered person must ensure— (a) that staff help each child to— (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 (b) that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. 16/09/2016

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The positive relationships standard

11.—(1) The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— (a) mutual respect and trust; (b) an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and (c) positive responses to other children and adults. (2) In order to meet the standard in paragraph (1), with particular reference to building trusting and influential bonds with children quickly, the registered person must ensure— (a) that staff— (i) meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; (v) communicate to each child expectations about the child’s 16/09/2016 behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; (viii) strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; (ix) understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the

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The positive relationships standard

competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; (xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and (b) that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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12: The protection of children standard

12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to helping children to reduce self-harm and dangerous behaviour including going missing, substance misuse and dangerous activities such as climbing on the roof, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (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. 16/09/2016

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12: The protection of children standard

12.—(1) The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to the maintenance of the property, including the condition of drain pipes, roof and ceiling tiles and damp in ‘The Zone’, the registered person must ensure— (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 15/10/2016

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The leadership and management standard

13.—(1) The leadership and management standard is that the 16/09/2016 registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In order to meet the standard in paragraph (1), in particular in relation to ensuring that the workforce has the skills to provide high-quality support and intervention to children in crisis, including those who require restraint for the protection of others, the registered person must— (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; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for

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The leadership and management standard

each child; (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (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; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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16: Statement of purpose

The registered person must notify Ofsted of any revisions to the statement of purpose and send Ofsted a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)) 16/09/2016

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44: Independent person: visits and reports

The independent person, when carrying out a visit, must report their opinion as to whether (i) children accommodated at the children's home are effectively safeguarded and (ii) the conduct of the children's home promotes the well-being of the children accommodated there. (Children's Homes Regulations 2015, Regulation 44 (4)) 30/09/2016

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45: Review of quality of care

The registered person must ensure that all actions identified to improve the quality of care in the home reflect when appropriate the views of young people and are evaluated for effectiveness. (Children's Homes Regulations 2015, Regulation 45 (2, 3)) 30/09/2016

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Information about this children's home

The children's home operates as an emergency care unit and is managed by the local authority. It provides short-term care and accommodation for up to five children.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

20/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

The nature of the service is that in most cases, children stay at the home for a very short time before moving on quickly to more suitable placements. This makes it a challenge for staff to form meaningful, trusting and influential relationships with children who are often mistrustful, antagonistic and scared. The quality of relationships between staff and children is variable and dependent upon the skills of individual staff. Not all staff are able to quickly establish warm and supportive relationships that promote the development of trust and security. Consequently, children do not always receive the best possible support and nurture that they need at this stressful time of their lives. For some, their levels of anxiety remain high and this is manifest in challenging, anti-social and disruptive behaviour. Because children are continually being admitted to and discharged from the home, providing stability in the short term is not always achieved. Those children who

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Requires improvement

remain at the home for some weeks become increasingly anxious about their futures. One child said, ‘The staff are alright but I don’t want to be here and I don’t want to stay. I feel unsettled here. There’s too many people coming and going.’ The child’s anxieties were evident when she said, ‘I don’t know where I’m going to live because it’s closing here and where will us kids go then? We’re supposed to get fostered, but who would want to foster me?’ The home provides children with bus passes so many spend their time away from the home, although staff are not always aware of where they are or who they are with. Televisions, a computer and some electronic games are available for children’s use. However, there are few toys and games readily available in the main communal areas, which make it difficult for children to easily engage in enjoyable and constructive play that captures their interest and imagination. Some

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Requires improvement

children enjoy outings with staff, including to the ice rink, park or shopping. But others are not interested in spending time with staff and instead spend their days away from the home or else causing a disturbance at the home. A holiday is being arranged for one child, but this is conditional on achieving a short-term improvement in behaviour, which the child is finding difficult. Overall, many children do not enjoy positive day-to-day experiences and activities within the home. The premises are purpose built and in need of refurbishment. Areas of the home are damp and drain pipes have been damaged by children using them to climb onto the roof. This puts children at further risk of danger. Damage is usually repaired quickly. Given the level of damage to the home, it is a credit to the staff team that they manage to keep it presentable and homely. There is no garden other than a small courtyard for children to play or let off steam. The home has an

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Requires improvement

indoor play centre: ‘The Zone’, which comprises several rooms including a nail and beauty bar, pool table, multi-faith chapel and gym. These rooms are kept locked and are only available to children whose behaviour is calm and when there are sufficient staff on duty to safely supervise children both in the main part of the home and ‘The Zone’. Staff report this area of the home is rarely used so few children enjoy the facilities on offer. Even on occasions when children are invited to use ‘The Zone’, many choose not to and engage in disruptive behaviour instead. The communal areas are homely and pleasantly furnished. There is a large lounge/diner with a small kitchen area for children’s use. This is well equipped and children can make snacks whenever they wish. There are insufficient dining chairs for more than four people to sit at the table and eat together. This means that when there are more than two children accommodated in the home, not everyone

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Requires improvement

can take meals together. Bedrooms are individually decorated and made ready for children prior to admission, so that children are helped to feel welcome and relaxed in their own personal space. Bedrooms are adequately furnished and decorated, with a bed, television and storage facilities. No desk space is available for children to privately complete homework without interruption and one child raised this in feedback to the home. The home has improved its partnership working with the virtual school, so that the education of children who have an education provider is not disrupted through being admitted to the home. Children of school leaving age are encouraged to plan for and attend education, apprenticeships or work. Although staff urge children to attend meetings with specialist workers to set up future education or work provision, they do not always transport them to meetings and without a high level

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Requires improvement

of support, children do not always engage. Similarly, although the home encourages children to attend meetings with the child and adolescent mental health service, children sometimes refuse to attend. It is not always evident that every possible assistance and encouragement to attend is given. Children’s health is well promoted through the good relationship that the home has with the looked after children nurse, who visits children, refers them for specialist interventions and contributes to planning and strategy discussions, where appropriate. Good systems and consultations ensure that children receive a varied and nutritious diet, which takes account of their preferences and individual dietary needs, even when they stay at the home for only a short time. Staff are trained to administer first aid, so that children receive the treatment that they need for minor injuries and appropriate medical interventions are sought for more serious injuries.

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Requires improvement

This promotes children’s good health. Staff continuously offer children the opportunity to discuss their thoughts and feelings and consult with them about all aspects of their care and experience of living at the home, both during and at the end of their placement. They take children’s views into account in the development of the service. For example, children are asked about the suitability and comfort of their bed and bedroom and changes are made where necessary. They are provided with a children’s guide on arrival and reminded frequently that their views are important and any complaints that they make will be taken seriously. Few complaints have been made, but they have been responded to appropriately in each case. Those children who have given written feedback to the home have expressed satisfaction with the staff team. The manager and staff advocate effectively for children, making their views known to

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Requires improvement

other professionals, in particular in relation to planning for the future. Children who spend their pocket money on drugs and alcohol receive sanctions that involve pocket money being issued daily. This is successful in reducing their ability to access and misuse substances. In addition, the home challenges unscrupulous shopkeepers and has had some success in working with the police to deter local shops from selling alcohol and cigarettes to children.

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Requires improvement

The home admits children who need emergency care at a time of crisis in their lives. Many present dangerous and challenging behaviour. Some children are known to children’s services and there are times when it is recognised that admitting the child is likely to negatively impact on both that child and others already in placement. Despite this, no child is refused a place, as this home is often a last resort for children for whom no alternative placement is available. There have been 40 admissions to the home since the last inspection and 39 children have been discharged. Approximately 50% of children admitted have been involved in serious incidents within the home. The mix of children is managed through appropriate risk assessment. For example, in one case, the risks to staff and others were deemed to be so high that staff were advised not to challenge the young person, but to call the police immediately

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Requires improvement

in the event of any confrontation. Although there were no dangerous incidents involving this child within the home, his safety was compromised by the frequency with which he was absent or missing from the home and his whereabouts were unknown. The manager worked tirelessly, in partnership with other professionals, to find a suitable, stable placement for the child. A number of the children admitted to the home exhibit dangerous and often violent behaviour towards themselves and others, such that life with their families or carers has become untenable. Staff are not always able to manage children’s challenging and anti-social behaviour and incidents quickly escalate so that there are times when several children become involved and the safety of both staff and children is compromised. Some children say that they do not feel safe at the home. A professional partner said, ‘I am full of admiration for the way they work with

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Requires improvement

children, some of whom are very high risk with dangerous behaviour. I have a lot of respect for all the staff there. The young person I work with is very testing and is racially abusive to an extent that anyone would find hard to deal with; but they do. They are resilient and tough yet at the same time they reach out to her.’ In recent months, dangerous behaviour has included several attempts to set fires in the home and grounds, children climbing on the low roofs, smashing glass and furniture and self-harming through cutting and overdosing on painkillers. Staff have successfully intervened, and, with assistance from police and health professionals, have prevented serious injury to children. In several cases, for their own safety and that of others, children have had disrupted placements following incidents necessitating their arrest or hospitalisation. Sadly, this prevents the home from achieving its aim to provide children with well-planned transitions to more

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Requires improvement

suitable placements. The usual staffing level is two or three staff to between two and five children. Staffing levels are increased when challenging behaviour is anticipated, but this is not always sufficient to ensure that staff can maintain clear boundaries and a safe environment, nor that children receive the individual attention that some of them crave. In particular, there have been several incidents during the night, which have resulted in assaults on staff, criminal damage and police intervention. Restraint has not always been used when it may have been appropriate to use it, because not all staff on duty have been appropriately trained to restrain children safely. Consequently, levels of aggression and violence sometimes escalate to a point where staff cannot keep themselves and children safe. This results in children being arrested, held in police cells and charged with serious offences. A number of

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Requires improvement

staff have been assaulted and some have suffered serious injuries, necessitating periods of time off work. Conversely, it is not always clear from the records that restraint is used appropriately. For example, one record indicates that staff have restrained a child inappropriately to ensure compliance. On further investigation, staff report that they were in danger of assault, but question marks remain about the skills of staff in defusing the incident before restraint became necessary. The manager is addressing this matter with the staff involved and has taken action to help staff further develop their skills. Of the 40 children who have lived at the home since the last full inspection in January 2016, 21 children have been reported missing or absent from home, a total of 178 times. This number is concerning and shows that the home needs to do more to prevent children from going missing. Staff follow good procedures when children go missing from the home. They

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Requires improvement

promptly report children to the police when they are late back and try to make contact with children, their friends and families by phone, encouraging children to return. They also search for children locally and in areas individual children are known to frequent. In some cases, there has been a reduction in children’s going missing behaviour and most of those who go missing have returned to the home safe and well as a result of effective partnership working with the police and families. Children are made welcome on their return from being missing and staff offer them food, medical attention, rest and the opportunity to discuss the reasons for going missing. Independent return interviews are offered, but often children refuse them. Where they are undertaken, no details are shared with staff. There is no indication about whether children are running away from the home because they do not feel safe in the home or for some other reason.

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Requires improvement

The home has successfully used incentive schemes to help some children break patterns of going missing behaviour. However, despite the home’s proactive interventions and effective partnership working, some children continue to go missing or stay out of the home for long periods each day and their whereabouts are unknown. Their misuse of drugs and alcohol continues and the home is unable to keep them safe.

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Requires improvement

The local authority acknowledges that the home is not providing the best form of care to children who need emergency care placements. Following a review of its residential services, it intends to close the home at the end of September 2016. The staff team is well led by an experienced and qualified registered manager who has managed the home since August 2011. He is assisted by two temporary assistant managers, who have moved to the home within the last 12 months. For the most part, the home operates in accordance with its aims and objectives, moving children back home or to suitable placements quickly. However, delays in finding the right placements for children who have particularly complex and challenging needs and shortfalls in the quality of care mean that the aims of the service are not always achieved. For example, some children remain at the home for more than six weeks and feel unsettled and anxious about the future, as they

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Requires improvement

see other children coming to and going from the home. This instability and anxiety serves to exacerbate their challenging behaviour, which negatively impacts on everyone at the home. Due to the fluidity of occupancy, meeting the staffing requirements of the home in a way that ensures value for money is an ongoing challenge. There is a core team of regular staff who demonstrate stickability, reliability and commitment, in the face of what can be extremely challenging circumstances. A failure to provide permanent care staff during a lengthy review of the service has led to many temporary appointments that include staff who are temporarily redeployed from other homes or on short-term, renewable contracts. The home is reliant on agency staff to supplement the rota, particularly when more than two staff are required to meet children’s needs during staff sickness and holidays. Added to the uncertainty that staff face about the future of their jobs, this does not engender a strong sense

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Requires improvement

of belonging and widespread commitment to the home. Nor does it ensure that children receive consistent care from a strong and competent workforce with the full range of skills required to meet the needs of this specialist service. The management team has a good overview of children’s progress and managers promote a supportive environment through regular supervision, team meetings and staff training. A specialist advisor from the child and adolescent mental health services meets with the staff team fortnightly to help them reflect upon children’s presenting behaviours and the best way of meeting individual children’s needs. Despite this, not all staff have the specialist skills required to effectively support children who are in crisis. In particular, the ability to build influential bonds quickly with children through confident, positive and warm parenting is a key element that not enough staff possess. Consequently, some children do not have a positive

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Requires improvement

experience of living in the home and spend as much time as possible out of the home during the daytime. Although an on-call management service provides staff with telephone support out of office hours, this is not always sufficient to ensure that staff are appropriately supported when dealing with children’s complex, challenging and sometimes violent behaviour. The home works very well with partner agencies including health professionals, social workers and the virtual school. This helps children to access the services that they need, including education and treatment that promotes their health. The manager appropriately challenges other professionals to meet their obligations to children and this deters drift and ensures that each child’s individual needs remain a high priority. Professionals report that they are kept well informed of children’s progress and that the home is proactive in working with them. For example, one

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Requires improvement

professional said, ‘I’d say this is an A-rated home. I’m very happy with the level of care they provide. They give me regular updates and email me all the time, even in the early hours of the morning if there is an incident, like if the child has gone missing or returned.’ Leaders and managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the home and take action to address shortfalls in staff practice that impact on the quality of care to children. For example, where incident reports suggest that staff may not have responded in the most effective way, managers help staff to reflect on the incident and remind them of the home’s policies and agreed strategies. Where necessary, staff revisit aspects of their training to strengthen their knowledge and understanding. Individual weaknesses are addressed though one-to-one supervision sessions and individual consultations with an adviser from the child and adolescent mental health service. There are signs of budding improvement in some

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Requires improvement

cases. However, the ability to build supportive and meaningful relationships quickly remains a challenge for some staff and this negatively impacts on their ability to manage children’s challenging behaviour. The management team effectively monitors children’s progress and experiences in the home and well-maintained records demonstrate that the home is proactive in working with children through one-to-one discussions and the use of encouragement and incentive schemes. The registered manager prioritises children’s individual needs to ensure that they move on to suitable, stable placements as soon as possible. There is clear evidence of close liaison with partner agencies and a social worker explained, ‘From the time the child arrives there, the manager is pushing for meetings and looking for an exit strategy.’ This promotes children’s welfare through ensuring timely review of their safety and other needs.

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Requires improvement

The home updates its statement of purpose regularly but does not routinely notify Ofsted of changes. This means that the provider does not keep the regulator up to date with changes to the statement of purpose, including staff changes. An independent person visits and reports on the operation of the home each month. These reports do not provide an effective analysis of how well the home protects children and promotes their welfare. This matter has been raised at the last two inspections and although there are signs of improvement, the reports do not yet provide a sufficiently helpful and rigorous analysis that adequately supports the manager’s ongoing evaluation of the quality of care and safeguarding. A training programme has been devised to help the independent person improve the quality of reports, but has not yet delivered. The manager provides regular governance and scrutiny reports to senior managers, thereby ensuring that the provider is kept up to date with developments

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Requires improvement

in the home and children’s progress. However, the manager’s six-monthly evaluation report on the quality of the service does not show good reflection on children’s progress during the six-month period to which the report relates. Nor does it appropriately reflect children’s views. The requirement to improve this aspect of monitoring the service, which was made following the last inspection, has not yet been met.

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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

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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