Children's Home run by Rochdale Borough Council in Rochdale

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has taken action to address the three requirements and two recommendations that were made at the last inspection. However, one requirement and one recommendation are repeated, and further areas for improvement have been identified as a result of this inspection. There are improvements in the revised sanction records, which now include all the regulatory requirements. This ensures that the manager is able to fully evaluate the appropriateness of any disciplinary measure and the impact that it has on a young person’s behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, a number of young people have moved into and left the home. One young person has moved on to semi-independent living, while another young person has moved to a placement that is more suitable for their needs. Only one young person who was living at the home at the time of the last inspection remains in placement. They are currently struggling to commit to any further education or training and are only making limited progress in terms of their independence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is also a mixed picture, in terms of progress and experiences, for the other young people. This is because their attendance at their education provisions is inconsistent and they do not fully engage with specialist services in relation to substance misuse. Although staff work directly with education providers to promote young people’s attendance and participation, this has had little impact. Consequently, the opportunity for young people to reach their full academic potential is reduced.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some young people are engaging in specialist work in respect of their emotional health. Specialist help and advice is available to support those young people who smoke and use cannabis. However, staff have struggled to motivate individuals to cooperate with these services. A young person recently moved into the home with already established risk-taking behaviours in respect of substance misuse. However, the risk assessments do not provide staff with clear strategies in terms of monitoring the young person’s welfare should they return home under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Improvements in some young people’s records are required. For example, one young person’s local authority care plan refers to their previous placement and does not highlight the care arrangements for this placement. In addition, the internal placement plan lacks detail in relation to the young person’s health, education and staying safe plan. The manager and her deputy have begun to

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

monitor the records more rigorously in order to identify any administrative shortfalls. That said, there are still inconsistencies in the medication records. For example, staff do not accurately record the time of day that a young person’s medication is administered. However, this has not had a negative impact on the individual’s health.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are good systems in place for managing incidents of young people going missing from the home. Staff try to maintain contact with young people via their mobile phones when the young people are spending time away from the home. The staff work effectively with the local police and social workers to manage any concerns. Following the last inspection, staff are proactively chasing social workers to make sure that independent return home interviews are carried out. These interviews ensure that young people are provided with the opportunity to speak to someone who is independent of the home when they return after a missing-from- home episode.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection the manager was asked to ensure that the appraisal process takes into account the views of professionals and children. The manager has requested some feedback, but there has been a limited response. She recognises that this is work in progress, therefore the recommendation is repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are good systems in place for reviewing and monitoring the quality of care that is provided by the home. The independent visitor reports clearly on whether, in their opinion, young people are effectively safeguarded. This ensures that there is impartial assessment of the home’s safeguarding arrangements and promotes the welfare of young people.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/08/2016 Full Good 24/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/07/2015 Full Requires improvement 04/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

The registered person must make arrangements for a record to be kept of the administration of medication to each child. (Regulation 23(c)) 31/03/2017

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of harm to the child; specifically, there needs to be clearer risk management in relation to the monitoring of children who are believed to be under the influence of harmful substances. (Regulation 12) 31/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plans contained within the care plan or other plan state otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance unless the child’s plans indicate this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 The appraisal process should take into account the views of other professionals who have worked with the home’s members of staff and the views of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete, current and relevant plan.(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 that 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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 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

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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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