Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 1 SC040511 Registered provider: Salford City Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run and managed by a local authority. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 15 February 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make exceptional progress taking into account their individual starting points across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives.  The home provides young people with a warm, welcoming, comfortable, supportive, nurturing and homely environment. The home is physically safe and appropriately secure. Young people are kept safe and feel safe. They are happy and enjoy living at the home.  Young people have exceptionally good relationships with staff. They benefit from well planned, highly personalised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives.  Young people enjoy excellent attendance at school, and relationships between the home and school are exceptionally positive. Effective partnerships between the home and school support young people’s educational progress, learning,

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

achievements and behaviour.  Young people benefit from skilled, well-qualified, trained and experienced staff who meet their needs effectively. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with parents, school, social workers and health professionals to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support.  Staff that work with young people are appropriately vetted and selected and there is strict monitoring and scrutiny of any visitors to the home. Young people are kept safe and develop a strong sense of personal safety.  Leaders and managers demonstrate strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. They make good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure improvement.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 Staff benefit from supervision and appraisal of their practice. However, the frequency of their supervision could be improved. If supervision does not take place, the reasons for this should be recorded.  Health and safety is addressed effectively to promote a safe environment for young people, staff and any visitors to the home. However, a portable electrical appliance test is now overdue.  The use of sanctions is kept to an absolute minimum and staff routinely praise young people for their positive behaviour. Restorative practice, while used appropriately, is not consistently recorded to evidence the effectiveness of the measure. Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/11/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 16/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 4

p.3

Recommendations

 Ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation. Specifically, in relation to completing a portable electrical appliance test. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15)  Ensure that any measures used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children and the staff caring for them. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.38, page 46)  Ensure that all staff receive regular supervision of their practice and keep appropriate supervision records for staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.8, page 53)

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make significant progress taking into account their individual starting points across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. They benefit from effective, high-quality support from staff that contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Young people benefit from well- planned, highly individualised care that meets their needs effectively. There have been no new admissions or placement disruptions since the last inspection. Young people are settled and are happy living at the home. They enjoy warm, trusting and positive relationships with the caring, committed and extremely dedicated staff that help and support them. Young people benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. Staff provide young people with a safe, supportive and nurturing environment. They know the young people well and address their needs positively. They work closely with

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the families of young people, social workers, health professionals and school to ensure that they benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with all professional agencies to improve outcomes for young people. Staff have an excellent understanding of each young person’s specific needs, including needs arising from health conditions and disability. They are skilled and trained to meet the young people’s needs and, therefore, are knowledgeable, competent and confident in the work they perform. The school nurse reports, ‘I can only rate the quality of care received by our students who reside there as being excellent. Communication is excellent. In health, we are informed of any concerns, incidents or seizures via e-mail that morning before arrival at school or during the day, as appropriate. We are also Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 5

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

given a summary of outpatients’ appointments, especially if there is any alteration to medication, so that care plans can be amended immediately. The students and meeting their complex needs is the priority of the staff at the home, but also respecting parental opinions and involvement.’ Staff work very closely with parents, school, social workers and health professionals to promote the young people’s good health. Young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and attend these services with support and encouragement from staff. Young people’s medication is stored and administered safely and parental consent is obtained so that staff are familiar with what types of health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them. Staff actively promote young people’s education and ensure that they attend school regularly. Consequently, young people have excellent attendance at school. The home

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

works closely with the young people’s school to maximise their educational achievement. The home provides young people with a stimulating environment that actively supports their educational progress and learning. An independent reviewing officer reports, ‘I have visited both young people and have chaired LAC reviews earlier this year. My view is that the care afforded to both the young people is very good. The staff team is committed to meeting both young people’s needs, has regular communication with both sets of parents, promotes contact for both young people, liaises well with the school and supports the young people in engaging in activities in the community.’ Young people benefit from a broad range of social, educational and recreational activities that enrich their lives. They enjoy going on holidays, assisted bike riding, eating out, and visiting the beach, parks and other popular events. The home has recently purchased

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

photobooks for both young people and their families. These provide them with a personalised keepsake of their favourite pastimes and memorable experiences. Staff encourage young people’s independence, wherever possible, while understanding their limitations. Young people develop their practical skills, such as shopping, washing and cooking and are allowed to take ‘appropriate risks’ to promote their growth and natural development.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges this presents. Staff have an excellent understanding of the complex needs and vulnerabilities of young people and take appropriate action to address them. Young people are kept safe and feel safe. They have developed a very strong sense of personal safety. Young people benefit from highly effective support, help and protection. They become increasingly safer as a result of the actions staff take to support and protect them. Young people are protected from abuse, bullying and all other forms of significant harm. Staff are very familiar with their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They are trained to deal with allegations and know how to report suspected abuse. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with all safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well- being of young people.

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

The behaviours of young people are managed extremely effectively by staff. Staff Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 6 understand the triggers for young people’s behaviour and they support both young people to manage their own behaviours safely. This includes using de-escalation and other behaviour management strategies that are specific to the needs of each young person. Staff anticipate issues exceptionally well and manage conflicts positively and safely. There are far less incidents of challenging behaviour as young people learn to self-regulate their own feelings and behaviour. The use of restraint, if used at all, is only ever used to keep young people safe and protect them from harm. Where restraint has been used, it has been of a low level and of short duration. Sanctions are not used in preference to restorative practice, which is used by staff to address any negative behaviour. However, records were not being kept

p.5

How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

to record and monitor the effectiveness of the measure. This recording issue was quickly rectified during this inspection and appropriate records are now being maintained by staff. Young people live in a safe environment that promotes their safety. They are closely supervised and monitored by staff. This ensures that they don’t go missing and minimises the risk of them suffering actual harm. There have been no occasions when young people have gone missing since the last inspection. Staff employed to work with young people are selected and vetted carefully. This protects young people from coming into contact with unsafe or unsuitable people. Visitors to the home are closely chaperoned and there is suitable monitoring of such people. The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, spacious, comfortable and homely environment. The accommodation provided for young people has been adapted to meet their specific needs. Health and safety matters are managed

p.6

How well children and young people are helped and protected: outstanding

well to ensure that a safe environment is consistently maintained for young people, staff and visitors to the home. However, an annual portable electrical appliance test is now overdue. This issue has not impacted on the safety of young people.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There were no requirements or recommendations from the last inspection. The home clearly meets the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. The home can demonstrate the positive impact and difference it has made to the lives of young people and their families. The home has a proven track record of promoting and improving outcomes for young people. The home benefits from an experienced registered manager who exercises strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home. The manager ensures that young people’s needs are prioritised effectively and staff are well supported, managed and led. Staff are passionate about their roles and consistently deliver a high-quality service for young people and their families. They share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. The manager oversees the day-to-day running of the home and has good oversight of

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the care provided. She is a visible manager who is actively involved in the delivery of young people’s care. The manager ensures that staff receive high-quality professional supervision and have access to high-quality training that is relevant to their roles. However, some staff have not received practice-related supervision frequently, and Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 7 records kept don’t specify the reason why. Consequently, a recommendation is made in respect of this issue. Leaders and managers actively and regularly monitor the quality of young people’s care and make good use of the internal and external monitoring activities to secure improvement. The home is visited on a regular basis by an independent person who scrutinises the home’s arrangements to safeguard young people and promote their well- being. Any weaknesses identified are addressed by the registered manager to improve

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

the care provided for young people. The independent person’s reports are evaluative in content and consistently demonstrate that a high-quality service is provided for young people.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

p.7

Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

p.8

Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC040511 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, 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 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9