Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 1 SC483533 Registered provider: Birtenshaw

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Developed and sustained links with health, social care and education professionals ensure that young people make good, and in some cases Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 2 significant, progress with their social, emotional and educational needs.  Young people’s individual and complex needs are well known and understood by the manager and staff. This detailed knowledge of young people’s individual strengths and areas of risk ensure that young people receive a high standard of care and support, and their needs are constantly met.  The manager is committed and creative in ensuring that young people’s wishes and views are obtained regularly. She provides young people with a range of methods, which enables them to be actively involved in the decisions that affect their lives. Staff advocate strongly for young people to ensure that they remain involved and central to their own care planning.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The transition planning and inter-agency work that the manager demands for young people moving on from this home is exceptional. Young people are supported sensitively and appropriately during significant points in their lives. This ensures that young people benefit from positive placement endings and enables them to move onto their new homes successfully.  The manager and staff team have high aspirations for young people and work strenuously to ensure that they make good progress from their individual starting points. Parents and professionals confirmed this and are consistently positive about the care and support that the manager and staff provide to young people.  Staff confirmed that they are well supported in their roles by the manager. Staff receive regular training and supervision and attend regular team meetings. This ensures that staff are well equipped to meet the individual, complex and diverse

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Key findings from this inspection

needs of young people in this home.  The manager is passionate, dedicated and child focused. She is committed to making ongoing improvements to ensure that young people receive a high standard of care and support. This enables young people to grow and flourish.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are not directed or supported to manage, supervise and monitor young people’s health needs during and after all physical interventions and incidents. This is because the current risk management plans are not explicit in this regard.  Records of injuries or accidents that are sustained during physical interventions and incidents are not maintained fully. Furthermore, some records are illegible and others are not signed and dated by the author. This poor lack of recording does not stand up to external challenge and scrutiny and does not provide a clear and accurate picture of the young person’s experiences within the home.  Incidents of control, discipline and restraint are not subject to regular review and scrutiny by the manager to ensure that the use is fair, proportionate and safe. This compromises the safety and well-being of young people.  The recruitment practice of this provider is not strong. This is because the

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Key findings from this inspection

provider does not record and demonstrate how they have scrutinised the Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 3 information that is obtained through the recruitment checks, such as those from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Furthermore, it is unclear by whom and when employees’ references have been checked and verified. Again, this compromises the safety and well-being of young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Outstanding 16/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/09/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

(1) In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(b) 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.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to ensuring that there are clear, written risk management plans in place to identify how the staff will support, manage, supervise and monitor young people during and post all incidents and physical interventions if young people receive any injuries or are involved in any accidents. 01/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(viii)) 01/09/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  As set out in regulations 31 ─ 33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 5 staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1). This is with specific regard to ensuring that suitable systems are in place to scrutinise and record the decision-making which has been completed in regards to any information that is obtained through the recruitment checks, such as Disclosure and Barring Service checks. These records should be signed and dated

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Recommendations

by the author.  The registered person must ensure that all young people’s case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3). This is with specific regard to ensuring that all physical intervention records, incident records and recruitment checks are completed fully and signed and dated by the author.  The registered person must ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are safe, happy and well cared for in this home. Young people benefit from high levels of care, support and supervision from a dedicated and committed staff team that understands their diverse needs well. Young people build positive and trusting relationships with the staff who are acutely aware of each young person’s individual needs and areas of vulnerability. This dedicated care and support enables young people to make good, and in some cases significant, progress in relation to their health, education, emotional, social and psychological well-being. One professional confirmed this, ‘The wrap-around support has enabled [Name] to develop trust in his carers and when with them he feels safe. [Name] has benefited from insight staff have, the routines and predictability that [are] offered by such a provision… The provision has afforded him continuity and consistency of care. He can be challenging; however, incidents in the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

home and school have reduced significantly.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s childhood experiences are enhanced by staff. The manager ensures that young people’s activities and experiences are captured in photographs. The pictures of young people enjoying and engaging in a range of activities and stimulating community- based activities are displayed proudly around the home. Examples include young people taking part in gardening activities, swimming, trampolining, and enjoying day trips out to local parks, restaurants and theme parks. Young people are supported well by staff to broaden their social experiences further. They are supported by staff to attend their end- of-school proms and take part in other areas of interest, such as shopping. This enables young people to enhance and broaden their skills and childhood experiences in a safe and supported way. Furthermore, this ensures that young people do not become socially Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 6

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

isolated, as they are activity involved in community activities, and enables them to build self-confidence and a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are committed to working collaboratively with parents, placing authorities, specialist health advisers and education colleagues in their care planning for young people. These positive and effective working relationships ensure that young people receive a high level of consistent care, which markedly improves their health, education and social development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people benefit from exceptional high attendance rates in their full-time education provision. They make good progress and achieve their individual targets and goals. Young people receive additional help and support from the care staff team. Care staff support young people well to develop and enhance their learning opportunities outside of the school environment. Shared goals are known and understood throughout the organisation. The continuity of care that young people receive optimises their learning opportunities and enables them to grow, develop and achieve their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported well to maintain regular, positive contact with their family members and significant others. Parents confirmed that they are supported ‘brilliantly’ to maintain high levels of contact with their children, as the staff provide additional help and support to facilitate this. This enables families to maintain close emotional bonds and assists young people to sustain their sense of identity, while ensuring that contact is safe and positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is passionate about improving the outcomes and experiences for young people. She knows that in order to achieve this she must, and does, involve and keep young people central to their care planning. The manager and staff understand young people’s communication needs well and they use a wide range of communication methods, such as pictures and symbols, to good effect. The diverse range of communication aids enables the manager to gain a sense of what it is like living in the home for young people, and allows young people to communicate effectively. The systems in place enabled one young person to write, ‘staff listen to me... staff let me have my say.’ These communication aids and systems ensure that young people feel valued and listened to and consistently involved in all areas of their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager is meticulous in her planning for young people’s transitions to their next home. She ensures that young people’s transitions into adult services are thoughtfully planned and coordinated with all the necessary agencies. Comprehensive transition planning with parents and social workers ensures that young people’s individual needs are considered, known and addressed sufficiently. Young people are supported to move through their detailed transition plans successfully as social stories are used to support and prepare them well for their move. This practice ensures that young people and families are supported confidently and sensitively during these times. Young people receive the correct level of care and support that they require during significant periods of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 7

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improvement to be good

Young people’s safety is maintained sufficiently in the home, and parents and professionals reported that young people are safe and kept safe. Due to the complex and diverse needs of the young people in the home, they receive a high level of support and supervision by suitably trained staff who demonstrate a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. This enhances the safety and well-being of young people, as staff know how to respond should any safeguarding concerns occur.

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improvement to be good

The home provides a safe living environment for young people. All necessary health and safety risk assessments are completed. Fire equipment and electrical and gas appliances are checked for safety within the required timescales. Staff are aware of the drills for evacuation in the event of fire and undertake these regularly with young people. This ensures that the home is safe and that young people’s physical well-being is promoted. Staff and young people know how to respond should an emergency happen.

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improvement to be good

Young people have very complex needs and sometimes challenging behaviour. The ethos of the home is one of encouraging positive behaviour and kindness and respect between young people. Staff are aware of young people’s personalities and behaviours and understand the things that some young people prefer others not to do. Staff provide young people with safe space during these times and intervene quickly and sensitively. Social stories are used with young people to aid with their understanding of their behaviour. This enables young people to gain some level of understanding about how their behaviour may impact on others, to become more tolerant and understanding, and to begin to understand the difference between socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. This also assists young people with building and improving positive peer relationships in the home to create a more harmonious and safe environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff are acutely aware of the risks associated with young people going missing from care, and the manager ensures that suitable risk assessments are in place to manage this. The manager and staff are aware that one young person is susceptible to the risks associated with this particular behaviour due to their love of running. Suitable provision is made for this young person to engage in this activity in a safe and managed way. This allows the young person to pursue their hobbies, while keeping safe. Consequently, there have not been any reports of young people going missing from this home since the last inspection.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond sufficiently when young people occasionally struggle to make sense of their surroundings and of their reactions to the outside world, thereby putting themselves and others at risk of harm. The manager and staff seek additional support from other agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services, to ensure that well-thought-out cohesive strategies are in place to manage and reduce young people’s anxieties and behaviours. Staff, who are appropriately trained in physical intervention techniques, are responsive to the changes in young people’s needs. They help, support and encourage young people to process and regulate their emotions in a safe and managed way during times of crisis and remain in control and calm. This and the Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 8 positive relationships that young people have developed with staff enable young people to regulate their emotions more effectively. As a consequence, the need for staff to

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improvement to be good

physically intervene has reduced significantly for some young people. This enhances the safety and well-being of young people and others.

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improvement to be good

Although records relating to incidents and physical interventions have improved following recommendations made by the independent visitor, the quality of these records is variable, and some are illegible. Furthermore, these particular records do not systematically include when the incident happened, who was present or who witnessed the incident. These records are not completed fully, or signed and dated by the author. In addition, the manager does not systematically review, monitor, sign and date these records to ensure that these measures are safe and suitable. The lack of clear and transparent recording systems hinders the ability of external agencies to scrutinise and evaluate practice, to ensure that young people are effectively safeguarded. This is unacceptable.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s care plans and risk assessments identify risks and the strategies required to manage and reduce these. Staff are aware of the factors that can trigger changes to young people’s behaviour, which result in their exhibiting unsafe behaviours, such as head banging, and they are proactive in taking action to minimise and address these behaviours. The staff implement the positive behaviour management plans, which are devised and shared with young people, their families and placing authorities. However, these plans are not explicit about how young people will be supported by staff to maintain good physical health during or following any significant incident or physical intervention. This is because these plans do not identify how young people’s physical health and well-being will be considered, maintained and addressed by staff during and post all incidents, including physical interventions. This compromises the safety and well-

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improvement to be good

being of young people. Furthermore, the lack of records pertaining to accidents and injuries that have occurred during these incidents, such as accident records and logs and body maps, hinders the reader’s ability to assess whether appropriate action has been taken to safeguard young people. This practice is unacceptable and compromises young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

The provider’s recruitment procedures are adequate. Systems and records are in place to prompt the provider to confirm and clarify that recruitment checks have been undertaken to remain compliant with the regulations. However, some records are incomplete, unsigned and not dated by those completing the checks. Furthermore, the provider does not make it explicit how they have assessed the information that they have received regarding their employees. Consequently, the regulator is unable to clarify whether the provider remains compliant with the regulations, and whether appropriate consideration is given to the information that is received regarding its employees. Again, this compromises the safety of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and qualified to undertake her role. She has been registered with Ofsted since January 2015. The manager is committed to her own Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 9 personal development and recently enriched her qualification portfolio by adding the required level 5 management qualification to her already held equivalent level 4.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The aims of the provision are clearly stated for parents and placing authorities in the home’s statement of purpose. The manager ensures that this document is updated regularly to reflect any changes, so that everyone knows what to expect from this home. The manager also ensures that the aims and objectives identified in the statement of purpose are effectively translated into the care practice. This ensures that young people receive a good standard of individualised care and support and benefit greatly from living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child focused and ambitious. She expects young people to receive the best possible care and support from her staff team and staff share her high expectations and visions for young people. The manager is extremely aware of the challenges that the young people in this home face due to their complex needs. She is committed and ensures that these challenges do not stand in their way of experiencing the same positive and exciting opportunities as their peers. In this way, young people benefit from positive and enjoyable experiences and opportunities, which enable them to progress and develop well in all areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people are cared for by staff who confirmed that they receive sufficient support, training, supervision and appraisals to carry out their work safely. The majority of staff have the required childcare qualification, and suitable plans are in place to ensure that others achieve this within the required time frame. Exceptionally high staff ratios ensure that young people are well cared for and their needs are met. Shift leaders support the manager well as they take responsibility for the running of their shift. The shift leader oversees the individual care and support that are delivered to each young person by their identified support worker. This provides continuity of care and reassurance for young people who are wholly reliant on staff to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is clearly aware of the strengths and areas for development in her service. She ensures that all complaints are listened to, taken seriously and addressed promptly. She learns from complaints, monitoring and inspection activity and has a comprehensive and realistic development plan in place. This promotes and aids the continuous improvements in this home. The manager’s monitoring is sufficiently effective, and this is supported well by the external scrutiny that the independent person provides. Following the one requirement and recommendation made at the last inspection, the internal monitoring processes have been strengthened and improved. The manager is hopeful that the introduction of an online survey system will improve feedback from parents and professionals. This will further support the manager in developing and improving services for young people.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 10 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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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: SC483533 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Birtenshaw, Darwen Road, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483533 12 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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