Children's home run by Bristol City Council

Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 1 SC034100 Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children‟s home which is registered for up to five children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home‟s location is currently under review. The local authority is considering several options for new premises. The timescale is not yet determined.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home requires improvement to be good because: Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 2  The home has been without a registered manager for 29 weeks. Although the deputy managers have maintained a stable and well-supported staff team, the lack of leadership for this period of time has had a negative impact on the home‟s development. It has also been unsettling for the young people, at a time when the future of the home itself is uncertain.  Sickness absence has placed the staff team under pressure. Although there is now an interim manager in post, staff shortages mean that she has had to cover shifts. Insufficient management time remains a challenge.  Lack of management time and focus has led to deficits in the young people‟s risk assessments. There are weaknesses in care planning and other recordings. Fire safety checks are not always carried out at recommended intervals.  The home‟s managers do not have access to complete staff recruitment

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Key findings from this inspection

information. There are deficits in staff employment histories, references and identity records. Some staff who were born, or who have worked, overseas have not been asked to produce certificates of good conduct for those countries. This increases the risk that the home may appoint unsuitable people.  The home‟s managers have failed to act upon a requirement set at the last two inspections. This is with regard to refurbishing the young people‟s bathrooms. The requirement has now been repeated for a third time.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home has a consistent, stable staff team. They are very child-centred and cover many extra shifts themselves. This helps to achieve consistent care.  The acting manager has a clear vision for the home. She has identified significant shortfalls in management systems. The manager has consulted with young people and staff before starting to work on these areas.  The staff celebrate the young people‟s differences. They value and respect the young people and keep in touch with them after they move on from the home.  The staff are committed to managing young people‟s behaviour and do not easily give up on them.  There is considerable trust and mutual support between team members. They communicate well and feel safe enough to reflect on practice on a daily basis, not only in supervision sessions. The team receives external clinical supervision to support their work with young people who have complex needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 3 04/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. In particular, arrange the refurbishment of the bathrooms. (Quality Standard 6 (2) (c)) 30/09/2017

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff 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 any harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to ensuring that the risks affecting young people are documented, kept updated and managed well to help promote their safety and the safety of others. (Quality Standard 12 (1), (2)(a)(i)–(v)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 30/09/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 5 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular reference to monitoring the quality of care planning information, ensuring adequate staffing levels and monitoring fire safety checks. (Quality Standard 13 (1)(2)((d)(e)(f) and (h)) 32: Fitness of workers

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children‟s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff files contain full employment history, photograph, two written references and identity information. Ensure that recruitment information on agency staff is available to the home‟s manager and that overseas staff can produce evidence of good conduct in their home countries. (Regulation 32 (1), (2) and (3)(d)) 30/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all children and young people in the home have case records that include all the information in Schedule 3. These records must be updated whenever the situation changes. They must be readily accessible to all staff working at the home. (Regulation 36 (1) (a) (b) and (c)) 30/09/2017 Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 6

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improvement to be good

The home cares for five young people. They range in age from 14 to 17 years. The latest admission is a young person who moved in two months ago, in an emergency. Some young people have lived in the home for several years.

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improvement to be good

The home is currently going through a period of uncertainty regarding plans to relocate in the future. The young people are aware of the plans and the staff speak with them openly and honestly about the uncertainty of the situation. The young people said they would like to know what is going to happen, but they are well supported and appear to be coping well.

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improvement to be good

The home‟s shortfalls lie mostly within leadership and management. These have an impact on the overall experiences and outcomes for the young people as well as on the quality of safeguarding. For example, care planning is highly variable. Some young people‟s records are adequate and others are weak. Care plans are set up when the young people arrive in the home. These are not always updated when circumstances change. The home does not yet have an electronic records system for residential staff. They have access to the social workers‟ integrated care system. This is designed for field social work teams and not intended for use by residential staff. The staff update some individual documents on the computer, but do not print them. This means that casual and agency staff cannot easily access the most recent information.

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improvement to be good

The young people in this home receive good quality, nurturing care. The home has an experienced and child-focused staff team. They develop, stable and enduring relationships with the young people. Staff say that they are very committed to the young people and are proud that they do not give up on them. This helps the young people to gain in confidence and build important life skills.

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improvement to be good

The staff explained how supporting the young people who have moved on from the home is a real strength. They always keep in touch and have recently attended one former resident‟s wedding.

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improvement to be good

The young people have all made progress since their arrival in the home. They say they are happy and that they value the staff‟s care and support. The young people enjoy a range of activities and go on holiday with the staff each summer.

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improvement to be good

The young people are in good health. Some young people have long-term medical conditions which are responded to well.

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improvement to be good

The staff work well with the local child and adolescent mental health service. They make Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 7 sure that the young people receive specialist psychological support. The staff communicate well with mental health and other professionals. This ensures that they follow the same strategies in working with the young people who have complex needs and behaviours.

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improvement to be good

The young people of school age are in full-time education and making good progress. Some young people have taken their GCSEs and are awaiting the results. Other young people have struggled with formal education. However, since reaching school-leaving age, they have flourished. One young person obtained work in a fast-food restaurant for several months. She is now seeking a job closer to the home, with more sociable hours.

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improvement to be good

Only one young person is not yet in full-time education, training or employment. He spends very little time in the home. However, he has engaged with his ASDAN education programme and meets with staff regularly.

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improvement to be good

Some of the young people had difficulty with relationships before they came to live in the home. Since they settled in the home, they have sustained important friendships with peers. One young person, who came to the home as an emergency, is already beginning to form relationships with the staff.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager consults the young people on all aspects of their lives. The young people each have two key workers, with whom they meet regularly. These meetings, which are well recorded, relate to their personal targets.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager has introduced an open-office policy. The office door is open, unless the staff need to have a confidential conversation. This makes it easy for the young people to pop into the office to chat informally with the staff. This helps them to develop positive relationships and promotes relaxed, friendly communication.

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improvement to be good

The staff advocate well for the young people. Residents also have access to an independent advocacy service, which is well advertised on posters around the home. The acting manager has conducted a survey of the young people, parents and professionals. The results show that the young people are happy in the home and that they like the staff. Some young people made suggestions for further improvements.

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improvement to be good

The young people enjoy a relaxed, informal daily experience. They go out on activities and meet with their friends.

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improvement to be good

The young people‟s risk assessments are incomplete. For example, some risk assessments omit the most serious risks to the young person concerned. They do not routinely include bullying, or the risk of causing harm to other young people. This is the case even when these risk factors are known to be relevant. One young person has their bedroom door alarm switched on. This is assessed as necessary in this instance, but because door alarms are a potential restriction of liberty, their use must always be risk Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 8 assessed. This is another omission. Risk assessments are not on the young people‟s own files. They are filed together with other safeguarding material. The file is not well organised or structured efficiently. This makes it difficult for the young people to read them and for staff to access them quickly. A requirement has been made.

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improvement to be good

There are deficits in the home‟s staff recruitment procedures. Two files had unexplained gaps in employment history. There were no references for these staff members in the home. There was insufficient proof of identity on these files. This organisation does not always ask for full recruitment information on agency staff. For example, overseas staff should have a certificate of good conduct from their home country. In one case, the agency and the staff-finding service did not request this information, even though the employee did have a certificate of good conduct available. This means that the home has insufficient evidence that prospective employees are suitably checked. A requirement has been made.

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improvement to be good

Young people say that they feel safe. Some young people are at risk from self-harm. The staff respond well to these incidents. They work with local mental health and hospital services to provide suitable support.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of young people going missing have reduced. Some young people very rarely go missing, but when they do so, they make long journeys to other parts of the country. Going missing over long distances increases the time that the young person is absent, and consequently the level of risk. This is concerning, but the staff respond to these situations well. They try to locate the young person and contact them by phone. The staff communicate well with professionals from other areas. This ensures that they have full information to help them support the young person. The young people are always offered an independent visitor upon their return home. This gives the young people the chance to talk about any worries or concerns that they may have.

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improvement to be good

Young people generally behave very well in the home. The acting manager is clear with the young people about the consequences of their actions. As a result, incidents of damage and aggression have reduced. Physical intervention is very rarely used. There have been two restraints since the last inspection. These were in relation to incidents between two young people. The interventions were appropriate to the circumstances and of short duration.

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improvement to be good

The staff set clear boundaries to help manage behaviour. They use praise, but do not set sanctions. Consequences are sometimes used, but rarely. The staff do reward the young people, but rewards are not always recorded. This was discussed with the manager and is an area for future development.

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improvement to be good

The staff and manager receive updated training in safeguarding. This helps them to identify and manage any child protection concerns. The home has made one child protection referral since the last inspection. This was in relation to a young person who is not a resident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 9 The previous registered manager remained in post until January, at which point the post became vacant. This is over 29 weeks before this inspection took place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

During the intervening period, two deputy managers managed the home. The deputy managers have maintained a stable and well-supported staff team. This helped to reduce the impact of the manager‟s absence on the young people and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A new manager was appointed on 1 May 2017. She applied to Ofsted without delay. The acting manager has a clear vision for the home. In the last three months, she has introduced a number of new systems and improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the acting manager‟s appointment, staff sickness absence has stretched the team‟s resources. The permanent team members have worked extra shifts to minimise the use of agency staff. Agency staff have been employed twice in the past two weeks. This figure would be far higher if the interim manager and staff had not worked so hard to provide shift cover.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of the acting manager and deputies helping on shift, there has been insufficient management time. This has led to omissions in management tracking. There are deficits in fire safety checks and recording, as well as in the areas mentioned above, risk management, care planning and recruitment records. In addition, there is a failure to act on the requirement set at the last two inspections. At the last full inspection, the young people‟s bathrooms needed refurbishment. At the interim inspection in January 2017, no action had been taken. The requirement was repeated. The two bathrooms have still not been refurbished, so this is the third time that this requirement has been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager has many years‟ experience with this local authority. She has a good understanding of the home‟s strengths and weaknesses. She knows that the main weakness is in management systems. She has consulted with the young people and the staff to inform her plans for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager is a qualified, registered social worker. She has 10 years‟ experience in residential care. The manager holds a post-qualifying diploma in working with children and young people. She is not yet enrolled on her level 5 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager and her deputy are well aware of the young people‟s progress. They are well able to assess when residential care no longer meets the young people‟s needs. The home‟s managers have detailed knowledge of local resources. This helps them to find accommodation for young people who are ready to move on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has a good induction programme to help new staff to get to know the young people. When agency staff come on shift, the manager provides an overview of the home and young people. The staff are well supervised. The interim manager has introduced a new system to monitor supervision frequency. The staff have access to clinical consultation when needed. This helps to keep the staff team strong and has an Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 10 indirect benefit for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

All staff receive an annual appraisal. This helps them and their managers to track performance and identify learning needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The local authority has a programme of online and face-to-face training. This provides the staff with some of the skills that they need to work with the young people. The interim manager has found that there are some gaps in the staff‟s training. She is already working on this and has plans to improve how training is monitored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has an independent visitor who writes evaluative monthly reports. These help the manager to improve the quality of care. The acting manager has produced a detailed six-monthly review of the home‟s progress. This helps to guide the home‟s improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The acting manager has updated the home‟s statement of purpose to reflect recent changes. The home has a good quality children‟s guide to help inform the young people about what to expect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Throughout the inspection, the acting manager and staff demonstrated good anti- discriminatory practice. This helps to promote an atmosphere of safety and acceptance in the home.

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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 differences 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 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: SC034100 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bristol City Council, Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Heather Chaplin, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC034100 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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