Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 1 SC357979 Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough 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 offering care and accommodation for three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people develop in confidence and self-esteem while living in the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Educational attendance and attainment consistently improve. Most young people have a vision for their future and feel they can achieve.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people engage well with staff and have formed trusting relationships.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Consultation with young people is very well planned. Young people engage and voice views and opinions that are valued by staff.  Contact with important people, such as family and friends, is well maintained and supported.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children’s home is exceptionally well maintained and provides comfortable and modern living accommodation for young people. The home has recently undergone a complete refurbishment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people with a history of disruptive behaviour settle in the home. On the whole, disruption is significantly reduced.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are well-formed relationships with a range of external agencies. This means that young people’s risks are assessed collectively and managed in a way that reduces concerning behaviours.  Internal and external monitoring of the home are consistent and provide a good analysis of the service provided in the home. Any areas for further development are responded to quickly.  Staff benefit from suitable training opportunities. This training provides staff with the necessary skills and knowledge to undertake work with difficult and complex young people.  Young people benefit from a small, consistent staff team. Strong relationships are formed between young people and staff.

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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

 Consequences for negative behaviour are not consistently reviewed for their effectiveness.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Although risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated, clear strategies for reducing the risk of missing episodes are not routinely identified.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Transition planning with the placing authority is not always effective. Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/07/2016 Full Good 29/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/10/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 4

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)

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Recommendations

 Where there is a possibility that a child will run away or go missing from a children’s home placement, their placement plan should include a strategy to minimise the risk, including how risk is managed when young people are within the community for extended periods of time. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.24)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally and challenge the failure of any authority failing to do this. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has left the service since the last interim inspection in March 2017. This young person was assessed as having additional complex needs and is now accommodated in a therapeutic setting. There has been one new admission to the home. At the time of the inspection three young people are accommodated in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite a recent period of instability, young people say that they are happy and settled in the home. One young person said, ‘This has been my family. I could not have made it without them.’ A social worker commented, ‘The staff really care for the young people and it makes all the difference.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between young people and staff are based on mutual regard and respect. Staff listen to young people and are consistent in engaging at a level they understand and respond to. Likewise, consultation with young people is viewed with high regard and is at the forefront of all practice within the home. This consistent approach has been recognised and resulted in the home being awarded The ‘Investment in Children’ award for excellent communication with young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Residential care planning is good. Clear and realistic placement goals are routinely developed and reviewed between young people and their key worker. Young people engage well with staff. They attend regular key-work sessions, young people’s meetings Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 5 and review the care they receive on a regular basis. A young person said, ‘The staff have really helped me to get my life together.’ As a result, young people are more in control of their lives and futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have a history of educational disruption and non-attendance. From their initial starting points, individual educational needs are well met. For example, staff work with a range of external providers to ensure that each young person can achieve educationally and utilise a good variety of settings. This means that young people have a range of innovative opportunities to help them in their educational journey. Attendance and achievement are on the whole good. Young people have successfully completed vocational examinations, attended their individual proms and have secured college placements. As a result, young people meet their personal goals and develop aspirations for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthcare planning is good. Young people attend routine appointments and health reviews with support from the staff team. Where additional support is required, staff link with a range of external agencies in order that young people receive the specialist advice they need. Likewise, regular visits from the looked after children’s nurse enable young people and staff to discuss any health concerns or queries. Additionally, the home has developed an online healthcare advice website for young people to access. This provides information, training sessions and surveys and is consistently accessed by the group. Young people say, ‘The website is great. Staff always put lots of information on there and some of it is pretty good.’ Staff say, ‘We try all different ways in order to engage young people. We have found the website to be really good.’ Consequently, young people’s health is very well supported in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with family and friends is suitably supported. Young people are helped to maintain contact with important people in their lives through visits, telephone contact and attendance on occasional family activities. A social worker said, ‘The staff work really hard to make sure young people have regular safe contact.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planned and unplanned activities take place on a regular basis. Individual interests are well supported. Young people are provided with support and encouragement to venture out and try out new activities and hobbies. They say, ‘We decide what we want to try out and the staff arrange it. Some of us wanted to go on holiday abroad and we did; it was great.’ The registered manager says, ‘We encourage the young people to try as many new experiences as possible. We want them to move on with positive and happy memories.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people with a plan of independence are supported to develop the skills necessary to live independently. Young people learn to budget, shop and cook and are supported to make more decisions about their lives. On the whole, transition planning is good. The staff work closely with the young people to prepare them for their move on to independent or other living accommodation. However, although specific accommodation, such as a family assessment unit, was identified for a young person, the local authority Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 6 failed to secure the placement in preparation for the birth of the baby. As a result, there was a delay in accessing this provision. The registered manager must ensure complete clarity in respect of all future transition arrangements. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Young people live in a home where their individual safety and protection are consistently prioritised. The designated officer commented, ‘I have no concerns about the young people living in this home.’

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

Young people rarely go missing from the home. However, during a recent period of instability there has been a significant rise in young people absenting themselves from the home. This is as a result of a known prolific absconder returning to the area in which this home is set. Individual missing from home plans ensure that all staff follow specific procedures in the event of a young person going missing from the home. A staff member said, ‘We try everything to get the young people home safe. We work with other children’s home to gain information and work together as a team.’ However, risk management plans do not consistently identify the steps to be taken to reduce the risk of a young person becoming missing, particularly if they are spending extended periods of time in the community, such as having sight of the young person or confirming their whereabouts. As a result a recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Staff are routinely trained in the use of physical intervention. Since the last inspection there has been one minor incident requiring this measure. This is because staff demonstrate a calm and caring approach when dealing with challenging behaviours and say, ‘We will only ever use this if a young person is in danger of harming themselves or others.’ It is clear that the strong and trusting relationships built between young people and staff enhance the successful use of de-escalation and distraction when managing challenging behaviours.

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

Young people are supported to make positive changes in their lives promoting resilience and patience. Behaviour management plans are developed and reviewed to identify areas where young people struggle. Each plan provides guidance to staff on safe behaviour management practice and strategies to manage challenging behaviour. On the whole, young people respond well. However, some methods, such as sanctions, are not effective, including the continued use of supervised spends or reparation. Consequently, some behaviour management structures are not suitably reviewed for their effectiveness or further developed to suitably address the identified behaviours. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

The staff have developed a dedicated Facebook page for the home for all young people living in the home. This provides young people with lots of information, including personal safety, health, surveys and a weekly praise feature. Young people regularly comment on the page and leave feedback for staff. This page also has a suitable safeguarding feature, making it secure. Staff advise that young people are more likely to respond via a social media message than a call. For example, young people say, ‘It can Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 7 be awkward talking to staff when you are with your mates, it’s easy to reply to a message and no one needs to know about it.’ A staff member said, ‘We feel the website is ideal if a young person was in difficulty, or wanted to be collected without making their feelings known to others. This is something young people use all the time and are more likely to use to contact staff.’ Using this method also enables staff to identify what

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

area the young person is in when they reply and take action where necessary. This provision is indicative of the additional methods that the home has introduced to enhance the protection and safety of the young people living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager who has been in post since June 2016. She is qualified at NVQ level 4 in leadership and management and has a number of years’ experience of working with children and young people. The registered manager is supported by a dedicated staff team qualified at NVQ level 3 and above.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support the home provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal and external monitoring systems provide the home with a good approach to the overall monitoring of care. Detailed information highlights areas for development and the manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service. Staff state that they receive good support from the manager. Records of supervision demonstrate that staff meet with the registered manager regularly and that training and personal development targets are addressed. An annual training package ensures that staff receive up-to-date training specific to meeting the needs of the young people accommodated in the home. The registered manager and staff demonstrate good overall child-centred practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress that young people make, particularly in education, building relationships and social integration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall placement plans are clear and realistic and work well together with key-work sessions and the use of young people’s training packs for specific areas of development. These plans are reviewed regularly by staff and young people and updated accordingly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is aware of the procedures for notifying Ofsted of all incidents under Regulation 40. Since the last inspection there have been a number of suitable notifications made. Providing this information ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that actions and outcomes for young people can be suitably assessed.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 8 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: SC357979 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The District Centre, Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde SK14 1AL

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 10 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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