Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 1 SC470797 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

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a charitable organisation. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children and young people who have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and sensory impairment.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children live in a welcoming, family environment where they are making great progress in all aspects of their social and emotional development.  Staff know the children extremely well and have high aspirations for them. They provide encouragement and support to help them achieve and exceed their goals.  Children demonstrate they are happy and comfortable with the staff.  A range of communication methods enable children to contribute their wishes and views to all aspects of their care and support.  The manager provides inspirational leadership. She encourages the staff to continually develop, and implements research-led practice to support outcomes for children.  Children are safe because staff follow comprehensive risk assessments which are individual for each child.  Multi-agency working between the home and other professionals is effective. This means the home is working in partnership to support children to have their

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Key findings from this inspection

educational, health and emotional needs met.  Communication with parents has significantly improved. This means parents are fully aware of and included within the care planning and outcomes for their child.  Staff consistently follow individual behaviour management plans, supporting young people to manage their fears and anxieties.  Staff have regular supervision and training. This means they have the necessary training and development opportunities to deliver high quality care.  Effective monitoring ensures that children’s records are maintained to a high standard.

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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

 Consideration should be given to the access from the kitchen to the laundry room for all children. This will help to develop their independence skills.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 3 15/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 10/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 4

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Recommendations

 The design of the home should include any necessary adaptation to meet the needs of children with disabilities or specific health conditions. This is in particular to the step leading from the kitchen into the laundry area. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.24)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive individualised care and support. They enjoy secure and trusting relationships with staff who have high aspirations for them. Children have good relationships with other children living at the home. The ethos of the home ensures that all children have a ‘voice’ in their care and support. The staff support children to communicate their wishes, views and feelings through various means, including, pictorial, signing and advocacy from parents. Some children also have independent advocates. For those who do not have this independent support, the manager is being proactive in sourcing this facility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children attend school. Regular communication and sharing of good practice means the children receive consistent support. The manager has discussed educational outcomes with individual class teachers. This has led to the development of activities for children which link in with their education. For example; some young people were learning about shapes and size at school. A planned activity within the home was preparing, cooking and sharing a pizza. This activity helped to recognise different shapes included within the topping. The dividing of the pizza into portions helped with division. Another activity linked with the shapes involved a visit to a local country park to collect leaves. This helps children to continue to learn through activity and play. Daily recordings between the home and school underpin learning and care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Healthcare needs are well-met. Children attend doctor, dentist and optician appointments when required. Also, where there is an identified need, the home access specialist healthcare services. This includes the community learning disability nurse team and child and adolescent mental health services. The manager and staff know children well and will represent their interests. An example of this includes one child being referred for a non-emergency operation. However, the staff had concerns the trauma of the operation would outweigh the possible benefit. To assess this, the manager requested a best-interest multi-disciplinary meeting. This enabled health and social care practitioners, along with parents, to discuss and review the plans. This took into account the child’s physical, mental and emotional health needs as well as the impact for the child. Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 5 The management, recording and administration of medication is robust. Storage of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

medication in individual medication cabinets for each child keeps medication separate. Staff trained in medication administer as directed, and record in line with pharmaceutical guidance. Staff have a good understanding of the purpose of the medication and potential side effects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff receive training on moving and handling. Where children have extra physical needs, an occupational therapist has assessed for equipment the home requires to support these. An assessment of the home has been undertaken in relation to space for children who need mobility aids, for example wheelchairs. However, the doorway leading from the kitchen to the laundry area does not have a suitable ramp. This restricts access for some children. This impacts on them learning semi-independence skills with laundry of clothing. The manager is aware of this and plans to request further advice from an occupational therapist.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children engage in a range of activities, which they enjoy. One parent said, ‘My child takes part in activities on a daily basis, which he enjoys.’ Activities include swimming and the use of local parks and community facilities. The home also has a sensory room, computer room, library and ‘chill out’ area. Additionally, the home has transport to support activities further afield. The children have all taken part in an activity-based overnight holiday. This included outdoor activities such as climbing and canoeing. The manager and staff promote full engagement in developing interests and engagement in the community. This can be as a group or on an individual basis. This provides children with a range of experiences which reflect their individual interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home supports children to have contact with their families. One parent said, ‘I am welcome at the home and can spend time with my child. Staff are available to provide support if needed. The home has made a significant difference to him and we can spend quality time together.’

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

Children’s safety and welfare is central to the home’s practice. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. All staff complete safeguarding training as part of their core training. Regular refresher training makes sure their skills, knowledge and practice remain current.

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

Children’s risk assessments are comprehensive. They provide details of potential risks and take measures to reduce these. Staff show a good understanding of risk management strategies. Keeping risk assessments under review, they reflect the current needs of the children. This means the home takes all reasonable steps to minimise risk. There have been no incidents of children missing from home. In the event of an incident happening, the staff know the procedures to follow.

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

Staff understand behaviours of children and young people. This is important because most of the children are unable to verbalise their wishes and feelings. Behaviour management plans are in place. The plans are individual to each child and are working Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 6 documents. They enable staff to identify potential triggers which may raise children’s anxieties. This helps staff to provide support to reduce these. The home works in partnership with external professionals to develop these plans. This includes children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and the learning disability nurse. The home shares these plans with the organisation’s school, which most of the children attend. This means the children receive consistent support to manage their behaviours. This reduces the need for intervention from staff, including physical restraint. Restraint is only used when there is a risk of children harming themselves or others. Agreed restraint

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

forms part of the behaviour management plans. Detailed records contain all relevant information following a restraint. The manager monitors these. This enables detailed analysis and evaluation to inform future practice.

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

The children living at the home have been resident together for a period of time. They all get along well together. This stability is contributing towards their progress.

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

Recruitment and selection adheres to safer recruitment practice. All relevant safeguarding checks are undertaken before commencement of employment. This includes enhanced disclosure and barring checks. Verification of references and gaps in employment support this further. All visitors to the home sign in and have the reason for their visit confirmed. This demonstrates the home’s commitment to safeguarding children.

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

Staff are aware of the whistle-blowing procedure and how to raise any concerns. The recent use of this supported the implementation of extra safeguarding measures. The manager kept all relevant agencies informed before and during the organisation’s investigation. This demonstrates transparency and commitment to working with other agencies to safeguard children.

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

The home provides a safe and homely environment for the children living there. Staff undertake regular health and safety checks. In the event of a fire, children have emergency evacuation plans in place. This means staff are aware of the individual needs of each child and the support they need

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Since the last inspection, the manager has registered with Ofsted. She is an experienced manager, and provides strong leadership. She has completed the level 5 leadership and management qualification. She also holds a degree in psychology and a level 3 safeguarding qualification. Since her appointment, she has ensured the stability of the staff team. Although the home has some staff vacancies, she has ensured that the level of staffing is consistent. Contracted staff and flexible support staff, assigned to the home, provide cover when required. This means the young people receive care and support from staff whom they know. Recruitment is ongoing, and the manager is introducing new staff in a planned manner. This is because the young people experience difficulty with change. They need reassurance of regular and known staff to support them. Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 7 All staff receive regular supervision and support within their role. One staff member said,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘Supervision helps me to discuss any issues in relation to the home.’ Another staff member said, ‘My supervision helps me to reflect on and develop my practice.’ This training contributes to informing their practice. The manager has arranged further specialist training and support from external agencies to support the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has introduced recording strategies to help and improve the outcomes for the children, including the introduction of research-led recording and analysis of children’s behaviour. This detailed recording helps to inform further specific care needs. This contributes to understanding and meeting the holistic needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff, social workers and parents comment on the inspirational and dynamic leadership of the home. Staff report the team is a strong and cohesive team. One staff member said, ‘We work well together and, as a result of this, we can see how well the children are doing.’ A social worker said, ‘The manager and staff provide exceptional care and support to (name). As a result, he is happy and settled. Both myself and his family can see the progress he is making.’ Another social worker said, ‘The manager and staff are meticulous in their care and support of (name). They have high aspirations for him and I observe this when I visit. All information I receive from them reflects the outcomes for him.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Detailed monthly monitoring systems are in place. The manager uses these to contribute to the development plan of the home. Independent monitoring visits also inform practice. The manager welcomes independent scrutiny of the home and sees this as an extra source of support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The statement of purpose is up-to-date and reflects the aims and objectives of the home. The children’s guide is individual to each child and is in a format they can understand. This includes pictorial information and photographs. Staff help children have an understanding of this guide. It is also available to parents and social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children’s case records contain all information required by regulations. The manager audits the case records. She requests outstanding paperwork from placing authorities. This means the information for each child is reflective of their individual needs.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 8 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC470797 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470797 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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