Children's home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 1 SC034108 Registered provider: Tameside MBC

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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 six young people who may have physical and/or learning disabilities.

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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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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people make and sustain trusting relationships with staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are consistently consulted, using a range of communication methods, in order that they can express their views and opinions.

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Key findings from this inspection

 One-to-one staffing ensures that all young people are provided with a high level of support.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people attend full-time education and have consistently gained 100% attendance.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Care planning processes are good. Young people’s needs are well documented and this ensures that they receive care at a level designed to meet their individual and personal needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Some risk assessments are developed in order to assist staff to recognise changes in behaviour.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff working at the home receive good training and are all experienced in working with young people who have disabilities.

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Key findings from this inspection

 External monitoring is consistently undertaken and swift action is taken to address any identified shortfalls in practice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home offers spacious accommodation which, on the whole, is designed to meet the complex needs of young people.

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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

 Risk assessments must take into account the possibility of young people going missing from the home and the protocol staff must follow in the event that this occurs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Internal monitoring arrangements must take account of the changing needs of young people and the strategies in place to reduce risk.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Placement plans must identify strategies to reduce any potential risks.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Restraint records must clearly state the behaviours being exhibited prior to a restraint taking place and the details of how the restraint was managed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people who make financial reparations for damaging property must only have a proportion of their money removed. Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 3  Arrangements to ensure that all young people receive an undisturbed night’s sleep must be put into place. When young people are known not to settle and are noisy throughout the night, arrangements to soundproof rooms should be taken into consideration.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff must ensure that without delay, in the event of accident or injury, and where appropriate, parents are notified, medical advice sought and individual protocols followed.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2016 Full Outstanding 16/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 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

Ensure the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2) ( c ) (i) ) This is with particular regard to considering soundproofing bedrooms for young people who struggle to settle at night due to excessive noise levels. 06/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure financial penalties are calculated as a reasonable sum to be taken by way of instalments. (Regulation 19 (2) (f)) 06/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that effective action is taken whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare, including seeking medical advice, informing parents and taking account of adult safeguarding protocols for young people aged over 18 years. (Regulation 12 (2) (vi)) 20/09/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person specifies the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as practicable, ideally within 24 hours of the restraint taking place and that this is recorded on the restraint record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.60)

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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, suitably recorded and should any injury be sustained this is shared with the parents and placing authority. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 5 staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care they need. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals in the care and protection of each child. This is with particular regard to the review of risk management strategies and protocols. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection there have been three young people admitted to the home. Two young people were already accessing the service for short breaks and are now being cared for on a full-time basis. There are currently four young people living within the service and three young people accessing the short breaks and respite care facility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are happy and settled in the home. They form trusting relationships with staff and are assisted to make their views and opinions known through the use of a variety of communication aids. A social worker said, ‘The young people are very well cared for. Staff work really hard to enable them to make decisions and choices about their lives.’ A parent said, ‘My child has made so much progress. She has come out of herself and is much better behaved. The staff are absolutely fantastic.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact with family is very well supported. Young people have regular visits home, enjoy telephone contact, including Face Time calls, and attend activities with family members. A parent said, ‘We get so much support now, it has really helped us to have quality time with our child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school and college on a consistent basis. Attendance levels are 100%, with young people making consistent progress. The children’s home and education providers work extremely well together. This ensures that young people are managed in the same way and that goals and targets are consistently supported, both at the home and at school and college. Staff work hard to ensure that young people feel good about themselves and are not overwhelmed by new experiences, such as attending a new school. Observations of staff preparing young people for school highlighted the care and attention given to individual young people who left the home excited for their school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planned activities take place on a regular basis. Individual interests are well supported and include trampolining, climbing, visits to the park, swimming, cinema and day trips with staff. A social worker said, ‘The young people are encouraged to try out lots of Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 6 different things. Some young people have never had these experiences and it really helps them to gain confidence.’ A parent said, ‘Our child is doing so much more than she did before. She wants to try all sorts and we are very pleased with what the home offers her.’ The assistant manager says, ‘We want the young people to have as many positive experiences as possible.’ A young person said, ‘I like it here a lot. I have favourite staff and it is fun.’ Regular young people’s meetings take place using voice, signs and pictorial aids. This ensures that young people can have a voice in the day-to-day planning for their care,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

such as menus, activities, decor and trips. Young people engage well within these meetings. Consequently, they learn to understand that their views and opinions are valued by staff, and are appropriately responded to. Personal care plans are developed and reviewed. Young people have consistent routines and this helps them to understand and prepare for the events of each day. Healthcare is prioritised. Young people attend regular appointments and medical reviews, which are clearly documented. Staff work very well with healthcare professionals. Consistent observation of behaviour/mood enables staff and professionals to track potential changes in health. This information is crucial to ensuring that the young person receives the right medical care to maintain good health. There are occasions when young people are unable to express their feelings or frustrations, resulting in them lashing out or causing damage to the property. On one

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

occasion, this resulted in a young person sustaining an injury to his wrist after he punched and smashed a window. While the injury was assessed and treated by staff trained in first aid, professional medical advice and guidance were not sought. Furthermore, staff failed to inform the young person’s parents within a reasonable timescale. As a result, a delayed safeguarding concern was raised. The home needs to ensure that adult safeguarding protocols are utilised when the individual involved is over 18 years of age. The assistant manager said, ‘I accept there was a delay and this was due to addressing the broken window and settling all the young people down. We will ensure that parents are informed immediately in the future and will confirm with medical professionals our treatment plan where injuries are sustained.’ A requirement is made to address this matter.

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improvement to be good

Young people live in a home designed to meet the needs of their physical and learning disabilities.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are completed to ensure that risk factors regarding suitable behaviour management techniques are consistently applied. However, risk assessments are not consistently updated or reviewed and therefore contain information that is no longer relevant to the young person. For example, child ‘A’ must be supervised on his iPad at all times, when the young person is observed as having free access to his iPad. Likewise, risk assessments are not signed or dated by the staff team to ensure that its members have read and understand the management plan for individual young people. Consequently, risk management strategies are inconsistent. Recommendations are made Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 7 to address these matters.

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improvement to be good

After the admission of one young person to the home, there was a significant increase in the use of physical intervention. Upon reviewing the information, it is clear that now the young person has settled into a routine his poor behaviours have decreased and physical interventions have dramatically reduced. However, the records of restraint are not consistently clear. For example, some records do not include the detail of the behaviours exhibited that warrant a physical intervention, detail of how the intervention was managed or the debrief with both the young person and staff member. Likewise, a clear protocol for informing parents and social workers when an injury is sustained as a result of a physical intervention is not in place. It is acknowledged that, previous to this admission, the home rarely used physical intervention. As a result, staff are not accustomed to completing robust and consistent intervention records. Recommendations

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improvement to be good

On occasions some young people damage property. When this has been a consistent feature, and in accordance with regulation, young people are asked to make a contribution from their pocket money to assist in paying for the repair. However, on one occasion, the entire pocket money was deducted. Although staff were aware of this deduction, managers were not, and had not identified this as a concern within their monitoring of behaviour management strategies. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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improvement to be good

There are no incidents of young people being absent or missing from the home. However, recent admissions of young people who are active and able-bodied are not supported with a risk assessment highlighting the potential for a young person to become missing. Likewise, individual response protocols are not developed should a young person run away, for example while on a trip to the park or a visit to a family member. While it is acknowledged that these risks are low, staff must consider the individual capabilities of new young people living in the home and risk-assess accordingly. Recommendations are made to address these matters.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a registered manager who has worked within the home for over 32 years. She has a wealth of experience within the field of physical and learning disabilities and is qualified at NVQ level 5. She is well supported by a deputy manager and an experienced staff team. A social worker said, ‘Staff provide an all-round excellent service and the staff are hardworking, caring, compassionate and highly skilled.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people live in a home that, on the whole, 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 monitoring systems provide the home with a suitable approach to the overall monitoring of care. On the whole, information highlights areas for development and the registered manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service. Inspection report children’s home: SC034108 8 However, with regard to new admissions, there is little focus on safeguarding matters as detailed in this report. This means that the current monitoring systems, particularly in respect of assessing risk, do not recognise the difference in abilities of the current residents or the risks they may carry. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly and serves to identify training needs and personal development targets. A staff member said, ‘I have worked here for over 20 years. I love it. We have a great team and we are all dedicated to the young people.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring takes place on a monthly basis and provides a good overview of the care provided in the home and the progress young people make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with an annual training package. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed, while additional training based around the presenting needs of the young people is consistently undertaken. This ensures that staff receive up-to-date quality training essential to maintaining the child-focused practice evident in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a strong and committed staff team which has worked within the service for many years. Because of ill health and retirement, an active recruitment drive is under way to fill three full-time vacancies. During this period, the home has relied on agency staff to bridge the staff shortage. A parent said, ‘The staff work really hard and are always there for my child. It’s frustrating for parents and the young people to see different faces. I hope they can get staff as good as those who work there already.’ A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that all referrals to the home are assessed for compatibility. On the whole this works well, with most young people being known to the service before they move in. However, delays in providing suitable sleeping accommodation for one young person has resulted in some disruption within the home. For example, a young person is extremely loud and vocal throughout every night. The noise can disrupt the sleep of other young people, particularly those accessing the respite bed close by. Although the bedroom would benefit from sound proofing, this has not been agreed by the local authority. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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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: SC034108 9 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: SC034108 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, 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: SC034108 11 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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