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

Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 1 SC040723 Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a local authority. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good. Date of last inspection: 6 March 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive well-planned care from a consistent staff team, which results in them making good progress from their individual starting points.  Care planning is detailed. Placement plans are written in a style which is ‘child- Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 2 centred’ and fully involves the young person in the development of their plan.  Staff work well with a range of agencies to support the welfare and safety of young people who engage in risk-taking behaviours, which place them at risk of harm.  Staff support young people to maintain contact with family and friends, as agreed with the placing authority.  Young people are making progress and developing strategies to minimise behaviours that place them at risk of harm.  Young people’s attendance at education improves and this contributes to ongoing attainment and future further education or apprenticeships.  Young people’s health, including physical, emotional and mental health, is

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Key findings from this inspection

supported well.  Managers and staff provide positive and nurturing support to young people with highly complex emotional and behavioural needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff are supported in their roles by regular supervision, team meetings and training. This helps them to develop their skills and remain up to date with current practice.  Complaints and allegations are responded to in accordance with agreed protocols. This helps to ensure that young people’s safety and welfare are promoted.

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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

 Missing from home records are not consistently recorded in detail to demonstrate the action that staff have taken in response to a young person going missing from home.  Strategy meetings are not always held within a required time frame when there are concerns about an increase in young people’s missing from home incidents.  The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revision and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/06/2016 Full Good 02/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/06/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 3

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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

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revision and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 30/11/2017

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that records are kept, detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home. These records should include the actions staff take to manage these incidents. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.31)  Where a child runs away persistently or engages in other risky behaviours, such as frequently missing from home to meet with inappropriate adults, the registered person, in consultation with the child’s placing authority, should convene a risk management meeting to develop a strategy for managing risks to the young person. The strategy should be agreed with the child’s placing authority, the local authority where the home is located and the local police. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.32)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress from their individual starting points, due to well- planned, individualised care. Care planning is robust. Young people have individual plans and routines in place, which staff follow. The manager and staff have high aspirations Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 4 for all of the young people, providing a nurturing and supportive placement for them. This view is not only held by current young people living at the home, but also from previous residents who still maintain strong links with the staff and continue to visit the home. One young person who had moved on from the home said: ‘This home was the best home I ever lived in. Staff encouraged me to do things and although sometimes I didn’t follow their advice, they never gave up on me and I still like to visit.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans are clear and child-friendly. The young people are involved in their placement plans and contribute their wishes and feelings to these documents. The plans are reviewed on a regular basis and updated when there are any changes. Monthly key- worker reports contribute to the young person’s understanding of their progress and the reports identify the additional support that young people may require.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people are in educational placements or further education and training. The staff understand the importance of education and provide young people with encouragement and support on a daily basis. As a result, young people have made progress in their education attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to understand the importance of good health. Staff have supported the young people to register with local healthcare services and attend routine medical appointments. Additional services including the child and adolescent mental health services and drug, alcohol and substance misuse counsellors, visit the home to provide support to young people. They have also attended staff meetings and provided staff with information and resources to share with the young people. The looked-after children’s nurse also attends the home on a monthly basis, to provide additional support and resources for the young people. This has improved young people’s overall health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provided young people with a wide range of activities, including trips to the local cinema and the sports centre. Some young people choose not to be involved in activities. However, staff continually encourage them to do so to enable them to develop interests, which they can continue to pursue when they leave the home. At the time of the inspection, one young person was planning to go on holiday during the half-term holiday. Opportunities for the other young people to have a holiday are in place. All opportunities are based on the individual interests of young people and where they would like to go.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective planning for young people moving into and leaving the home are in place. This includes the opportunity for young people to visit the home prior to moving in. Where an emergency placement is requested, the manager makes sure as much information as possible is provided. This contributes to the detailed impact assessment that the manager compiles. These assessments ensure that all young people’s needs are considered and placements are in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people contribute their views to the home through young people’s meetings and individual key-worker sessions. Their wishes and views are considered and the manager provides clear responses to them. This means that the young people’s views are Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 5 important to the ongoing development of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and maintained to a good standard. It provides a comfortable and homely environment for the young people to live in. They are encouraged to choose the decor for their individual bedrooms. This helps them to personalise their bedrooms in accordance with their individual style.

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

Young people report that they feel safe living at the home and the staff spend time with them helping them to understand about situations which may impact on their safety and well-being. This includes when they are late home or stay out overnight without prior agreement. The home has a dedicated mobile phone that young people can message in addition to the home’s main telephone. This ensures that young people can contact staff if they feel unsafe or worried.

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

When young people do not return to the home at their agreed time, the staff follow the young person missing from home risk assessment. This includes searching the local area and contacting the police to report them missing. When young people return, they have the opportunity to speak with someone independent to discuss their welfare and any reason why they may have been missing. Staff work in partnership with other agencies involved with supporting young people to remain safe. The manager requests strategy meetings when risks have increased. However, at the time of the inspection, a request for a strategy meeting had yet to be arranged. In addition, some records in relation to the action taken by staff during incidents of going missing lack sufficient detail. The manager has discussed this in staff meetings and plans to undertake further training with all staff.

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

Individual risk assessments are in place and risks are clearly identified along with the intervention required to minimise these. This includes the child and adolescent mental health services, substance misuse team and placing social workers. One social worker said, ‘The staff have provided the young person with stability and this has resulted in a decrease in risk-taking behaviours. The young person enjoys living here and has a good relationship with the majority of staff. When there have been any concerns raised by the young person, the manager has taken appropriate action to address these.’

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

Behaviour management plans are individual to each young person. These plans include strategies to help young people to manage their behaviour. Staff support positive behaviour through praise and an individual reward system. This enables young people to earn additional monies. Consequences to behaviours are fair and proportionate. Young people contribute their views to discussions on appropriate sanctions within individual meetings and also in general young people’s meetings. Physical interventions are used only in the event of a young person being at significant risk of harm to themselves or others. All staff have received training in managing behaviour.

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

Young people are aware that bullying is not acceptable and feel confident in raising any concerns with the staff or manager. They are aware of how to make a complaint and say Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 6 that the staff respond to these well. Allegations are also responded to in accordance with the placing authority’s guidance. These measures help to safeguard young people.

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

Recruitment of staff is undertaken in line with regulations. This makes sure, as far as possible, that young people are protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has been the manager of this home since January 2014. Since the last inspection, she has obtained a level 5 qualification in leadership and management. She is supported in her role by a deputy manager, who has recently been appointed to this role, having worked in the home as a residential worker and team leader. They both have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for further development within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Changes to the staff team have required the recruitment of new staff. These staff have undertaken a full induction and are completing all mandatory training. This is in line with the local authority’s training and development programme. Additionally, the manager has involved a number of external professionals to attend staff meetings to provide training and guidance to staff on different topics. This means that staff have the skills and knowledge to provide young people with care that is in line with current practice. Regular staff supervision enables the staff to reflect on their practice and identify further training or development opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes monitoring of the home. An independent visitor who conducts monthly monitoring visits and compiles an action plan provides further scrutiny. The manager responds to the recommendations identified in the action plan in a timely manner. The manager has identified that there are some development areas around recording to make sure that records are consistent and provide a clear overview of the actions taken by staff. A recommendation has been made at this inspection in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has reviewed the statement of purpose, but a copy of this has not been received by the regulator. Further review is required to amend the staffing list in accordance with the home’s workforce development plan. All staff work in line with this document and it is made available to placing social workers and other interested parties. The young people receive a guide to the home, which explains what they can expect when living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is maintained to a good standard and provides a warm, welcoming and homely environment. Regular health and safety checks are conducted to make sure the environment is maintained safely. Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 7

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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: SC040723 8

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Children’s home details

Unique reference number: SC040723 Provision sub-type: Children’s home Registered Provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Registered provider address: Town Hall, Victoria Square, PO Box 29, Bolton BL1 1RU Responsible individual: Sarah Gatenby Registered manager: Kathryn Mather

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC040723 9 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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