Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children's home: SC467796 1 SC467796 Registered provider: Birtenshaw 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 three children and young people who may have physical disabilities 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 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.

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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: SC467796 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children receive a high standard of care and support from staff who have high aspirations for them. The staff are passionate about making a positive difference in children’s lives. Staff speak warmly and affectionately about each child, and are clear about their role in supporting children.  Staff work in partnership with professionals and parents. This ensures that children are provided with clear boundaries to help them to feel secure and safe.  Education is supported effectively for each child. The staff from the home have daily contact with the education staff to understand what each child has been doing throughout the day.  Children who have complex healthcare needs and disabilities are able to access a wide range of community resources. Staff have a good understanding of healthcare, including physical, emotional and mental healthcare needs.  The home is managed by a highly motivated experienced and qualified manager.

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Key findings from this inspection

She supports the team well, placing children’s welfare, care, experiences and progress at the centre of practice at the home.

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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

 Not all children have access to independent advocates to help them to express their wishes and views.  Not all children’s case records are kept up to date, signed or dated by the author of each entry. This does not provide a clear audit trail of who has made entries on the records.  Risk assessments need to reflect current risks. They should be reviewed and updated on an individual basis for each young person.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 18/10/2016 Full Outstanding 08/12/2015 Full Outstanding 06/01/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC467796 3

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Recommendations

 All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person must ensure that all young people’s case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing

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Recommendations

authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Approaches to restraint should recognise that children are continuing to develop, both physically and emotionally. Any use of restraint should be suitable for the needs of the individual child. The context in which restraint is used should also recognise that, as a result of past experiences, children will have a unique understanding of their circumstances which will affect their response to restraint by adults responsible for their care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 48, paragraph 9.54) Inspection report children's home: SC467796 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at the home have lived together for a number of years. They have made significant progress during this time. This is recognised and commented on by parents and other professionals. Relationships between staff and children are positive. Staff members demonstrate a good understanding of children’s needs, behaviours and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are individualised and reflect the diverse personalities of children. The staff are clear about the children’s levels of risk and vulnerabilities, and can verbalise the actions that they take in supporting children when these levels rise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans are detailed, providing staff with the necessary information about the needs of children and the aims and objectives of their placement. These plans are shared with parents and placing social workers. Simplified documents are developed for each child to help them to understand the care and support that they receive. These documents take into account each child’s level of understanding and communication method. Where there is a significant change, the staff work in partnership with a range of professionals to develop strategies to support and manage these to promote the child’s welfare. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘The staff are exceptionally supportive of children at the home and understand how to support them individually and as a group.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and recognise the importance of education for each child. Currently, two of the children are attending the school run by the organisation that owns and operates the home. The home is separate from the school, but there are daily reports sent between the home and school. This ensures that care and education staff are aware on a daily basis if there are any particular health or care needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a range of activities, both at the home and in the local community. They go swimming, attend a cycling club, go for walks in the park and have meals in local restaurants. During the school holidays, they had a short-break holiday and enjoyed the facilities available at the holiday site. This gives children the opportunity to develop social relationships, which increases their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family contact is promoted well. One parent said: ‘I am always made to feel welcome at the home and enjoy spending time with my child when I visit. It is clear my child feels comfortable and safe with staff and has made so much progress since moving into the home. The manager and staff always make sure I am kept informed of what my child has been doing during the week. I think the staff are excellent at supporting my child’s needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute their views about their care through individual key-work sessions and children’s meetings. Staff support children to express their views. However, not all children have independent advocates. This would further enhance their opportunity to contribute their wishes in relation to their care. Inspection report children's home: SC467796 5

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

Children are kept safe. Staff have a good knowledge of safeguarding and follow procedures to support the children living at the home. All children have behaviour management plans in place. These detail the support that they require to provide them with the necessary reassurance at times of increased anxiety or distress. These plans have been agreed with social workers and parents. The manager has recently sourced additional support and guidance from the child and adolescent mental health services to help to support the significant changes to the emotional and behavioural patterns of a child living at the home. The staff have adhered to the advice and recommendations made to provide consistent support and reassurance at times of crisis.

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

Risk assessments have been reviewed. However, some risk assessments lack clarity. The manager has recognised this as an area of improvement at the home, and is reviewing the documentation. When physical intervention is used to safeguard children, staff make detailed records. This enables the manager to review the strategies used, and it contributes to a review of behaviour management plans. However, the plans do not take into account the ongoing physical development of the children, all of whom have lived at the home for a number of years and have grown physically during their time here.

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

When a professional has assessed that equipment is to be used by a child to help to protect them, for example a helmet or safety harness, the staff record the use of these mechanical restraints. Although this is not required by regulations, it demonstrates that the use of the equipment is in accordance with the guidance provided to support children’s safety and well-being.

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

The manager ensures that any safeguarding concerns are raised with the appropriate people. This includes the placing social workers and the local authority designated officer. Notifications are made to Ofsted in accordance with regulations, and detail the action taken. Any concerns are fully investigated. This helps to support the well-being of children.

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

There have been no incidents of children missing from care. However, staff remain vigilant and are aware of the procedures to follow if an incident did happen.

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

Staffing levels are appropriate to meet the needs of each child. When additional staff are required, safer recruitment procedures are followed. All recruitment is subject to suitable vetting processes, in line with regulations. This means that the organisation has taken the correct measures to ensure that the right people are employed to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since October 2014 and is registered with Ofsted. She has appropriate qualifications, including the level 5 diploma in leadership and management and a social work degree. She is a highly competent, inspiring and child- centred leader who has a wealth of experience in caring for children who have complex Inspection report children's home: SC467796 6 needs and disabilities. She provides strong leadership for staff members to deliver care that is nurturing, supportive and effective. A newly appointed designated manager who has experience of working in the home supports her in her role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A core staff team has undertaken appropriate training to understand and meet the complex needs of the children. In addition, there are a number of flexible support staff who work for the organisation. They provide support when there is an identified need, such as annual leave, sickness or higher staffing ratio’s ad to meet the individual care needs of each child. The children know the flexible support staff and this has reduced the potential anxieties that children have when there are different people supporting them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Daily handovers and regular updates ensure that each staff member gains a good understanding of the individual needs of the children and the care and support that they require to keep them safe. A key strength of the home is the commitment that the manager and staff have to working in partnership with parents and other professionals. This ensures that the children receive the care and support that they require and a consistent level of care. This is acknowledged in the comments received during the inspection from parents and professionals, as well as the positive comments contained in the surveys returned to Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team demonstrates a good understanding of the home’s statement of purpose and works in accordance with this document. Independent monthly visits provide independent scrutiny and oversight of the home. The manager ensures that any recommendations made at these visits are addressed in a timely fashion. Further monitoring is completed by the manager. However, a small number of records seen during the inspection had not been signed or dated by the author to provide a clear audit trail.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas for development. This is reflected in her detailed biannual monitoring report on the progress of children. Regular team meetings and individual supervision of staff support staff to develop and reflect on their individual practice, as well as that of the team. Research-led practice is used effectively to enable staff to continue to learn and develop their practice. Inspection report children's home: SC467796 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 difference 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: SC467796 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC467796 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 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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