Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 1 SC035492 Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council 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 short-break service, offering weekend accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 October 2016

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The overall aims and objectives of the service are to support and sustain family relationships through outreach support and a short-break facility, which operates at the weekends. However, there have been two occasions when the home has been used as a residential resource due to the local authority not being able to source suitable placements for young people. This has impacted on the service provision, with outreach support and short breaks being cancelled for a number of children, young people and their families. This is not in line with the ethos and aim of the home.  The cancellation of services for children and young people has resulted in a decrease in the level of support provided to them and their families at short notice. This has meant for some families that they have had difficulty in maintaining stability of placement.  The qualified and experienced staff team has been unable to provide the

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Key findings from this inspection

support that it had previously made a commitment to delivering. This has impacted on the overall understanding of the aims and objectives of the service on the part of placing social workers and families.  The home is operating without a registered manager in post. The registered manager has been seconded to another post on a 12-month contract. An application to register a manager to cover this period has not been made to Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Individualised assessments identify the needs of children and young people. The service is highly valued by them, their parents and carers, as well as other professionals. One young person said, ‘It is a brilliant place to come and stay. It has made so much difference for me and I really enjoy my breaks here.’  Children and young people receiving a service from short breaks and outreach support make good progress. This has impacted positively on family dynamics and overall strengthened family relationships.  The staff team is highly qualified and committed to providing high levels of care and support to the children, young people and their families. The range of activities and support ensures that the children and young people enjoy their time spent on short breaks and provides them with additional skills and knowledge to enable them to manage their feelings, emotions and behaviours. This, in turn, helps them within their day-to-day engagement with family, school

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Key findings from this inspection

and social situations.  The registered manager, acting manager and staff are passionate about achieving positive outcomes for children and young people. As such, they seek ways in which to engage young people who have previously declined support, building positive relationships, and have supported and sustained them within their family placements. Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/10/2016 Full Outstanding 01/06/2016 Interim Not judged 03/02/2016 Interim 23/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to their full potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph 91) requires the registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13 (1) (a) (b) (2) (a)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure: that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1) and (2) (a)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

Registered manager The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1) (a)) 31/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious (Regulation 40 (4) (e)) 31/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The Statement of Purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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improvement to be good

Children, young people and their families benefit from the short-break and outreach service provided to them. This service supports all parties to help maintain relationships and work together to enable stability of placement within family settings. The vast majority of the children and young people staying at the home for a short break wish to do so, and as such, enjoy their stays. These are planned admissions when the home is open for overnight stays from Friday to Sunday evening. There is also an emergency bed for these nights, although it is not always required. The service is viewed as a valuable service by children, young people, parents, carers and professionals. One parent said, ‘The staff have been excellent in the work they have done with [name]. It has made a huge difference to him and as a result to us as a family. We manage difficult situations better and know we can always get additional support and guidance from the staff.’ A

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improvement to be good

social worker said, ‘The work with [name] preventing him from coming into care at a time when his home life was chaotic and he was facing a number of issues. The ASU [Adolescent Support Unit] coordinated the support with YOS to ensure that the work fully addressed the needs of the young person. Continual communication took place and the worker provided good liaison with the Youth Offending Service to provide a holistic support package.’

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improvement to be good

Placement planning is, in the main, effective, clear and inclusive. Individual assessments and plans are clear and reflect the progress that young people are making. These plans are reviewed on a six-weekly basis. Records of intervention are clearly recorded and the impact this has had for the young person. Staff work closely with family members to ensure that the strategies implemented by the home are able to be followed up within the home environment. This provides continuity of support to young people and subsequently children and young people’s behaviours have improved, resulting in family breakdowns minimised and children and young people remaining within their family home environment. However, recent decisions made by senior leaders within the placing authority have resulted in two admissions to the home which have not been in accordance with the overall aims and objectives of the service. This has impacted

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improvement to be good

significantly on the experience and progress of other young people receiving an outreach Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 6 or short-break service due to cancellation of the support they have been assessed as requiring. Staff have raised their concerns in relation to this with senior managers and sought reassurance that this will not occur in the future.

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improvement to be good

The overall health and educational needs remain with children and young people’s parents or carers. However, the service also works in partnership with health and educational providers to support this. This ensures that the health and educational needs are continuously met. All staff have relevant training in first aid and can support children and young people if they are unwell or have an accident when accessing the service. Staff arrange and support education through educational visits and also encourage and support children and young people to complete homework or assignments. This helps facilitate educational attainment and progression.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment of the home is maintained to a high standard, with regular health and safety checks completed along with maintenance issues addressed in a timely manner. This contributes to the overall warm and welcoming feeling of the home. Children and young people who stay for a short break have a choice of bedroom which they would like to stay in. These rooms are themed and were created in discussion with young people. One young person said, ‘I like staying in the London room because it is nice and big but also cosy with a bed and a sofa to relax in.’

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

Staff have the skills, knowledge and experience to support and promote the welfare and safety of children and young people. They respond to safeguarding concerns, working in partnership with a range of agencies to make sure that children and young people’s safety and welfare remain at the forefront of practice.

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

Staff provide children and young people with information and skills to keep themselves safe. This includes support with online safety and awareness as well as stranger danger and keeping themselves safe within the community. This is through individual work as well as within small groups during short-break stays. This helps the children and young people have a greater insight into potential risks and supports them to make informed and measured decisions. Where there is a reluctance to engage with support, staff continue to encourage and develop relationships with children and young people to encourage them to do so. This is through a variety of ways, including texting, phoning and involvement in activities of choice. This enables staff to assess the particular areas of individual need and tailor specific individualised plans to continue to engage children and young people effectively.

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

Staff work well with all agencies involved in supporting children and young people. This means that they are able to respond effectively at times of crisis. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of children, young people and staff. This includes both within the home during periods of short breaks and within the community when conducting outreach work. Staff complete regular health and safety checks of the home and also undertake health and safety training, including emergency first aid. This means that they are able to respond to any accident or emergency Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 7 effectively.

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

Children and young people do not go missing from the home on a regular basis. This mainly occurs when children have been placed in an emergency. Staff respond to incidents of going missing in accordance with agreed procedures. They make every effort to contact and locate those who are missing and provide positive reassurance when they return to the home. Detailed records are maintained and independent visits are conducted to enable children and young people to raise any reason for them going missing. This helps staff to have a greater understanding of the factors contributing towards why they went missing and whether staff can provide any additional reassurance and support.

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

Recruitment of staff is in line with safer recruitment and selection. The staff team is an established and experienced team. This provides consistency to children, young people and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been seconded to the role of senior homes manager for the local authority, and as such is not in day-to-day charge of the home. This secondment is due to end at the beginning of December 2017. However, an application to register a manager for the home has not been made to the regulator, and as such, the home has been without a registered manager for 12 months. The home’s deputy manager has been fulfilling the manager role as designated manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home has been required by senior managers within the authority to admit young people to the home on two occasions outside of the agreed aims and objectives of the service. On the first occasion, the home’s statement of purpose was not amended. This means that the home did not deliver services in accordance with this document. On the second occasion, the statement of purpose was amended prior to the placement of a young person on an emergency basis. However, due to a suitable alternative placement being found, the emergency bed was used for a period of three weeks. The manager and staff expressed concern and challenged the decision made by senior managers in relation to the impact of this for other children and young people using the service. As a result, for a three-week period, outreach work and short breaks were cancelled. This has been commented on by parents, carers and young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

people. One carer stated, ‘The sudden change of planned admission for a short break for [name] meant the support he was receiving was cancelled with no alternative in place. This was very distressing for [name] and also put additional pressure on us as a family. This support both [name] receives and ourselves has been invaluable but as a family we feel very let down.’ Staff also stated their frustration about the changes made. One staff member said, ‘Our success rate in supporting young people has been really good. However, senior managers appear to lack an understanding of the role of the Adolescent Support Unit (ASU). We spend time building trust and relationships with young people and they have been let down by their support being cancelled at short notice. It also undervalues the role we have in supporting young people and their families.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 8 Children, young people, their families and social workers value the service and support

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

provided. One social worker said, ‘Through the support provided by the staff, the young person has been supported to remain living at his home. He has developed strategies to help himself when he becomes upset. Staff have provided excellent support to family members and enabled them to also look at how they manage difficult situations. As a result, the risk of family breakdown has been significantly minimised and they are building on their relationships well.’ One carer also commented, ‘The resource has been excellent. The support we received from staff has really helped and, as a family, we are doing really well. There are still times when things are difficult but we know the reasons and follow the advice we have been given. [name] enjoys spending time with staff and has benefited from the support they give him.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The designated manager has developed monitoring systems to measure the outcomes for children and young people. Six-weekly assessments are completed with young people and these also help to measure progress and next steps. Children and young people are fully consulted at all times about their plans and contribute their views to their plans. This includes activities, planning menus around individual likes and dislikes as well as shopping and preparing food. Further consultation with professionals as well as carers ensures that children and young people continue to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is an established and experienced team. The vast majority of its members were involved in the initial setting up of the ASU. Comprehensive training underpins their skills and knowledge. All staff have the required childcare qualification and are committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision, which contributes to their own ongoing practice and development. All mandatory training is in date and regular staff meetings also contribute to team development. Staff remain committed to their role in supporting children, young people and their families.

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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: SC035492 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham OL1 1UT

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Inspector

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC035492 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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