Children's home run by Warrington Borough Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 1 SC447930 Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a local authority. It is registered for two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural problems.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 23 to 24 November 2017

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

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

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The home is going through a period of transition due to the fact that a new manager has recently started in the home. Prior to this, the home had been without a registered manager for two months. During this time, young people were admitted without sufficient assessment of the impact that lone working has on the staff’s ability to meet young people’s needs.  Young people who are not in education do not receive sufficient structure in their day to prepare them for a return to education.  Staff do not escalate their concerns when the local authority is not carrying out its duties, such as ensuring that young people have pathway plans or have a suitable alternative when they are not in school.  Risk assessments do not include written actions for staff to follow so that they can minimise known risks and vulnerabilities such as self-harm or alcohol use.  The staff’s ability to locate young people when they go missing from home is

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

limited because staff lone work in the home at night.  The management team has not notified HMCI of significant changes in the home, such as the registered manager leaving, a new manager taking over and the fact that the home was without a registered manager for two months.  External monitoring is ineffective; the independent visitor’s reports do not include the visitor’s view as to whether young people are effectively safeguarded and whether their well-being is promoted. The independent visitor’s reports lack evaluation and do not identify areas for development in the home.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 The home is staffed by a stable and experienced staff team which, despite recent changes in the home, is committed to ensuring that young people receive good care.  There is a new manager in post. He has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home, and presents as motivated to make the required improvements to the service.  Staff work effectively with the police and specialist child sexual exploitation services in the local area. Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/09/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/08/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 22/12/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider must ensure that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are accurate and up to date and include written actions for staff to follow when young people are at risk of self-harm or alcohol use.

p.4

Requirement Due date

the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(b)) 22/12/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

In order to ensure the care planning standard is met, the registered provider must ensure that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 22/12/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of the name of the person appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27(2)(a)(b)) 22/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 5 The registered person must ensure that the independent person’s report sets out the independent person’s opinions as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)) 22/12/2017

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

p.5

Requirement Due date

a person other than the registered person carries on or manages the children’s home; a person ceases to carry on or manage the home. (Regulation 49(a)(b)) 22/12/2017

p.5

Recommendations

 Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record or retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)  When children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their

p.5

Recommendations

confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. ( ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

p.5

improvement to be good

Young people live in a warm and homely environment where they receive individualised care from an experienced and stable staff team. Staff are skilled at nurturing and developing positive relationships with young people, which makes young people feel secure and valued. As a result, young people make some progress from their individual starting points. For example, one young person with a history of a high level of Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 6 placement moves has remained in the placement and expressed the view that she wishes to remain living at the home. The social worker reported, ‘She likes being placed there; this is the longest placement for a while.’

p.5

improvement to be good

Staff try hard to engage young people in education. One young person has obtained employment, and is engaged in a life-skills course twice a week. When young people are not in education, there is insufficient evidence of staff providing a structure to their day. One young person has been without any education for over two months and there is little evidence of any suitable structured activities being offered to her during this period. Furthermore, staff have not challenged the local authority about providing a tutor for this young person during the period of time that she has been out of school. This lack of structure and focus on education did not support the young person in returning to school, once a school placement was identified.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff promote young people’s health. They ensure that young people are registered with the relevant medical services. Staff encourage young people to access services to meet their health needs, for example for their sexual health. Staff work hard to help young people understand the importance of attending medical appointments when young people are reluctant to attend. This has resulted in one young person attending an optician’s appointment. This ensures that young people’s health needs are met.

p.6

improvement to be good

Two young people have been admitted to the home since the last inspection and two young people have made successful transitions out of the home to semi-independent living. Staff support young people well with transitions out of the home, and remain in touch with young people after they have moved out. Staff have created a care-leavers group to support young people who have left the home. This provides consistency and maintains the strong relationships that young people develop with staff while living in the home.

p.6

improvement to be good

Recent admissions in the home have been less well planned. One staff member reported that the most recent admission was ‘rushed’. However, when young people have arrived in the home, staff have made them feel welcome by shopping for first-night packs and ensuring that young people are given the information they need about the home. Young people are consulted about how they want to personalise their bedrooms and, as a result, their bedrooms are decorated according to their preferences. This makes young people feel welcome and contributes to them settling into the home.

p.6

improvement to be good

Staff encourage young people to undertake tasks that will support them to learn skills that they will require for adulthood. However, independence plans lack specific targets and there is no mechanism for review. For example, on one young person’s plan it is recorded that for three days a week she will tidy her room; however, it was evident during the inspection that this was not being consistently promoted. Some young people do not have pathway plans and staff have not sufficiently escalated this or robustly challenged the local authority about this. This leaves the potential for drift in planning for young people’s transitions to independence, and does not fully support young people in developing the skills that they will require for adulthood. Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 7 Young people do have the opportunity to express their views on matters which are important to them through young people’s meetings and key-worker sessions. They are

p.6

improvement to be good

consulted on menus for the home, and on what activities they are interested in trying. This resulted in young people visiting Spooky World recently. Staff respect young people’s individual preferences, for example by ensuring that vegetarian meals are available for one young person who is vegetarian. Young people have also been involved in creating a new children’s guide.

p.7

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one young person has been admitted to the home without sufficient assessment or consideration of whether the staffing levels are sufficient to meet young people’s needs. Staff lone work in the home after 10pm at night. There is no assessment or clear guidance for how staff who lone work will manage young people who have a history of aggressive behaviour, including assaults on staff, in previous placements. This leaves young people and staff at risk of harm.

p.7

improvement to be good

Two young people have been admitted to the home who have a history of going missing from home. Because staff lone work, they cannot search for young people as there is only one staff member on shift. If the young person is located, , staff order a taxi to collect them. This leads to a delay in young people being returned to the home and means that opportunities to locate young people as soon as possible are missed. This does not keep young people safe from harm or decrease the risk for young people who are at high risk of child sexual exploitation when they go missing.

p.7

improvement to be good

When young people do go missing, staff report them missing to the police and the local authority. Staff try to locate young people by making many telephone calls to the young person, friends and family members. They pass on any relevant information to the police and the local authority to try to assist in locating them. When there are enough staff on shift, staff go to great lengths to try to locate the young person by searching for them in the local area or at known addresses. Staff ensure that return interviews take place, but there is a lack of evaluation of missing incidents by the manager. This means that opportunities to understand patterns of missing behaviour are missed.

p.7

improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments identify young people’s known risks, but do not include clear written guidance on how staff will support, manage and monitor young people who have self-harmed or are under the influence of alcohol or substances. Consequently, there is no clear guidance for staff to follow and young people do not receive a consistent approach from staff in trying to reduce this risk and keep them safe.

p.7

improvement to be good

There have been no restraints in the home since the last inspection, reflecting the staff’s skill at de-escalating and managing challenging behaviour. Young people have individualised behaviour management plans which identify strategies for staff to use in order to manage challenging behaviour. Staff promote positive behaviour by using a rewards-based approach, which includes a reward box that young people can choose Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 8 instant rewards from. Rewards are based on young people’s individual interests. For example, one young person’s reward was getting her eyelashes done. Sanctions are rarely used, but, when they are, they are proportionate and relate to the behaviour. There has been a lack of management oversight and evaluation of sanctions and significant events, which the new manager has identified and has a plan in place to address.

p.7

improvement to be good

Staff spend time with young people in key-work sessions trying to help them understand the risks involved in going missing from home and trying to help them make better choices to keep themselves safe. Staff have a good understanding of child sexual exploitation and keep good records for young people who are at risk of child sexual exploitation. Staff share this information with social workers and the police to ensure that young people are kept safe. Staff have all undertaken safeguarding training, and are clear about procedures for responding to concerns about the safety of a child.

p.8

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

This has been a period of transition for the home. The registered manager has left and the home has been without a registered manager for two months. Due to this, there has been a lack of consistent management oversight, which has meant that there has been a period of instability for staff and young people. This has led to some shortfalls being identified during the inspection. The management team failed to notify Ofsted of the changes in management in the home.

p.8

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

There is a new manager in post who has submitted his application to Ofsted within the required timescales. He is suitably qualified for the role, having obtained the required level 5 diploma in leadership and management, and has substantial experience in residential childcare. Since starting in post, the new manager has completed internal auditing of the home, and has identified strengths and areas for development. He has a plan in place for addressing these areas and the shortfalls identified during the inspection. Despite the short period he has been in the home he has a good understanding of the young people’s needs. He presents as child-focused and committed to ensuring that young people receive the best possible care.

p.8

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

The manager is well supported by a very experienced deputy manager and a stable, committed and child-centred staff team. Staff like working in the home and feel well supported in their role. One staff member reported, ‘Everybody supports each other, it’s a close-knit team.’ Another commented, ‘I enjoy working here, the staff team and management have been lovely.’ Professionals are complimentary about the skills of the staff team. An independent reviewing officer (IRO) reported, ‘I have observed this very skilled staff team persevere and progress another young person who was at risk due to missing episodes.’

p.8

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

Staff receive regular training. They are all up to date with their mandatory training and all staff have completed the required level 3 qualification in childcare. Not all staff have undertaken self-harm or ligature training, but the manager has arrangements in place Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 9 with another home to ensure that they receive this. Staff report that they receive regular supervision. However, there are gaps in supervision recording for staff, including new staff, which does not demonstrate that staff are receiving supervision in line with the home’s supervision policy. This does not ensure that staff are given an opportunity to reflect on their practice or their own professional development.

p.8

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

Staff work effectively with agencies, such as social workers and the police, to ensure good outcomes for young people. Feedback from professionals is positive regarding how well staff keep them informed. An IRO reported, ‘Staff communicate well with me, I receive alerts when [name] is missing.’

p.9

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

The new manager has good internal monitoring systems. However, external monitoring lacks evaluation and does not identity areas of development for the home. Furthermore, the manager does not ensure that the independent person’s report sets out the independent person’s opinions as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. As a result, external monitoring is not effective in supporting the continuous improvement of the home.

p.9

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.

p.9

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: SC447930 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Warrington Borough Council, Children’s Services Directorate, New Town House, Buttermarket Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 2NJ

p.10

Inspector

Sarah Billett: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC447930 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11