Children's Home run by Woodside House Care Ltd in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 1 SC357455

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home 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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Information about this children’s home

The home is a private children’s home, owned and managed by a family partnership.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 November 2017

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager and staff provide young people with a real sense of home in a warm, welcoming and nurturing family environment.  Young people are extremely complimentary about the care and support that they receive from the manager and staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 2  Young people continue to make good, and in some cases exceptional progress in most areas of their lives. Young people are proud to share the achievements that they have made while living in this home.  Parents and professionals confirm that the manager and staff know and understand young people well. They contribute this to the ongoing progress that young people continue to make.  Staff understand young people well. Staff confirm that they enjoy spending time with young people and watching them grow and flourish.  The manager understands the strengths and areas for development for all of the young people and the home. He has suitable plans in place to ensure that

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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

 The manager must ensure that young people’s dignity, privacy and safety are fully maintained when they are staying away from the home and the sleeping arrangements have been fully shared, considered, assessed and agreed by parents, young people and placing local authorities prior to this occurring.  Staff should be supported to conduct meaningful direct work with young people to enable them to become increasingly safe.  The manager must ensure that the staff are provided with sufficient training and supervision arrangements and that staff attain the required childcare qualifications.  The manager should ensure that accurate and complete records are kept of any complaints or safeguarding incidents and that these records identify any actions taken. Arrangements must also be made to ensure that those who are involved in any of these incidents are not involved in any part of the investigation process.

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Key findings from this inspection

 All staff, including the independent visitor, should ensure that their records are written in a way that is helpful to the child and written in a non-stigmatising way.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Outstanding 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 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

(1) In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that children are protected from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(2) In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that–

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Requirement Due date

(b) 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.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regards to ensuring that there are clear written risk management plans in place, which have been shared with placing local authorities, young people and parents, identifying how young people will be safeguarded and have their privacy respected when they spend time sleeping away from the home. 29/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual has the appropriate qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. An individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualifications if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England). The relevant date is in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32(2)(3)(b)(4)(a)(5)(b)) 29/12/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. This procedure must provide that no person who is subject of a complaint takes part in its consideration or investigation, and the registered person must ensure that a record of any complaints, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(2)(3)) 29/12/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 4

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Recommendations

 Children in residential care usually live in a group environment, and so it is particularly important that they can spend time away from other group members. Staff should respect children’s privacy and support the other children living in the home to do so. In doing so, each child should have their own personal space which will usually be their bedroom. Children should have separate bedrooms and should not share a bedroom with an adult or other young people who are not their sibling. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraphs 3.17, 3.18 and 3.19)

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Recommendations

This is in particular regards to ensuring that young people’s dignity, privacy and safety are fully maintained when they are staying away from the home and the sleeping arrangements have been fully shared, considered, assessed and agreed by parents, young people and placing local authorities prior to this occurring.  Staff should support young people to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help young people to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected, and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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Recommendations

This is in particular regards to ensuring that the staff conduct meaningful direct work with young people which enables them to understand how to keep themselves safe from the known risks associated with their identified behaviour.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in training and development of staff. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

This is in particular regards to ensuring that the staff are provided with training opportunities on supporting young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and supporting young people who may display sexualised behaviour.  Ensure that the registered person has systems in place so that all staff receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Specifically, that supervision takes place at regular intervals  Staff, including the independent visitor, should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and 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

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Recommendations

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) Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A real strength of the staff and manager at the home is the capacity to create an environment that enables the young people to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. Young people who live in this home have benefited from prolonged placements with minimal disruption as no young people have joined or left this home since the last full inspection. Young people confirm that they benefit greatly from the close and supportive family environment that is provided by the registered manager, responsible individual and two full-time staff members. The restricted numbers of staff entering the home enables the young people to build trusted and supported relationships with the staff, who evidently know and understand young people’s needs and vulnerabilities implicitly. Young people speak fondly of their carers and are confident that they can rely on them at times of difficulty. Young people confirm that these positive

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

relationships and ongoing support have assisted them to make great strides forward in meeting their own individual targets and goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Throughout the inspection, it was evident that young people receive a high standard of care and have developed positive relationships with each other and the adults caring for them. Young people present as happy and relaxed in their home, and spoke politely to the inspector, each other, and the manager and staff. Young people continue to benefit from a range of excellent opportunities that support them in their ongoing development. This clearly enhances their lives, broadens their horizons and gives them positive memories. This was confirmed by one young person, who wrote, ‘The staff have helped me to become more independent, more confident, make friends, enjoy education and enjoy life overall.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team successfully enhances young people’s enjoyment of life through their positive engagement in activities. Young people speak extremely positively about the wide range of trips and experiences that they benefit from while living in this home. Young people enjoy regular trips to music concerts and theatre productions, and are encouraged to pursue their own individual interests and hobbies. Some of the young people participate in regular community-based activities such as drama school, while others are enabled to continue their involvement in their local authorities’ children’s participation groups and with local charity organisations. These opportunities enable the young people to develop their skills and abilities and increase their self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Detailed, child-focused placement and healthcare plans provide strong evidence that young people’s needs are known, understood and managed well. The manager regularly reviews, updates and shares these plans with placing social workers. Staff support young people to maintain good emotional and psychological health, which enables young people to become increasingly resilient. Young people confirm that they feel valued as individuals and benefit from living in a family home where staff show a keen interest in their welfare, spend time with them each day and want them to do well. Young people continue to maintain good physical health as staff ensure that they keep up to date with Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 6 routine health checks and seek medical attention as required. Consequently, young people continue to benefit from good health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and responsible individual strongly advocate for young people. This ensures that young people receive the services and support that they require. Good links with the placing authorities, schools and the virtual head ensure that any barriers to learning are quickly identified and sufficiently addressed. This, and positive and effective working relationships with young people, ensures that young people who were reluctant to attend education before moving to the home now enjoy school, attend regularly and make extremely good progress. In addition, those who took formal examinations last summer have passed the vast majority of their exams and now access further education in accordance with their wishes. These positive education achievements open up a range of career and employment opportunities to young people when they transition into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported well by the staff to maintain positive relationships with their family members. Staff are very aware of the fluid family dynamics that some young people share with those who are important to them. Staff offer young people support and guidance in developing and maintaining these relationships and offer a good level of emotional support and assistance when these relationships become strained. Consequently, young people’s sense of identity is strengthened and they maintain a good level of contact with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with young people is excellent. Young people feel valued and fully involved in all discussions and decisions about their daily lives and care. Young people actively participate in family house meetings that influence the daily life of the home. Young people have a say in the activities and holidays that they enjoy, and they are actively involved in menu planning. Young people know that staff respect and value their views and feelings. This ongoing consultation and active involvement in their lives ensures that young people remain central to their care planning and enables them to feel empowered and more confident to be involved in the important decisions that affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to learn and develop their life skills satisfactorily. Young people become increasingly self-sufficient in line with their age and abilities. Staff support young people to consider their personal hygiene and personal space, such as their bedrooms and communal living areas, so that young people can manage and maintain these areas to acceptable levels. Young people help with shopping and are encouraged to budget, and receive support to think about saving some of their money. This, along with gaining practical skills in washing, ironing and cooking, all equips young people to prepare for a successful transition into adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Although the manager and staff complete sufficient safeguarding training and understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities in keeping young people safe, further consideration and action are required by the manager to ensure that young Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 7 people receive a good level of safe care at all times.

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improvement to be good

The manager has failed to fully record, consider, investigate and inform the placing authority of a complaint that a young person has made against a member of staff. Although the manager accepts that this incident occurred, he has failed to share this information with the placing social worker. Furthermore, poor record-keeping prevents the regulator from assessing the safeguarding arrangements within the home as the records pertaining to this incident are not clearly recorded. Therefore, the regulator is not clear how this has been addressed and followed up with the member of staff concerned and the young person, or what learning has been taken from this. In addition, when complaints or allegations are made against the manager, the manager and the responsible individual, who is the manager’s wife, undertake internal investigations. This practice is open to challenge as there is no independent oversight or scrutiny to ensure

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improvement to be good

that practice is safe and suitable for young people and staff. This compromises the welfare and safety of young people and staff.

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improvement to be good

The manager has failed to safeguard young people and staff sufficiently when young people are supported to go away on holiday. This is because the manager, responsible individual, their daughter and a member of staff have all shared bedrooms in different configurations with young people. These arrangements have not been clearly communicated and shared with the placing local authorities and young people’s parents. In addition, there are no clear written risk management plans in place, identifying how young people will be safeguarded and have their privacy respected when they spend time sleeping away from the home. Again, this compromises the welfare and safety of young people and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the dangers associated with the online world and do their best to keep young people safe from these. Parental control software supports the staff to monitor young people’s use of the internet. This, along with the close supervision by staff and internet agreements made with young people, demonstrates the commitment that the manager and staff have in keeping young people safe online. That said, there is limited evidence of how staff enable the young people to become increasingly safe, as limited direct work with young people on these particular areas is evident. Young people live in a large, comfortable detached home that is maintained to a very high standard. A range of routine health and safety checks are carried out, which enhances the safety and welfare of young people and staff.

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improvement to be good

Young people are clear about the rules and expectations placed upon them, and confirmed during the inspection that they feel that these household rules are fair. Staff act as role models for positive behaviours and they provide clear direction and support to maintain positive peer relationships. The staff’s detailed understanding of the group dynamics, their fair treatment and prompt, sound advice ensure that there are no incidents of bullying.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff are aware of young people’s risks and vulnerabilities, and work well with the young people to ensure that they feel safe in the home. Young people Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 8 confirm that they feel safe and supported by the manager and staff, and say that they can discuss and share any issues or worries safely. Consequently, young people’s safety is enhanced as they do not engage in any high-risk behaviours.

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

No requirements or recommendations were made at the last inspection.

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

The registered manager and the responsible individual, own, manage and staff this home. Both have been in post since the home was registered in 2008 and have the necessary qualifications, skills and experience to perform these duties. Two full-time staff members who support the young people during the weekends support the management team, who manage and run the home from Monday afternoon until Friday morning. The management team has access to additional regular bank staff who know and understand the young people’s needs well.

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

The restricted number of competent, experienced and qualified permanent staff ensures that young people receive a high standard of personalised care. This ensures that the commitments that are identified within the home’s recently updated statement of purpose are fulfilled.

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

The management team can clearly articulate the progress that young people make. The management team values young people as individuals and is committed to giving each young person the opportunities and experiences that are available to their peers. This ensures that young people continue to benefit from improved outcomes and enhances childhood experiences while living in this home.

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

Young people receive good care and support from a very small and dedicated staff team. The manager has ensured that all his permanent staff have the required childcare qualifications to perform their roles well. However, the manager has yet to ensure that the one remaining member of bank staff, who has been carrying out their childcare roles within this home since 2009, achieves this within the required timeframe.

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

Although the management team encourages staff to identify their own training needs, the manager has yet to secure bespoke training to ensure that young people’s individual and specific needs can be considered and managed effectively. For example, the manager has not provided staff with any training opportunities on supporting young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or supporting young people who may display sexualised behaviour.

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

The registered manager and responsible individual have sourced appropriate resources to ensure that they receive regular support and supervision. Although staff confirm that the management team has an open door policy and do communicate with them regularly, records viewed identify that supervision arrangements for the staff are poor. Some staff have only experienced four supervisions in a 12-month period and others have experienced gaps of three months. This does not support staff to develop, consider and reflect on their practice, so that they can continue to improve their care and support Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 9 for young people.

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

The registered manager demonstrates a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development for the home because he has suitable systems in place to monitor and review the quality of service provided. Although this knowledge and information informs the home’s development plan to secure continued improvement, the external monitoring processes are insufficient at supporting the manager to develop the services further. This is because the monthly visits by the independent person do not routinely identify further areas for improvement. Furthermore, the language in these reports is not child- focused and is defamatory in parts. This is unhelpful and unnecessary for young people, their families and other agencies to read, and does not reflect rigorous independent and impartial oversight which supports the manager to make continued improvements.

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

The manager and responsible individual advocate for young people well. They are not fearful of challenging services to ensure that young people receive the services that they require quickly. The manager and responsible individual have nurtured strong, effective and positive working relationships with young people, parents and their partner agencies who are all extremely complimentary about the level of care, support and services that are offered in this home. One professional wrote, ‘I have found this to be an excellent placement to work with. My young person settled really well and has made the change with the support and encouragement of the staff team. [Name] and [name] are an excellent team and clearly have the child’s best interest at the centre of all their decision-making. They work extremely well with all of the professionals, family members and all involved in a young person’s life. The home is warm and welcoming and it’s a

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

pleasure to visit our young person in this placement.’ A young person confirmed this by writing, ‘I feel loved and cared for because if I’ve got upset they are always by your side to comfort you.’

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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: SC357455 10

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Hayton-Gregg

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Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357455 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 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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