Children's Home run by Shropshire Council in Shropshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 1 SC382730 Registered provider: Shropshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides short-break care and accommodation services for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 29 to 30 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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy their short-break experiences because they feel safe and well cared for.  Young people rarely go missing.  The use of physical intervention is low. Behaviour is managed well.  Relationships between staff and young people are excellent.  Young people make friends easily and have positive experiences.  Staff go the extra mile to provide young people with access to a range of activities that they enjoy.  Young people are safe and can relax while giving their parents/carers/siblings a welcome break.  Diversity within the staff team provides young people with good role models.  Staff retention is excellent and this provides young people with stable and consistent care.

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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 does not challenge placing authorities when they do not provide the necessary documentation for young people.  The manager does not ensure that activity risk assessments are in place.  The manager does not ensure that a representative attends meetings for young people who are looked after.  The manager does not ensure that all young people participate in a fire drill.  The manager does not keep all records up to date.  The manager does not notify Ofsted of all significant events.  The independent visitor‟s reports do not provide sufficient information to inform the manager about how effectively young people are safeguarded, or whether the conduct of the home promotes the young people‟s welfare.  The manager does not review the homely remedies to ensure that they are compatible with any prescribed medication young people may be taking. Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/12/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff— 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 or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‟s needs are met in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans (Regulation 5(c)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager to challenge the placing authority when young people‟s social workers fail to provide the relevant documentation for young people. 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that 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 (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)).

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that activity risk assessments contain sufficient information about any risks the activity poses and strategies in place to minimise these risks. 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must comply with requests by the child‟s placing authority to provide a suitable representative to attend any meeting the placing authority may hold about the child. (Regulation 17(3)(b)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25(1)(d)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b) Schedule 4(1)(b)(f)) 31/01/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 5 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(e)) 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. (Regulation 44(a)(b)) 31/01/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered person makes suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. Where the home has questions or concerns about a child‟s medication, they should approach an expert such as a General Medical Practitioner, community pharmacist or designated nurse for looked-after children. („Guide to the children‟s home‟s regulations including the quality standards‟, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy their short-break experiences. This is because the home provides an environment in which young people can relax, make friends and take advantage of opportunities they may not experience if they were at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the staff and young people are excellent. Young people also get on well with each other, regardless of the differences in age or ability. Young people benefit from a diverse range of friendships. This helps young people to respect and appreciate that everyone is different.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager said, „The group dynamic is better. It is effective because we are now doing assessments weekly. Before, some kids were placed together that were a risk. Staff are more mindful about what impacts children on their short break. It helps to identify any issues. This makes young people have a better experience.‟ Because of improved planning and preparation, young people enjoy their stays alongside other young people who they are compatible with. This improves their experiences and safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet young people‟s health needs well overall. Staff make sure that medication is administered appropriately, and that consents are in place. However, the records of young people who require prescribed medications do not provide details from general practitioners or medical professionals to confirm that these medications have no contraindications to the homely remedies that the home provides. To date, this has not Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 6 had any impact on young people, but it has the potential to do so. A recommendation is raised to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with access to a range of activities that they enjoy. Sometimes requests for activities at short notice from young people may appear to be a challenge. However, this does not stop the staff from going the extra mile to make sure that the young people are able to participate in activities of their choosing. For example, two young people wanted to go swimming. Rather than say no, the staff provided swimwear to enable the young people to go. Young people have wonderful opportunities that help them to enjoy themselves. A young person said, „I have been here about five times now. It is better than staying at home. You get to go out more. I go to the cinema and swimming. I go to the seaside. I went to Wales.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who stay at the home for short breaks still attend their education provisions. Staff make sure that young people are up on time, ready for the journey to school. A young person said, „Still have to go to school. I get driven to school and I am on time. I have a paid school meal. We all have our own books; we write down what we have done and enjoyed.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop their independence skills. Staff encourage young people to clean up after themselves. Young people help out with tasks such as washing up after meals, keeping their bedrooms tidy and general household chores. As a result, young people learn to take responsibility for their own belongings and the home they stay in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager does not ensure that a representative from the home attends review meetings for those young people who are „looked after‟. The manager does not receive invitations from the social workers to inform him of these events. However, the manager does not always chase up placing authority social workers to ensure that they know when meetings are taking place, so that they can plan accordingly. As a result, information is not being shared readily between external agencies to inform all aspects of young people‟s care planning.

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

Young people feel safe while using the short-break service. Because young people trust the staff and feel settled in the environment, they rarely place themselves at risk.

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

Staff do not always assess risk before taking young people out on activities. Because staff are not provided with enough information to assess each young person‟s ability to engage in and enjoy certain activities, the risk of injury increases. For example, trained staff provide yoga sessions to help young people relax and meditate. However, the risk assessment for this activity only addresses the use of a candle and does not identify anything about the task itself. This does not keep young people safe from accidents or injury.

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

Not all young people take part in a fire drill. Staff talk them through the evacuation Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 7 process during the admission stage. However, this does not guarantee that they know how to react in the event of an emergency situation. Because they have not practised how to exit the building safely, young people may be at risk in the event of a fire evacuation.

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

Young people rarely go missing from care. A young person said, „I don‟t run away.‟ When missing-from-care incidents do occur, staff are vigilant in their response. The staff work in close partnership with the police. This helps young people to return home quickly and safely. A staff member said, „When young people go missing, we search the local area and the home. Staff will go out and look for them. Young people have a missing- from-care protocol. An independent social worker completes the return home interview.‟

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

Young people are safe from the risk of child sexual exploitation while on their short- break stays. Staff take preventative steps to keep young people safe, including educating young people about how to keep themselves safe from harm.

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

Staff have a positive approach to managing behaviour. They have a clear understanding of each young person‟s needs and this helps them to communicate effectively with the young people. Because they understand the young people‟s needs well, the staff can de- escalate challenging situations effectively. As a result, the use of physical intervention is often not needed. Staff use praise and rewards to reinforce positive behaviour. Sanctions are also used as a way of helping young people to recognise that their actions have consequences. As a result, young people gain respect for themselves, each other and their environment.

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

The home is maintained to a good standard. The staff undertake regular health and safety monitoring checks. This keeps the home free from hazards and enables young people to live in a safe environment.

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

The manager holds a suitable level 5 diploma in the management and care of young people. All staff hold a suitable level 3 qualification in caring for children and young people. The retention of staff is excellent. The manager has retained the same staff team since the home opened. Staff rarely leave because they are dedicated, passionate and committed. As a result, young people receive stable and consistent care.

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

Social workers, parents, staff and young people speak about the manager with high regard. The manager is inspirational in his approach to young people‟s care. A diverse team provides good role models for young people. The team dynamics are exceptional and staff work extremely well together. The staff receive good support from the manager and have regular supervision. This allows them to reflect on their practice.

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

The manager has not taken any action to challenge placing authority social workers when they do not provide the required documentation for young people who are looked after. The manager has implemented his own care plans. However, this does not Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 8 guarantee that young people receive care in line with the placing authority‟s aims and objectives.

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

The manager does not keep all records up to date. For example, the admission and discharge record does not contain information about young people‟s legal status or the date they left the service. As a result, data collected for the purpose of monitoring is inaccurate. Furthermore, the short-break care planning document still refers to the use of bedroom door alarms, even though these are not routinely used. This has the potential to mislead young people and parents about the measures in place for monitoring young people‟s safety.

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

The manager does not inform all of the relevant people when a significant event occurs. For example, no notification was made to Ofsted when a young person was arrested for causing damage to the home, or when a young person was admitted to hospital. This has the potential to delay any response from Ofsted that may be necessary to ensure that appropriate action has been taken to keep young people safe.

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

The independent visitor does not effectively monitor the home. The reports are weak because they do not contain sufficient information about how effectively young people are safeguarded, or whether the conduct of the home promotes children‟s welfare. This does not protect young people. Furthermore, weak monitoring reports do not effectively inform the manager of the home‟s strengths and any areas for development. This limits the capacity of the home to improve.

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

The manager has addressed the requirements made at the last inspection. The gym equipment is now serviced annually, a risk assessment of the tasks involved in caring for the chickens has been undertaken, and a revised copy of the home‟s statement of purpose has been sent to Ofsted.

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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: SC382730 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 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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