Children's Home run by Bristol City Council in Bristol

Inspection report children’s home: SC034184 1 SC034184 Registered provider: Bristol City Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural needs. The home is operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged as requiring improvement to be good at the last full inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the previous full inspection, one young person has left the home. This was appropriate due to the young person’s increasingly unsafe behaviour and constant violence and aggression towards the staff, which was escalating. One young person recently moved in to the home and is settling in well. The young person is building trusting relationships with the staff. This was observed during an evening meal, where the young person cooked a meal for all of the staff and the other young people and was highly praised by all for the quality of her cooking.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has recently been registered with Ofsted. She has high aspirations for the young people and the staff and has a commitment to driving further improvement in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC034184 2 One area that remains in need of improvement is record keeping. Records are not in any consistent order.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person’s care plan does not contain aims and targets. The plan does not clearly document the young person’s care needs and how the staff are to meet these needs. The young people, the staff and the manager can describe the progress and achievements of the young people, but this is not clearly documented. This is important so that the young people and others are able to see the record of the progress they have made since coming to the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The four young people in the home are all waiting to start a new school, college or employment. Start dates have been agreed for later this month. Until then, the young people are participating in educational work set by the school, or independent living qualifications. However, activity planners are not up to date; the staff are not clear about what they should be doing and achieving with the young people each day. The young people do not have a daily routine, and expectations about when they should be participating in purposeful activities are not clear.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have succeeded in providing stable and long-term care for the three young people who have lived at the home for one, two and three years respectively. Two of the young people are preparing to move out of the home to live independently and have made progress since arriving at the home. One young person said: ‘I have lived here for three-and-a-half years. My temper is much better. I am better at calming down.’ Her parent said: ‘The staff do a fantastic job. There is good communication with me. She now has a nice boyfriend and doesn’t go missing any more. She is starting college this month.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has, for the first time anywhere that they have lived since coming into care, agreed to unpack their suitcase. Helped by the staff, they have personalised their bedroom with photographs and their belongings. They have more confidence and are now taking pride in their appearance. They no longer continually swear and with the support of staff are rebuilding their relationship with their family. Another young person is no longer self-harming and going missing. They now have the confidence to go out of the home on their own.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person recently arrived to live at the home in an emergency situation. Although planning and full consideration of the mix of the young people was not possible at the time, this has now been undertaken and demonstrates an appropriate match of young people in the home. Before coming to the home, the young person was continually going missing and engaging in unsafe behaviour. They are now not going missing and have not been putting themselves at risk.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people say that they feel safe at the home and could name a member of staff they would speak to if they felt unsafe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff demonstrate an understanding of the care needs of the young people they look after and prioritise the well-being and safety of the young people. The staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Any safeguarding incidents are promptly reported to Inspection report children’s home: SC034184 3 the relevant safeguarding professionals.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and the staff have worked hard to maintain a homely and well-decorated environment. This is despite extensive damage caused by the young person who has now left the home. The office door has been replaced with a door that has a domestic appearance. The front door still has an institutional-type appearance but the manager plans to replace it with a domestic front door in the near future.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/06/2016 Full Requires improvement 18/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/10/2015 Full Good

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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

Ensure that children take part in and benefit from a range of activities that meet their needs and develop their social interests and skills. (Regulation 9 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that all children are engaged in a daily routine that structures their day and provides a range of purposeful activities. 31/01/2018

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that records are maintained for each child which (a) include the documents and information listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; (b) are kept up to date; and (c) are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 31/01/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC034184 4 In particular, ensure that all children have a case record that includes all required information as listed in Schedule 3. These records must be accessible to the child concerned, offer clear direction to the staff and hold key information that is available to others who have a professional need to see it.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home provides a homely appearance in all areas; in particular that the institutional-type appearance of the front door is improved to provide a homely appearance. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC034184 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bristol City Council, Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, BRISTOL BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034184 6 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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