Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 1 SC035998 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people are making progress. This is an accomplishment given the complexities of the young people and the changing group dynamic of the children and young people living in the home. The progress made is individual to each of the young people. For example, a young person who was afraid of dentists attended the dentist for required treatment. Other young people are enjoying increased contact with their families and friends.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where possible, the children and young people experience planned discharges and transitions from the home. Planning for transitions has been developed to ensure that the children and young people move into their new homes with all of their personal possessions. Children and young people appreciate the importance and significance of this improved practice. Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 2 The young people who have come to live in the home have experienced planned moves. There is clear consideration given to the complexities of the current group dynamic of the young people. Measures are being implemented to minimise the impact upon anyone in the home when placement decisions are made. Lessons have been learned from past admissions. Current moves are planned and in line with the home‘s statement of purpose, and incorporate a clear impact risk assessment with information from a multitude of sources. The staff now confidently say that they have the skills to support

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

the young people who have been admitted, and that by working together they can help these young people to make progress and improve outcomes.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people are experiencing improved routines and boundaries. Although these are being implemented by the staff, it has been identified that some of the young people continue to display a mixed response to a consistent and beneficial routine. When the young people do engage with routines, it has a positive impact on their education attendance, and improves the forming of relationships with the staff. It is possible that this consistent approach is being negatively affected by the evident staffing deficit. Measures have been implemented to ensure that any agency workers who are employed consistently are familiar to the young people, and are knowledgeable about their care plans. The reliance on temporary staff is causing a shift imbalance, whereby more agency staff than permanent staff are being used.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are not routinely responding to potential safeguarding concerns, and are therefore leaving the young people vulnerable to potential risks that could impact upon their safety. When the staff receive information about the young people that could raise concerns, they are not following this up. For example, staff have not consistently taken action when young people have been missing from education; when young people have returned home with gifts; and when young people have not been contactable while out and away from the home. Notifications sent to HMCI of significant incidents do not consistently provide evidence of the actions that the staff are taking to maintain the safety of the young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are actively working with professionals and families to ensure that the identified needs of the young people can be met. The manager is advocating for the young people and this is inclusive of escalating concerns when plans are not being followed or actions are not being undertaken by various agencies. As a result, there have been evident improvements for the young people regarding the time they spend with their friends and families. For one young person, this has enabled the exploration of reunion with his parent.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has implemented an improvement plan for the home to ensure that the care practices that are used continue to grow and develop. This record provides clarity around the manager‘s priorities for the upcoming period. It is this clarity and planning that was absent from the manager‘s regulation 45 report. Despite some clear improvements, there remain some shortfalls in the maintenance of young people‘s records that could impact upon them directly. There are gaps in the restraint records that make it difficult to understand why certain measures have been used. These gaps were not identified through the management oversight of this crucial record. Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 3 The manager has built upon the needs of the home as identified at the last inspection. He has met the requirement and recommendations set. He has improved systems in order to address the recording deficits that were highlighted in staff supervision and

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

these records now provide an account of the staff‘s reflections on the way that they care for young people. However, the staff team is not receiving regular supervision as expected by the organisation. Therefore, although previous requirements and recommendations were met, additional ones have been set to address the current deficits and areas for improvement.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/12/2016 Interim Not judged 31/08/2016 Interim Not judged 18/01/2016 Full Requires improvement

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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, the 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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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— details of the child‘s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; and details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. Within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (―the authorised person‖)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and 16/02/2018 Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 4 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(b)(i)(ii)) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirements Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children‘s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(b)(c)(5)) 16/02/2018

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Requirements Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(iii)(vi)) 16/02/2018

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Recommendations

 Regulation 40(4) requires the registered person to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)–(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)) (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 63, paragraph 14.10). This is with particular reference to ensuring that Ofsted receives the required information in a notification to evidence the actions that the staff have taken to ensure that children and young people are kept safe and are protected.  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the

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Recommendations

needs of the children assigned to their care (‗Guide to the children‘s homes Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 5 regulations including the quality standards‘, page 61, paragraph 13.2). This is with particular reference to all the staff receiving regular supervision.  No more than half the staff on duty at any one time, by day or night at the home should be from an external agency. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 54, paragraph 10.17)

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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‘.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC035998 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 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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