Children's home run by Bristol City Council

Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 1 SC034100 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 local authority children’s home is registered for up to five children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home’s long-term future is currently under review. The local authority is considering several options for new premises. The timescale has not yet been determined.

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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 improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the full inspection on 17 August 2017, the home was rated ‘requires improvement to be good’. Leadership and management were inadequate because the home had been without a registered manager for 29 weeks.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The last inspection found that the lack of consistent leadership had been unsettling for the young people. Staff shortages had meant that there was insufficient time for management tasks. This had a negative effect on risk management, care planning and health and safety checks.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There was also a lack of staff recruitment information. The young people’s bathrooms Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 2 required refurbishment. This was the subject of a requirement at three successive inspections.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The prospective registered manager had been in post for a short period when the full inspection took place, but had already identified significant shortfalls in the home’s management systems. She inherited a large backlog of work that urgently required completion. The manager consulted with the young people and staff, and planned a campaign of improvement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The most significant development for the home since the last inspection is the manager’s registration with Ofsted in September 2017. Registration has helped to consolidate the manager’s position in the home, and has empowered her to make substantial changes.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The inspector met two young people during the inspection. One is a long-term resident and the other is a relatively recent admission. Both expressed that they were okay, and that they considered the home to be a good place to live.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young people’s progress has been variable. Since the last inspection, the home has accepted the placement of a young person who has had a very large number of previous placements. There were sound reasons why he needed to be placed in his home city. On the positive side, this young person started to work with the staff and respond to their efforts to keep in touch with him when he returned to the home very late most nights. He started to form positive relationships with the staff.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Towards the end of this placement, the young person’s behaviour became very risky. He engaged in criminal activity, including the misuse of drugs. He was targeted by other young people in the community. He became very aggressive towards the staff team. This meant that his placement became too hazardous to sustain.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In spite of this, the registered manager and staff helped this young person to make a planned move to a private provider of his choice. This was the first planned placement ending he had experienced in many years. The staff member who helped him to move said that the home had made some progress with this young person and that he was beginning to respond to the staff. For the majority of his placement, he was not showing any signs of violence towards staff and this only happened when he wanted to be moved. Through their skills in working with young people, the staff persuaded him that he did not have to show this kind of behaviour to engineer a move, and let him know that instead they would work with him to achieve it.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Another young person, who has lived in the home for many years, did not enjoy this young man’s presence in the home. Even though both were on two-to-one staffing, some of the young people felt that they were receiving insufficient staff time. This led to an increase in negative behaviours. Now that the other young person has moved on, this situation has stabilised again.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Another young person is approaching independence, and is working well with the staff.He has made progress and was recently recognised for his achievement in personal Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 3 development, during the local authority’s award ceremony.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Another young person has made good progress. He is currently undertaking an apprenticeship, and is doing well. The staff have helped this young man to benefit from improvements in his relationships with his family.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has one newly admitted young person. The prospective placement was planned and risk assessed well, even though the young person eventually arrived in an emergency. It is early days for this placement. The registered manager is vigilant in her monitoring of relationships between the young people in the home. So far, there have been no major difficulties.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the manager has been registered with Ofsted. This marks a turning point for the home. The improvements seen during this inspection are all related to the quality of the home’s management.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager is a qualified social worker with considerable experience in working with children and young people. She has enrolled for her level 5 award in leadership and management.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is reflective, and is able to learn from experience. She has a very positive and open relationship with Ofsted and other agencies. Since her arrival, she has led her staff team very well. She has approached the numerous incidents in the home with calmness and professionalism. This gives the staff and the young people confidence in the manager’s leadership skills.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff and young people have welcomed the registered manager into her role. One member of staff commented, ‘I enjoy working at [the home], we work well as a team, we have great relationships with our young people, we care for them and want the best outcomes for them.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a considerable number of incidents since the last inspection. There have been 26 notifications to Ofsted relating to serious safeguarding concerns. The overwhelming majority of these involved one young person who has now moved on.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and the staff have acted correctly at all times to keep the young people in the home safe from harm. They escalate concerns to other professionals and work very well with all agencies to help and support the young people. In spite of the seriousness of the incidents, there is no evidence of any shortfall in professional practice. The registered manager and staff have shown extraordinary resilience in coping with some very challenging situations.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A police officer who came to the home during the inspection said that he could not fault the manager and staff. He commented on the excellent communication that they maintain with the police in order to help protect the young people. The positive relationships between the home and the police help the young people to build productive relationships and mutual trust. Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 4 There have been only two restraints since the last inspection. Both were managed safely, and were necessary in order to protect staff or the young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has received several complaints from the young people. These are all related to the frustrations of living in a community of five. Complaints are investigated thoroughly and resolved, and feedback is provided for the young person concerned.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has made progress on all five requirements from the last inspection. Four of the requirements have been met in full. Through no fault of the manager, one requirement is not yet fully met, and has been repeated.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality and purpose of care standard is now met. The two bathrooms have not been refurbished as required, because the home is due to be demolished, but they have now been decorated. The ceilings of the bathroom, shower and the upstairs toilet have been painted. New bathroom furniture and decorative items have been purchased and the shower curtain has been replaced. This makes them fit for purpose while long-term plans are made for the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement was made under the child protection quality standard. The registered manager has reviewed the systems for maintaining risk assessments, incident reports and safeguarding records. All risk assessments have been updated, and are now part of the manager’s monthly checks. Each young person now has one risk assessment which clearly describes any risks to them and to others. Incidents are kept in a separate folder, with a running record and any notification to Ofsted. This enables the registered manager to monitor these incidents closely. This requirement is now met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The requirement made under the leadership and management quality standard is also met. This requirement related to insufficient staffing levels, a missed fire safety check and updating care plans and risk assessments.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home is now fully staffed. The local authority has provided funding for additional staff to support the young people over the past few months. The staff have worked extra shifts, and have been supported by colleagues from another children’s home which is currently closed. This has meant that the home no longer has to use agency staff to make up the numbers required on each shift. Consequently, the young people receive better continuity of care. The registered manager also has more time to oversee the home. As a result, all health and safety checks are fully monitored and complete.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A requirement was made to improve the young people’s records. The registered manager has responded well to this requirement, and has worked hard to update the placement plans.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The fifth requirement was to ensure that the staff recruitment files contain all of the information required by regulation. The registered manager carried out a full audit. She requested missing documents from the human resources department. Not all of the missing documents can be located. The shortfalls with the staff files are not unique to this home. Similar weaknesses have been found in two other homes operated by the Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 5 local authority. The requirement has been repeated.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

One new recommendation has been made. This is because a young person had requested an advocate. He still does not have one because the staff did not follow this up with the young person.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 04/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 31/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 6 In particular, ensure that all staff files contain full employment history, photograph, two written references and identity information. Ensure that recruitment information on agency staff is available to the home’s manager and that overseas staff can produce evidence of good conduct in their home countries. (Regulation 32(1)(2) and (3)(d)).

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Recommendation(s)

 Ensure that children and young people have access to an advocate. Advocacy is the process of representing the views, wishes and feelings of the child in matters which affect the child, or, of enabling the child to express their views, wishes and feelings themselves. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.4)

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: James Beardall Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 7 Registered manager: Katja Allsop

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Inspector

Heather Chaplin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034100 8 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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