Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 1 SC036023 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority children‟s home provides short breaks for up to eight children or young people who have learning and/or physical disabilities.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 2

p.1

Key findings from this inspection

 The children and young people receive individualised care which meets their needs.  The staff work together to ensure that the children and young people are happy and enjoy their time when they are staying in the home.  The families and carers of the children and young people are confident that their children are safe and looked after well when they are staying at the home.  The manager is instigating new developments which will further improve the quality of the service provided.

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

p.2

Key findings from this inspection

 There is not yet sufficient focus on the contribution the home is making to the progress of the children and young people. As a result, there are missed opportunities for the children and young people to develop new skills.  The views of parents, carers, the placing authority and others are not gathered systematically in order to inform an evaluation of service and promote improvements.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Outstanding 02/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 3

p.2

Statutory requirements

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 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; 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(1)(2)(5)) 31/07/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 Children‟s homes staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home‟s plan for their care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 31, paragraph 6.4) In particular, engage all the children and young people in direct work and use this and other available information to evaluate progress and set new goals.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team has a sound knowledge of the needs of the children and young people Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 4 who stay at the home. The staff cater well for the children‟s and young people‟s individual needs, likes and dislikes. This enables those children and young people who need very specific routines to settle quickly. The children and young people form solid attachments to the staff, which families and carers appreciate. The staff also provide families with guidance and support when necessary, particularly around transitions to adult services.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have being particularly effective in challenging the local authority about the planning for young people who are about to reach the age of 18 years. A working group has been established to advance this issue and to implement ways in which the home can strengthen its role in the transition of young people. This will reduce stress for the young people and their families at what can be a challenging time.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff treat the children and young people with dignity and respect. They prepare wall displays and photo albums celebrating their achievements. This helps them to develop a positive self-view. Goals aimed at helping the children and young people to learn new skills are identified. However, there is not yet sufficient focus on the progress the children and young people make, so that they can build on these new skills and move forward.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The majority of the children and young people are non-verbal and the staff use alternative methods of communication, such as Makaton and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), to communicate with them. The staff have recognised that their performance in this area can be enhanced and a group of staff is looking at ways in which to do this. Some staff have attended advanced Makaton training, and are working towards being accredited to train other staff.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoy a range of activities within the home and in the community, such as soft play, art and craft, and going to the beach. One parent said that her child is always packing his suitcase to indicate that he wants to visit the home.

p.4

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

Any risks to the children and young people are identified. There are individualised risk assessments in place to inform the staff about how to mitigate identified risks. The assessments are kept under constant review. Because of the nature of their needs, all of the children and young people require constant supervision to keep them safe. This supervision, along with appropriate security on doors, means that they do not go missing from the home.

p.4

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

Because the staff understand each child‟s and young person‟s anxieties, they are able to divert them from becoming distressed or agitated, and therefore do not need to use physical restraint very often. When it has had to be used, it has been to protect children and young people from hurting themselves, and has been recorded and evaluated correctly. Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 5 Medication procedures are thorough. There are safeguards in place to ensure that the children and young people receive their medication as required. The staff have been trained to administer PEG feeds safely and hygienically.

p.4

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

The staff teach the children and young people about using the internet safely and what to do if they encounter bullying.

p.5

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

The manager is aware of the increased risks that children and young people who have learning disabilities face in relation to safeguarding, which has led to vigilance and scrutiny in these areas. This helps the home to protect the children and young people more effectively.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager has taken up his post in the last six months. He is taking a considered approach to his role, by building up relationships with the children and young people, their families and carers, and the staff team. He has identified areas where the service can be enhanced, such as developing communication and transition. He is challenging the placing authority as appropriate to ensure that the home complies with regulations.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has also had a number of new staff. Because of the number of established, experienced staff, this has not had a negative impact on the children and young people. The staff team has welcomed the fresh impetus from new members. A member of staff said: „I think it is good to have new people to keep us up to date and they have new ideas.‟

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior management team ensures that the plans for individual children and young people comprehensively identify their needs. Documents are reviewed regularly and changes are communicated to staff. This results in the children and young people receiving consistent care that is in line with their needs and with the home‟s statement of purpose.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although attempts are made to gather the views of the children and young people through consultation, this approach is not used methodically in order to inform the evaluation of the service. There are no systems in place for gathering the views of parents and carers, the placing authority and other agencies. This limits the feedback available to the manager when he reviews the quality of the service, leading to missed opportunities to improve practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is suitably qualified, and is supported by regular supervision that focuses on the needs of the children and young people. The staff have annual appraisals and attend a wide variety of training courses. The manager is keen to enable the staff to take more responsibility for improving practice, such as strengthening methods of communication and transitions in and out of the home. This supports good-quality care and continuing professional development. Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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: SC036023 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

p.7

Children’s home details

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

p.7

Inspector

Janet Black: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC036023 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8