Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children's home: 1233310 1 Registered provider: Birtenshaw - company number 02978546 Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who may have learning disabilities. It is part of an organisation that includes children’s homes, a short-break service, specialist education provision and adult care homes.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged 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 manager ensures that young people who are new to the home are matched well with those who already live at the home. Good assessment and transition planning ensure that everyone is aware of, and happy with, new young people joining the home. This ensures that a stable, settled and harmonious home environment is maintained for all involved.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are supported well during significant points in their lives. In planning for young people to move on from the home, the manager and staff work well with young people, their families, social workers and adult providers, and ensure that young people’s Inspection report children's home: 1233310 2 views are listened to, taken seriously and acted on. Staff support young people sensitively at these times: they give them pictures and arrange visits to their potential new homes. Thoughtful and effective care planning helps to alleviate any concerns or worries young people may have about their future move.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Positive and effective relationships with education staff ensure that young people continue to make good progress in meeting their individual targets and goals. The staff ensure that all the young people maintain exceptional attendance rates. Staff supplement and encourage young people’s learning outside the school environment. Staff help young people to enhance and develop their life skills in line with their abilities so that they can become more independent. One professional confirmed this and wrote, ‘[Name of young person] educational input is excellent and young people engage well with this,’…They said the following about another young person ‘[Name of young person] is encouraged to tidy up, and meets some independence targets. Young people have made progress in this area.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people receive good care from a knowledgeable and committed staff team and continue to enjoy positive health as a result. They are helped to seek additional health services and support as they are required. Staff are mindful of parents’ worries and alleviate these as best they can by keeping parents fully up to date when any health issues arise.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are dedicated and committed to providing a high standard of care for all young people. They speak fondly of all the young people and understand their needs and vulnerabilities well. The staff work within the constraints of young people’s care plans and risk assessments, and this supports young people to continue to make good progress in all areas of their lives.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The independent visitor supports the manager with improvements at the home. The independent visitor evaluates the experience and progress for young people at the home, and provides the manager with an action plan to improve the services. The manager uses this, her own internal monitoring systems, and the feedback from parents and professionals to ensure ongoing improvements are made in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The one requirement and two recommendations made at the last inspection have been suitably addressed. Young people are encouraged to manage their emotions in a safe way. Staff use physical interventions as a last resort when all other techniques have proven to be unsuccessful. Following the requirement made at the last inspection, the recording of these incidents has now improved and contains all the details outlined in the regulation. The manager, in monitoring and evaluating these records, quickly identifies any learning from these incidents to adapt and change young people’s care plans. The manager now evaluates these events promptly.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has taken suitable action to address both of the recommendations made at the last inspection and now has a workforce development plan. This plan allows the manager to maintain improved oversight of the skills, abilities and training needs of the staff, and ensures that they can access any further training if required. The manager Inspection report children's home: 1233310 3 also uses this accessible information in this plan to support her in progressing the home’s and service development. She has worked well with other agencies to ensure that the home’s missing from homes procedures now take account of the localised multi- agency protocols. However, staff support and supervise young people well, so these procedures and protocols have not been required.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager ensures that complaints and allegations are taken seriously and managed well, and that all safeguarding agencies, including Ofsted, are informed of any concerns when they arise. However, the current recording process does not allow the reader to follow or gain an understanding of the outcome of any complaints, as a record of this is not routinely made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Full Requires improvement

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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 standard’. The registered person(s) must comply in the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of the outcome of any investigations. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a record is made of the outcome of any complaints. 28/02/2018

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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 Inspection report children's home: 1233310 4 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: Birtenshaw company number 02978546

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 1233310 5 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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