Children's home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Staffordshire Moorlands

Halliwell Homes Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to accommodate seven children, irrespective of gender, between the ages of seven and 14 years old. The home offers a two-year programme, supported by therapy, for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was undertaken at this home on 8 February 2018 following notifications to Ofsted that indicated a possible breach of the children’s home regulations 2015. As a result of the visit, two compliance notices were issued to the provider. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 15 March 2018 to check compliance against these notices. The visit found that the compliance notices had not been met. As a result, the compliance notices were reissued. The compliance notices related to a breach of regulation 10, the health and well-being standard, and regulation 12, the protection of children standard. The purpose of this visit was to assess compliance with the notices and to ensure that the registered person has met the specified actions in line with the prescribed timescales.

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This monitoring visit

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2018, and an acting manager has been in post. Since the last visit, the provider has recruited a new, experienced manager who will be submitting her application to Ofsted. The new manager has met the staff team and has set out her expectations and ethos for the home, going forward. Staff told the inspectors that this was motivating, and they feel that it will increase stability and consistency at the home. Following the monitoring visit on 15 March, the acting manager, with the support of senior managers, produced an action plan that detailed how the home would meet the requirements of the compliance notices. The managers and leaders of the home shared the details of the most recent visit and compliance notices with the staff team to ensure that all staff were aware of the Inspection report for children’s home monitoring visit: 1229534 2 identified shortfalls and that staff are clear about how care practice needs to be

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This monitoring visit

improved, going forward. A staff meeting and group supervision had taken place with the staff to give them an opportunity to reflect and to ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities in safeguarding young people. All staff have been reissued with the whistleblowing and safeguarding policies and procedures. In addition, procedures to ensure that any concerns are escalated and shared with the relevant professionals have been reiterated to staff. Staff have also attended training workshops, led by the head of residential care and the designated safeguarding lead, that have tested the safeguarding knowledge and skills of staff. Staff were given scenarios to discuss, and considered information and practice around the recording and sharing of safeguarding information. This training opportunity has reassured managers of staff knowledge and allowed for any further training needs to be identified.

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This monitoring visit

The leaders of the home have commissioned an independent quality assurance visit to review care practice at the home and suggest any areas for improvement. As a result, the current manager has produced a safeguarding matrix to ensure increased oversight of incidents and to review staff responses. The provider also plans to improve management oversight by increasing the frequency of visits to the home and increased supervision from the head of residential care. Further changes to the handover book and placement plans for young people have also been made as a result of the quality assurance visit, to improve the clarity and the quality of records. A notification was received by Ofsted on 14 April after a young person made an allegation against a member of staff. The home ensured that the regulator was notified of the allegation and made a detailed referral to the designated officer for the local authority. Although the home acted appropriately following the allegation

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This monitoring visit

and the quality of key-work sessions following the incident did give the young person the opportunity to reflect on what happened and discuss their feelings, the head of residential services and the home’s manager agreed that further work was needed to improve the quality of direct work and were able to recognise that this is a further area of development for staff.

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This monitoring visit

The staff team has reviewed the health information held by the home regarding the health needs of young people. Staff have made sure that this information is up to date, and have collated it to ensure that it is easy for staff to access. In addition, the manager has sought a meeting with the looked after children’s nurse to discuss the health arrangements for young people. The home has a clear plan to ensure that all staff have first-aid training. Additional training has been undertaken on how to deal with ligatures and how to respond to the needs of young people with self-harming behaviours. Ofsted had also received a notification that a young person had ingested an elastic band, tissues and blutack during an incident. The notification outlined that the young person was appropriately supported during the incident. There was a clear timeline in place to demonstrate the action taken by staff to arrange for the young

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This monitoring visit

Inspection report for children’s home monitoring visit: 1229534 3 person to receive medical treatment without delay. Following the incident, staff had an opportunity to be involved in a debriefing with the acting manager to reflect on the incident and identify any learning from the incident. Furthermore, a staff meeting was used to discuss the importance of young people accessing medical treatment. The manager has been clear in her direction to staff about their responsibilities, when on shift, to make decisions that will ensure the well-being and safety of young people.

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This monitoring visit

The above findings show that the home has taken appropriate steps to ensure compliance with notices issued under regulation 10 and regulation 12. As a result, the inspectors are satisfied that the compliance notices are satisfied.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/3/2018 Monitoring visit 08/2/2018 Monitoring visit 25/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/11/2016 Full Good

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home monitoring visit: 1229534 4

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Tape Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 1BB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Karen Mitchell-Mellor

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Louise Redfern, social care compliance inspector Inspection report for children’s home monitoring visit: 1229534 5 regulates and inspects to 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. 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

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Inspector

or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit 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 .

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Inspector

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Inspector

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

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