Children's home run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 1 SC402508 Registered provider: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority run children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who are unable to live in their family home. The manager was registered in October 2009.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 September 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 13 December 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/09/2016 Full Good 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 3

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff complete ligature training. 18/01/2019

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are settled and happy in their environment. Staff build positive relationships with them. The inspector observed young people to have a good rapport with the managers and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and resembles that of a family home. Staff support and encourage the young people to personalise their home. Staff listen to young people. Staff consider young people’s views and opinions on their care. This gives young people a sense of belonging. A young person said, ‘I really like the home. It’s just like a family home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff find out young people’s interests and hobbies and encourage them to participate in Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 4 community activities. Staff continually provide young people with praise and reassurance. This increases young people’s self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff enable the young people to attend their educational provision. Staff work with education staff to provide consistency and structure. This ensures that young people receive the right level of education for their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to attend their health appointments. Staff communicate with community mental health staff, attend multi-agency meetings and contribute fully to young people’s plans. This ensures that young people receive care that is specific to their complex needs. A mental health coordinator said, ‘Staff here are doing everything they can do. We are working together, and the staff and managers attend all the meetings.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage young people to prepare for adulthood. Young people develop independence skills. They learn cooking skills and how to budget. Young people are polite. They welcome visitors to the home and offer them a drink.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know how important it is for young people to make memories. They keep a diary for each young person of the time that they spend in the home. Staff write positive messages to young people praising them for achieving their goals.

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

Staff give young people’s safety top priority. Staff identify when young people are anxious or upset because they know them well. Young people trust the staff and seek their advice.

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

Young people contribute to their care plans. They tell staff what triggers their emotions. Young people tell staff what they need to do to support them to manage their behaviours.

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

Young people are making better choices. They enjoy spending time in the home and with their friends. Staff get to know the young people’s friends and their friends’ parents. This ensures that young people are safe and that their friends are a positive influence. Young people’s friends visit the home, where they are made to feel welcome.

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

When young people go missing from the home, staff follow procedures. They search for young people and encourage them to keep in contact with staff. This ensures that young people are kept safe.

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

Independent interviews are not always offered to young people who have been missing from the home. This is a missed opportunity for young people to talk to someone independent from the home and to share any worries or concerns about the time they were away from the home.

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

Impact risk assessments are thorough. The assessments consider all the risks posed by any new admissions to the home and other young people who live there. The manager Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 5 visits potential admissions in their home or previous placement. She ensures that young people are well matched. Young people move gradually into the home wherever possible. This helps young people to get to know each other and to settle into the home quickly.

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

There has been a high level of physical intervention. This method is low level. It is used as a last resort and to keep young people and staff safe. The manager evaluates the restraint used to ensure that it was necessary and proportionate. The young people who were involved in these incidents have now moved on from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager was registered in October 2009. She is enthusiastic and motivated, well- qualified and highly experienced. She is a strong leader and is committed to providing quality care and good outcomes for young people. The manager is supported by a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work well together to ensure that the best interests of young people remain at the centre of all they do. A health professional said, ‘Staff do a brilliant job.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a great relationship with the young people. She knows that some young people struggle with their emotions. The manager is upbeat and child-focused. She can make the young people laugh, and young people said about the manager, ‘She is my favourite.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision is regular and of good quality. Staff team meetings are well attended and there are clear and detailed recordings of the discussions. The manager shares information with her team and updates them on new developments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is currently in the middle of a residential review and staff are somewhat concerned about their jobs. The staff team is well established and experienced. The staff team members are committed to providing young people with consistent care. Their current anxieties are not impacting on the care of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good relationships with other agencies. They communicate with parents and all professionals and parents receive regular updates on the young people’s progress. A mental health professional commented, ‘We share all information. We discuss the risks. I have shared [Name’s] health assessment and mental health care plan with the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed all mandatory training, including training around child sexual exploitation. Other training such as self-harm training has been of benefit to the staff. Ligature training would provide staff with the knowledge and skills to ensure that they are able to manage potentially harmful behaviours. Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 6

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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

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: SC402508 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY

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Inspector

Jo Hornby: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC402508 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 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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