Children's home run by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 1 SC369857 Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional or behavioural difficulties, and/or learning disabilities, sensory impairment or physical disabilities. One of the five beds has, until recently, been used as an emergency placement for up to a maximum of three nights (four working days). There is currently a condition on the registration of the home. The home must reduce the number of children by the number of young people aged 18 and over for which it also provides care and accommodation. This home has two registered managers. The new manager, who is in day-to-day charge of the home, was registered by Ofsted on 22 August 2018. Both managers are experienced social care professionals, and have the required management qualification.

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 outstanding

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

Date of last inspection: 8 August 2017 Overall judgement at last inspection: good Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2017 Full Good 16/11/2016 Full Outstanding 04/08/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 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, 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 ensure that all employees, including the registered manager, receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 26/10/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34(2)(d)) 26/10/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44(7)) 26/10/2018

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well, listen to them, advocate well for them and protect them. Staff want children to be healthy and safe. Staff constantly support and encourage children to address their health needs. Staff work well with children to educate them about the health risks associated with some of their behaviours, such as alcohol and cannabis use and smoking. This, and effective working relationships with health services, supports children to make considered decisions in regard to their health. In some instances, this has supported children to reduce their alcohol and drug use. Education is prioritised by the managers and staff. Children are actively encouraged to attend school or college. When difficulties arise for children in school, the managers advocate strongly and quickly to address this. The managers are persistent in their pursuit for suitable education provisions for all children; however, despite their best and

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

ongoing attempts, this has not supported one child to improve their school attendance. Children benefit from some amazing experiences and have been given the opportunity to try new and exciting things that they have not done previously. Children speak fondly about the holidays abroad that the managers and staff have advocated strongly for. Children can recapture and share the experiences that they have enjoyed during holidays, day trips to theme parks and zoos, and meals out with staff, as these memories are captured in colourful, bound photograph books. Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 4 Children live in their home town, and this supports them to remain in touch with those who are important to them. Children have regular contact with their family members and friends, who are all welcome in the home. Children are supported to develop their independence skills in line with their age, understanding and level of ability. Children are encouraged to complete household tasks,

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and learn new skills, such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting and independent travel, in preparation for adulthood.

p.4

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

Children feel safe and protected. Senior managers have identified the negative impact that emergency placements have on children’s experiences, progress and safety. They have taken an informed decision to no longer offer this service. Highly effective and thorough impact assessments confirm the suitability and compatibility of children’s placement. Detailed impact assessments, which are shared with children’s social workers, reflect the needs of the child joining the home, while also considering those who already live in the home. This prevents any unnecessary unsettlement for children. Children are clear about what is expected of them. The staff work exceptionally well with children to support them to improve and address any socially unacceptable behaviour. Children agree with the consequences used should the rules of the home be broken, and these consequences are used appropriately. The staff’s good relationships with children

p.4

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

and other agencies, such as the police, protect the children living in the home from any unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system. Clear risk management plans support the staff to manage children who go missing from home. Staff follow the agreed risk management plans. They work hard with children to try to prevent them from leaving the home. When they have been unsuccessful with this, staff try to contact the child, family members and their friends. Staff undertake local searches to ensure that children return home quickly and safely. Direct work sessions with children on the risks associated with this behaviour, and good multi-agency working, have resulted in a significant reduction in missing from home incidents for one child. Regular children’s meetings and consultation systems ensure that children have a voice. Children know how to complain, and they are confident that their issues or worries are

p.4

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

listened to and addressed. In addition, an independent advocate visits the home regularly. This and the managers’ passion for advocating for children’s rights and entitlements ensure that children receive the services that they require, and that children remain central to their care planning. Positive, close, nurturing relationships between staff and children encourage children to seek out staff support when they are worried or upset. Staff understand children’s past experiences and use their knowledge of research-informed practice to support children in a positive and structured way. This close support and supervision enables children to become increasingly safe. This is because children are able to manage their emotions in a better way, so that they no longer have the need to hurt themselves to manage their Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 5 worries. Children are able to discuss their worries and concerns openly. As a result, the need to

p.4

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

use physical interventions to support and manage children who are in crisis has reduced. This was confirmed by one professional who said, ‘They [child] have made massive progress, especially in regard to their emotional well-being. They are more open and mature, they calm down and approach things differently.’ The managers and staff are acutely aware of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The managers quickly notify the relevant safeguarding agencies of any allegations or disclosures that children make, and act swiftly to ensure that appropriate action is taken to safeguard children immediately. Although the management team has responded quickly and appropriately to safeguard children during these times, the records of these incidents are not centrally located. This lack of clear, central recording has the potential for those who scrutinise the service to overlook these incidents.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by two suitably experienced and qualified registered managers. The managers are passionate about improving the experiences and progress of children. The management team is supported by an experienced and qualified long-standing staff team that shares the managers’ drive and commitment to children. This ensures that the aims and objectives identified in the home’s statement of purpose are delivered consistently for children. Care planning for children is highly effective. Working placement plans and care planning documents that cross-reference with risk assessments, sanction records and key-working sessions confirm good inter-agency working, and support children to become increasingly safe. These thorough case records, which are regularly shared with children, give a detailed and descriptive account of the child’s experiences and progress in the home. The management team sustains effective relationships with a range of services to

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

support and enable children to be safe and make progress. Professionals confirm that the management team are forceful in their challenge to ensure that children receive the services they require. One professional said, ‘The manager has been fighting very much to get [name] an education provision that can meet their needs. It is in its final stages now. She advocated on their behalf exceptionally well.’ They went on to add, ‘They [child] are stable, happy, there. This is evident as their missing from home, [and] drug and alcohol use, have reduced significantly.’ Another professional said, ‘They know their children well. They are really good to be honest… the staff are motivated to improve children’s health.’ The internal and external monitoring systems to support the management t team in improving the services for children are sufficient. Monthly independent oversight brings further rigour and scrutiny and supports the managers with identifying areas for ongoing

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

development. However, the local authority’s processes to ensure that HMCI receives a copy of this report are ineffective. Thus, the last monitoring report that HMCI received for this home was that of 30 May 2018. The management team have suitably addressed one of the two requirements and all Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 6 three of the recommendations made at the last inspection. The requirement regarding the supervision arrangements for the manager has now been met. However, not all staff have been supervised in line with the commitments identified in the home’s statement of purpose; therefore, this requirement has been reissued.

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: SC369857 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Victoria Square, PO Box 29, Bolton BL1 1RU

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bernadette Brown

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Gillian Spencer Deborah Atherton

p.7

Inspectors

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC369857 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.

p.7

Inspectors

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

Inspectors

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

p.8

Inspectors

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

p.8