Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 1 Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is run by an experienced registered manager.

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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: this is the home‟s first inspection

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the home‟s first inspection. Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 2

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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

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children‟s home at least once each month. (2) When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— (a) if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and (b) to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home‟s records (except for a child‟s case records, unless the child and the child‟s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (3) A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. (4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

(5) The independent person‟s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 05/11/2018

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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. (2) In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— (a) the quality of care provided for children; (b) the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and (c) any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (3) After completing a quality of care review, the registered 05/11/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 3 person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care

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Requirement Due date

review report”). (4) The registered person must— (a) supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and (b) make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (5) 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)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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Recommendations

 Registered persons must ensure that the procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying include the outcome of any investigation and views of both the victim and perpetrator in respect of how the incident was managed. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 39, paragraph 8.16)  Staff should encourage children to share their concerns about their care or other matters as soon as they arise. Children must be able to take up issues or make a complaint with support. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.13) Specifically, the outcome of any complaint should be reviewed by the young person making the complaint and include their views.  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page

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Recommendations

22, paragraph 4.11)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3) Specifically, records should be accessible by the registered person at all times. Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people build positive and trusting relationships with staff. One young person said, „I get on really well with the staff here. They are funny and help me a lot.‟ A social worker said, „This is the best place for my child. He has really settled, and I can see such a positive difference since he has been here. I am really pleased.‟ Young people are cared for by an experienced and dedicated staff team whose members ensure that each individual‟s needs are consistently assessed and managed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning is good. The registered manager and staff ensure that young people‟s individual needs are prioritised, reviewed and effectively addressed. Weekly key-work sessions take place and work alongside external support agencies, such as the child and adolescent mental health teams, the nurse for children looked after and healthy young minds. This wrap-a-round service means that young people begin to recognise and address the reasons why they live in a children‟s home and begin to take positive steps forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy appropriate contact with family and friends. Staff provide additional support and supervision where required and this ensures that young people have positive and happy experiences. Up-to-date contact plans ensure that young people only have contact where it is formally agreed. Prompt action is taken by staff where any concerns arise, and this serves to minimise any disruption between family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Educational attendance and achievement are consistently good. Young people attend community high schools and resource centres where they exceed their term targets. A teacher reported, „This young person has made outstanding progress since settling into this home.‟ Likewise, young people make friends at school and this helps them to feel part of the community in which they live. A young person said, „I have made lots of friends at school and sometimes I see them at the weekends.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from both indoor and outdoor recreational activities. The home is equipped with a computer, video games, an art and crafts area and ample space for young people to spend time as a group or alone. All young people are supported to attend activities of their choice, including football, Cadets, horse riding and trampolining. The spacious garden provides for regular barbecues and during the summer months, a range of paddling pools.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Informal consultation with young people is part and parcel of the day-to-day routine in the home. Young people engage well with staff and take part in key-work sessions and group discussions. However, feedback from young people about how the home operates, and their views about the work undertaken with them, is not routinely requested. For example, there are no in-house surveys or completed Ofsted surveys for this setting. Consequently, young people‟s views do not consistently inform the ongoing development of the home. A recommendation is made to address this matter. Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 5

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

The manager is proactive in assessing and managing risk. Where risks escalate or there is an increased concern regarding the welfare of a young person, the manager demonstrates that suitable action is taken to address these concerns in order to minimise risk of potential or actual harm.

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

Safety is prioritised. Detailed impact assessments ensure that all young people placed at the home are assessed against the needs, interests and aspirations of those already resident. Likewise, individual risk assessments are balanced against a full chronology of life events. This means that risk is measured, and appropriate individual strategies are in place to address any concerns.

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

On the whole, behaviour management is effective. Young people and staff form secure relationships based on trust and mutual respect. Therefore, young people work with staff to identify areas for development and a suitable reward for the progress that they make. Staff are consistent in their approach, and this enables young people to work within the house boundaries. The registered manager and staff work consistently to ensure that young people receive an agreed approach to unwanted behaviour and praise and reward for progress and development.

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

Young people know how to complain and receive suitable information from the home and their placing authority to guide them in this area. Since the home opened, there have been three complaints made by young people. While records detail the action taken for addressing the complaint, there is no record that the outcome was shared with the young person or if they were happy with the result. Consequently, it is unclear if the young person is satisfied that their complaint was appropriately dealt with. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Young people understand that bullying is not tolerated in the home. A young person said, „Someone was annoying me once, it wasn‟t bullying, but staff still sorted it out.‟ Records demonstrate that staff are vigilant and recognise signs of bullying. Three reported incidents are supported by key-work sessions and appropriate sanctions to address the bullying or intimidating behaviour. However, records do not demonstrate if the person who has alleged bullying is satisfied with the outcome or that the issues are resolved. As a result, a recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

Redirection and de-escalation techniques are a consistent feature used within this home to defuse challenging behaviours. Each young person has a de-escalation plan which is based on the individual personality and traits of the young people. This method ensures that young people in crisis are managed in a way that supports the best outcomes and enables young people to gain control of their emotions in a supportive and positive environment.

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

There are occasions where young people absent themselves from the home. On each occasion, staff follow the individually agreed protocols, including a report to the police, contact with family and friends and a search of the local area. Overall, young people Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 6 return to the home within two hours. Return home interviews are conducted promptly and followed up with one-to-one sessions on the risks associated with being absent from the home. A young person said, „I used to just go out if the others were being annoying, just to clear my head. I tell staff now or spend time away from them.‟

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

Consequently, although young people present with risks, these risks are managed effectively and have shown to have significantly reduced since the young people became resident in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has extensive experience of managing children‟s homes and is qualified at national vocational qualification (NVQ) level 5 in social care. She is committed to leading a consistent, dedicated and strong team in the delivery of individualised progressive childcare practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and the support that the home provides.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring of the home is inconsistent. The registered manager failed to submit to Ofsted a written report in accordance with Regulation 45. The registered manager provided a copy of this report to the inspector on the second day of inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A number of senior staff including external visitors have left the employment of the local authority. As a result, the external monitoring of the home has become erratic. This means that the home has not received a consistent external overview of the standard of care practice provided in the home. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff confirm that they receive a high level of support from the registered manager. They say that supervision takes place regularly and serves to identify training needs and personal development targets. However, staff records could not be accessed during the inspection. Consequently, a review of the support that staff receive could not be undertaken. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with an annual training package. Mandatory training is regularly refreshed, and additional training is completed regarding the theoretical framework for nurture and attachment, which is the foundation for all planned work with young people. Most staff are qualified at NVQ level 3. Training at this level ensures that staff are suitably equipped to manage the individual care needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering good child-centred practice that is tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress that young people make, particularly in education and in reducing their risk-taking behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that all referrals to the home are suitably assessed for Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 7 compatibility. Evidence of impact assessments leading to decisions not to place demonstrates a clear commitment to the young people already placed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff routinely notify Ofsted, placing authorities, parents and community police of any concern or event involving a child in accordance with Regulation 40. Immediate action is taken to reduce risks, including, where necessary, additional staffing. The home places the needs of the young people at the forefront of its practice and this is evidenced in the good progress that they make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people make good use of ample space within the home and grounds to spend time alone if they so wish. The area risk assessment is routinely updated to ensure that potential risk factors are known and suitably planned for.

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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: 1263766 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde, Tameside SK14 1AL

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1263766 9 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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