Children's Home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 1 SC040733 Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is run and managed by the local authority. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/08/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/06/2016 Full Good 08/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 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 meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child‟s placing authority effectively in the child‟s care, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child‟s needs; seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children‟s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(d)) 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans; and that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child‟s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

28/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 4 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child‟s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child‟s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‟s behaviour, in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; communicate to each child expectations about the child‟s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‟s age and understanding; help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child‟s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; help each child to develop the understanding and skills to

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Requirement Due date

recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; strive to gain each child‟s respect and trust; understand how children‟s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 5 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(h)) 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child‟s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child‟s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child‟s relevant plans is requested, if— the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child‟s needs; the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(ii)(2)(c)(e)(i)(ii)). 28/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; 28/02/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 6 details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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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)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 13 young people have been admitted to the home. Many of Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 7 these young people have moved in as emergencies. This has led to one young person, who has lived at the home for two years, experiencing an unstable home environment. The progress young people make in relation to their health, education, and emotional, social and psychological well-being is variable.

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improvement to be good

One young person has 100% school attendance and is making good progress. However, attendance for other young people is inconsistent. For example, one young person‟s school attendance is currently at 34%, while another young person refuses to attend education. Staff work in partnership with education professionals to address the lack of attendance, but this is not always effective. Consequently, young people‟s lack of engagement undermines their educational achievements.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive in supporting young people to build trusted and secure relationships. However, some young people demonstrate inconsistency in their relationships with each other and staff. One young person spends most of the day in their bedroom and has limited engagement with staff. Another young person was subject to bullying and intimidation from a previous resident. However, there is little evidence of any direct work undertaken with the young people to help them rebuild and maintain positive relationships with each other.

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improvement to be good

Placement plans and healthcare plans are in place; however, it is unclear how these are contributing to meeting young people‟s needs. For example, one young person has a worrying eating pattern, but there is no clear plan in place to monitor this and seek improvements. The manager did seek some advice from the looked after children‟s nurse in relation to the young person‟s eating pattern, but there has been drift and delay in following this up.

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improvement to be good

Young people can take part in community-based activities. This has been very successful for some more than others. For example, one young person is a member of the local cricket club, while another goes to a youth club three times a week. Most young people have positve friendships outside of the home. Staff work closely with young people‟s families so that important attachments are maintained, and young people‟s sense of identity is promoted.

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improvement to be good

There are significant safeguarding concerns for one young person, relating to sexual exploitation and criminal behaviour. There is good evidence of close working relationships with the safeguarding agencies to protect the young person as far as possible. Staff are proactive in sharing intelligence with the police and the manager has appropriately escalated her concerns, given the level of risk to the young person‟s welfare and safety. However, the young person does not currently engage with any professional regarding the risks posed to them. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 8 The manager and staff will follow young people out of the home and, where possible, track them. However, return home interviews have not consistently taken place, and this means that opportunities to understand and evaluate this behaviour are missed.

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improvement to be good

Staff rarely use physical intervention and are well trained in behaviour management. However, the physical intervention records do not meet regulations. For example, records do not always provide an explanation of the build-up to an incident, techniques used to de-escalate a situation, the holds used, and that a debrief with the young person has taken place. This hinders the effective monitoring of physical interventions to ensure safe practice.

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improvement to be good

The manager has not ensured that all risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. For example, two young people‟s risk assessments are out of date. Furthermore, a young person‟s risk assessment has not been updated with their most recent safeguarding concerns. Another specifies that the young person should be „shadowed around the home‟, which staff confirm is not the case. These shortfalls have the potential to pose a risk to young people‟s welfare and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced to manage the home. She is an enthusiastic and committed manager whose approach is very child centred.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Young people‟s case records do not provide a clear picture of their day-to-day lives or what work is undertaken with them by staff. Furthermore, it is unclear how progress is being measured for individual young people. This limits management oversight of young people‟s progress from their initial starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is regular consultation with a clinical psychologist. However, there is no evidence of this clinical input being incorporated into young people‟s placement plans. Furthermore, the manager does not receive the minutes from these meetings so that the whole staff team can take advantage of the advice and support given.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is adequately resourced and is meeting its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. Staff spoken with during the inspection confirmed that they receive a good level of support from the manager. However, there are gaps in the supervision of some staff. This means that their professional development is not always well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

All staff hold a suitable childcare qualification and mandatory training is ongoing. However, staff do not have the necessary training, skills and knowledge to address the presenting needs of some young people. At the last inspection, a recommendation was made for staff to have specialised training in relation to sexually harmful behaviour. This training has not yet been completed, although this is planned. Furthermore, staff have not had any training in autism spectrum disorder or gang-related behaviours. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 9 There are some weaknesses in the effectiveness of leadership and management that require improvement. The two recommendations made at the last inspection are not met. These relate to the lack of training for staff in addressing sexually harmful behaviour and securing sufficient therapeutic input for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is strongly committed to improving the home. Professional relationships are a key strength of the home and professionals confirmed that communication with them is good. One professional said, „I think the home have done a really good job in trying to safeguard her. I‟ve worked with the manager before and she is keen to share information and work with the police. We have a very good relationship.‟

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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: SC040733 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

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Inspectors

Michelle Bacon: social care inspector Pauline Yates: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC040733 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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