Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 1 SC484789 Registered provider: Birtenshaw Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of an independent organisation that provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have learning disabilities and/or a sensory impairment. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 5 December 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2017 Full Outstanding 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Outstanding 07/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 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

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual has the appropriate qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. An individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualifications if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England). The relevant date is in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (2)(3)(b)(4)(a)(5)(b)) 28/06/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of a pathway plan for an eligible care leaver. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff. This relates specifically to providing staff with training on attachment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under Regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. The review should focus on the quality of care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make excellent progress in relation to their individual starting points. They benefit from exceptionally well-planned, highly individualised care that promotes their needs very effectively and contributes to continuing change and improvement in their lives. Young people enjoy living at the home and they develop a sense of permanence and belonging. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. One young person described the home as being ‘outstanding’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘good’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff maintain exceptionally good relationships with the families of young people. They promote regular contact taking place and this ensures that young people can sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. A parent reported, ‘Everything is going really well. [My child] is happy and safe at [the home] and likes the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There have been no placement disruptions since the last inspection. Detailed assessments are completed by the registered manager prior to a young person’s admission. This ensures that young people living at the home are appropriately matched. Young people’s transitions are consistently handled in a positive, controlled, well-planned and sensitive way in consultation with parents, social workers and other professional agencies. A social worker reported, ‘I am very pleased with the level of care and support. The registered manager and deputy manager have worked in the spirit of partnership with parents, local authority and other agencies to ensure that [young person] had a good transition. I am satisfied that the young person’s needs are being met.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people enjoy excellent attendance at school and all relevant plans are in place to support their educational progress and learning. Staff maintain strong partnerships with the providers of young people’s education to promote their educational achievement and learning. Medical consent is in place and staff are clear about the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them. Young people’s medication is stored and administered safely by well-trained and competent staff. Young people are registered with the health services that they need to ensure that their specific health needs are consistently met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are consulted, and staff use visual aids and supports to enable young people to communicate their views effectively. Staff ascertain young people’s views and act on their reasonable requests. This ensures that young people can choose their preferred weekly activities and daily meal and food choices. One young person communicated that staff make him eggs for his breakfast on request.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff promote young people’s independence. Staff help young people to develop their self-care, social and practical skills to promote their resilience and self-confidence. Young people make exceptional progress and benefit from effective, high-quality support from Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 5 staff that supports their growth and natural development. However, one eligible care leaver requires a pathway plan to promote his readiness for independence and adulthood. This is a recording issue as practice really does promote the development of independence skills. A social worker reported: ‘The staff genuinely care for [young person] and they support him in all aspects of his care. [Young person] has really progressed in terms of his independence since being placed in the home.’

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

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice, irrespective of the challenges that this presents. Staff have an excellent understanding of the specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities of young people and they take appropriate action to address them. Risks associated with young people are well known and managed effectively by staff. The use of clear risk assessment and effective safe working practices promote the safety of young people.

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

Young people benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely living environment that meets their specific needs. Environmental safety is managed effectively, and staff reliably maintain a safe environment for young people. Young people’s bedrooms are highly personalised in accordance with their wants, needs and wishes.

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

High staffing ratios and the close supervision of the young people protect young people and keep them safe from harm. Staff are alert to the risk of harm and they ensure that the whereabouts of each young person is known, at all times. As a result, young people do not go missing or place themselves at risk of harm. There have been no complaints from young people, parents or placing authorities since the last inspection. However, there have been a small number of complaints from neighbours. This is in relation to staff and visitors parking their cars nearby, with parking spaces being limited. Consequently, this remains an ongoing issue for the neighbourhood.

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

Staff are trained in child protection, so they know how to protect young people from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to ensure that young people benefit from effective support and protection. The home maintains highly effective partnerships with the police and all other safeguarding agencies when ensuring that young people are protected and kept safe from harm.

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

The use of sanctions is exceptionally rare. When sanctions are used, they are fair and proportionate. Sanctions have only been used on three isolated occasions since the last inspection, with one young person who has the capacity to understand his actions. Staff are trained to manage the behaviours of young people safely and effectively. Staff understand the triggers for young people’s behaviours and they respond appropriately to prevent incidents and behaviours from escalating.

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

The use of restraint is extremely rare. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from harm. When restraint has been used, it has been of a low Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 6 level and of short duration. The registered manager routinely oversees the use of restraint and ensures that staff and young people are supported using the Gibbs Reflective Cycle to help them reflect on their experience, actions and feelings surrounding the event. Young people are supported to self-regulate their behaviour so that they learn to manage their own feelings and behaviours safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has employed a new manager since the last inspection. He was previously employed as the home’s deputy manager prior to him taking up his new more senior managerial position. Consequently, he already had a good understanding of the needs of the home and has adapted to the role of registered manager exceptionally well. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in July 2018. He is extremely experienced and well qualified and passionate about the young people and their outcomes. He demonstrates strong and effective leadership of the operation of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is an enthusiastic, ambitious and motivational leader. He has consistently high expectations of staff and high aspirations for young people to achieve their full potential. The registered manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager and this ensures the smooth day-to-day operations of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager creates a culture of positivity that staff embrace. Staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people and they meet the aims and objectives, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, effectively and comprehensively. Staff deliver a high-quality service for young people that sustains continuous change and improvement in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager, deputy and staff maintain strong partnerships with the families of young people, schools, health professionals, social workers and other professional agencies to ensure that young people’s needs are met effectively and that they benefit from the best possible help and wraparound support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A diverse staff team is employed to meet the needs of young people. Staff are employed from different gender groups, ethnicities, age groups and backgrounds. Consequently, young people benefit from the different approaches, skills and life experiences that a diverse staff team provides for them. Young people benefit from positive role models in staff they trust, learn from and look up to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager provides staff with a clear sense of purpose and direction. He ensures that they are managed professionally and are well supported and led. He ensures that staff receive regular, practice-related, high-quality supervision and actively encourages them to reflect on their practice, development and learning. Staff benefit from high-quality training to enhance their knowledge, skills and practice in caring for young people. However, staff have not yet received training on attachment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in meeting the diverse needs of the young people. However, staff are very knowledgeable, skilled and extremely well trained and most are Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 7 suitably qualified. A small number of unqualified staff are enrolled on training to help them obtain their professional qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The performance of the home is monitored very effectively. The registered manager has completed a detailed quality of care review to evidence the progress and experiences of young people. However, the content and format of the report could be improved. The report, for example, could be more analytical and evaluative.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An independent person visits the home on a monthly basis to scrutinise the quality of young people’s care and the arrangements it makes to safeguard them and to promote their safety and well-being. This enables the registered manager to have a positive understanding of the home’s strengths and any weaknesses. The registered manager makes good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to eliminate identified weaknesses and to secure continuous improvement.

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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: SC484789 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Birtenshaw, Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 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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