Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 1 SC039414 Registered provider: Sheffield 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

A local authority operates this children’s home. It provides care for up to four children or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The children and young people live at the home for medium- to long-term care. The registered manager and a stable staff team have a wealth of experience in caring for children and young people.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2017 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/08/2016 Full Good 20/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 3

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Recommendations

 Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19) In particular, ensure that the home provides internet access for the children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people respond to the high aspirations that the staff have for them. As a result, they thrive, flourish and make excellent progress. The staff’s approach is that ‘only the very best will do’. The staff’s starting point is to build extremely strong relationships with the young people and provide them with individually tailored care. This results in the young people making significant progress from their starting points. The care the young people receive enhances their life experiences and future prospects greatly. A young person said: ‘It has been life changing coming to live here.’ Also, ‘I never thought I would be able to go and live with my nan.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The recently introduced signs of safety approach to how the young people are cared for has successfully brought about additional benefits for the young people. This is detailed within carefully written care plans, with other supporting records, setting out clearly how the young people are to be supported and cared for. The staff consistently follow these individual plans, which include daily routines and the specific strategies for each young person. The consistent and considerable progress young people make is well documented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people make substantial progress. This includes self-regulating their emotions, following routines and boundaries, reducing their risk-taking behaviour, engaging in education, and having positive and fulfilling relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Professionals confirmed that the care provided to the young people is excellent. This high level of care, along with the extremely close partnership working with the young people, their parents and family members, has resulted in several young people going to live back home with their families. These have been very positive outcomes for young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The health of the young people greatly improves. The young people consistently attend health appointments. These include routine health checks and emotional well-being appointments. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 4 All the young people’s attendance in education has improved during their time living at the home. The staff are persistent and ensure that education placements are quickly sourced. The right support is rigorously pursued to assist each young person to embrace, and participate in, learning and achieving qualifications. A professional said: ‘The staff strongly advocate for [name of young person]. They have put across his wishes and he is back in school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Effective consultation with the young people is part of everyday life. The young people grow in confidence and readily express their wishes. There is regular consultation through daily discussions, regular key-work sessions, residents’ meetings and attendance at the young people’s statutory review meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people respond well to learning independent living skills, appropriate to their age, due to the home’s nurturing approach. They are involved in chores around the home. These include cleaning and tidying their own bedrooms, budgeting, preparing and cooking meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people benefit greatly from the extensive planning of their admission and discharge from the home. A young person said: ‘I agreed to increase my overnight stays at my nan’s over several weeks. This has really helped.’ The staff meticulously implement leaving care plans. These have been agreed with the social worker, family members and the young person. The leaving care plans are regularly reviewed. Changes are made to best meet the needs of the young person. This assists the young person to have a positive move, ensuring that they are fully involved. A parent said: ‘My son has great relationships with the staff. I could not have wished for more support myself from the staff. They are all wonderful. Now we are all going to be together again. It would not have happened without the support and help from the staff team.’ The excellent planning that the staff undertake ready for transition back to families is a key strength of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

the home and supports successful integration back home with a better chance of permanence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is clean, furnished and decorated to a high standard. The young people benefit greatly from the comfortable surroundings influenced by the choices that they have made in personalising their home. However, the young people do not have access to Wi-Fi, something that is available in most households. This detracts from the otherwise great facilities provided in the home.

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

The highest priority is given to the safety and well-being of young people. A professional said: ‘This is the longest placement this young person has stayed at. The staff are meeting [the young person’s] needs emotionally and reinforcing that this is their long- term home. [The young person’s] actions speak louder than words. Risks have reduced. [The young person] is presenting as secure and is feeling safer.’

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

The staff are clear that it is everyone’s responsibility to safeguard the young people. All Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 5 the staff are fully aware of the individual vulnerabilities and risks for each young person in their care. The young people have detailed risk assessments that include specific safeguarding strategies to minimise or eliminate risks. The staff consistently implement the identified safety measures. These measures have been effective and reduced significantly the risks for each young person, particularly in areas such as criminal behaviour, challenging behaviour and going missing from home. Due to the consistently high quality of care, and the excellent collaborative working undertaken with supporting professionals, the young people become increasingly safe.

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

Great importance is given to assist the young people to have socially acceptable behaviour. The young people respond exceedingly well to the nurturing approach and behavioural strategies used by the staff. This ensures that the young people continue to engage in positive behaviour. The staff are proactive and frequently review and revise behaviour plans to ensure that they meet the individual needs of each young person. In addition, the very good practice of discussions and debriefs after incidents routinely occurs. This allows the staff to reflect on their practice and make improvements when required. This is effective in reducing further occurrences of related incidents. The young people respond to this positive approach, along with the strong, trusting relationships that are established. There have been no physical interventions, and sanctions to help manage behaviour are a rare occurrence. This is a very positive experience for young

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

The young people benefit greatly from the frequent monitoring of the environment, which includes all relevant health and safety checks. This provides the young people with a safe environment to live in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since October 2007 and she holds a social work and management qualification. She has over 17 years’ experience of working with children and young people. This includes over 10 years’ experience working in managerial positions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads by example. She communicates to the staff team her high aspirations for the young people. This ethos extends to all the staff and forms a crucial part of the home’s aims and objectives. In turn, this influences the sustained excellent level of care provided. The staff strive to ensure that all the young people have new and positive life experiences. This makes certain that their individual care needs and the aims of the young people’s plans are fully met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is superb partnership working with other professionals. Professionals said: ‘There is great communication from the staff team. All information is passed on. This enables me to support the young person.’ Another professional said: ‘The lines of communication are always open and with the young person’s family too. This is really good.’ This proactive and collaborative working delivers continuous high-quality care that supports achieving the very best outcomes. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 6 The staff benefit immensely from an extremely supportive environment. This includes frequent, effective formal and informal supervision. A mental health professional regularly attends the staff meetings. This provides additional support and guidance to the staff to carry out their care work with the young people. Consequently, this ensures that the staff have a greater understanding of the young people’s needs, therefore

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

enabling the delivery of exceptional care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Communication between the staff is excellent, with detailed daily handovers from one shift to another and regular staff meetings. Most of the staff team members hold the level 3 diploma in caring for children and young people. The manager recognises the importance of, and invests in, staff training, providing all mandatory and more specialist training to meet the needs of the young people in the home’s care. This includes child sexual exploitation, sleep hygiene, sexual health, and the signs of safety. This fully equips the staff to deliver high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The admission of young people to the home is in line with the statement of purpose. The manager is fully aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The development of the service is continual. This includes a new approach to care which uses the signs of safety model. Action has been taken to implement the two previously made requirements and the one recommendation. The young people’s bedrooms are clean and tidy. The regulation 45 monitoring reports now detail the views of young people, parents and professionals. The staff receive formal supervision at regular intervals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team carries out robust and wide-ranging auditing. This includes designating staff as champions for specific areas to provide additional oversight. The provider also undertakes thorough external monitoring to maintain excellent standards. This allows the quick detection of shortfalls and facilitates an instant response to address them. Additionally, frequent monitoring and the review of the young people’s progress is carried out. This improves the outcomes and the quality of care of the young people.

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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: SC039414 7 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Debbie Foster: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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