Children's home run by Wigan Council

Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 1 Registered provider: Wigan Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority, two-bedded home. The aim of the home is to provide care and accommodation while young people are assessed and future permanency is explored.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since October 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there has been one discharge and one admission to the home. Transitions for young people moving in and out of the home have been well planned.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Of the nine requirements raised at the last full inspection, seven have been addressed. Significantly, this includes the appointment of a new registered manager. As a result, there has been a stable leadership team and the quality of care provided to young people has considerably improved.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Notwithstanding this, two requirements raised at the last full inspection have not been met. Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 2 Specifically, although independent monitoring visits are completed monthly, the reports from these visits are not shared with either the registered manager or Ofsted in a timely manner. This has reduced the effectiveness of these monitoring visits. During the inspection, the registered provider identified alternative arrangements which are due to be implemented immediately, which are expected to address this shortfall.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Secondly, changes to young people‟s access to showering facilities has had limited benefit. Although one young person now has access to his own shower, another young person must use a downstairs shower, which is adjacent to the main open-plan communal area. This compromises his privacy. Neither of the young people have complained about this issue, although one young person told the inspectors that he did not particularly like the home environment.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are successful at providing personalised care to young people. Indeed, the speed at which staff respond to young people‟s individual interests is impressive. For example, staff have bought one young person a guitar to promote his interest in playing this instrument. In another example, staff hired out an entire gym to allow a young person to overcome his anxieties and enable him take part in a boxing lesson.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff show a real commitment to young people. For example, to promote one young person‟s health needs staff brought in their own dogs to encourage the young person to increase his exercise. This had a positive impact on the young person‟s physical and emotional health.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are successful at overcoming barriers to young people accessing education. Strong links between staff and school have contributed to one young person making excellent progress at school. He is attending every day and is academically above target. This is a significant achievement for this young person.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff try to implement good routines and boundaries. For the existing young people, this has proved to have had mixed success. One young person has a good structure to his day, providing him with a much-needed sense of stability. The young person has made significant progress in respect of his engagement with staff and extra-curricular activities. Another young person, who has only been at the placement a short time, has not been as cooperative, despite the efforts of staff. The young person is due to move to a new, longer-term placement. Staff have worked with his new placement to identify plans to address the entrenched behaviours which are at the heart of his poor engagement.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff keep young people safe. This is because they understand young people‟s vulnerabilities well and put in place appropriate strategies. Although young people rarely go missing, when they do the staff take the necessary steps to respond. Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/07/2017 Interim Not judged

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who–

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to–

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child‟s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to–

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6(1)(a), (2)(vii)(ix)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the home must ensure that the location of the toileting 01/04/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 4 facilities does not compromise children‟s privacy and dignity.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person–

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

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–

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person‟s report to–

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44(1), (2)(a)(b), (3), (4)(a)(b), (5), (7)) 01/04/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 5

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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 difference 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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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‟.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN

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Inspector

Paul Robinson, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1244946 6 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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