Children's Home run by Shropshire Council in Shropshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 1 SC382730 Registered provider: Shropshire 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 provides short-break care and accommodation for up to five young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties. It is owned and operated by a local authority. The statement of purpose says, „The service is part of a range of support services provided by the local authority to prevent family breakdown and to support rehabilitation of looked after children to their birth family. Young people will be encouraged to value themselves, their family, culture, community, education, and religious beliefs. We will promote respect for the wider society, including neighbours, as an integral part of the development of young people.‟

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is a qualified social worker and has been in post for several years.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 February 2019

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 29 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/09/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that 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 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 04/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 04/04/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered 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 review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must 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. (Regulation 45 (1)(3)(4)(a)) 04/04/2019

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Recommendations

 Children who wish to keep and take their own medication should be supported to, if they are able to do so safely. Staff should be mindful that children holding their own prescribed medication must only use it for themselves in accordance with the prescription. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 4 standards‟, page 35, paragraph 7.16)  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively

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Recommendations

with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child‟s care on an ongoing basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 56, paragraph 11.3) In particular, record and inform the placing authority about staff‟s work to help young people meet their targets.  The children‟s guide should to help children to understand what the day to day routines of the home are („what happens in the home‟). („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 24, paragraph 4.22) In particular, make clear all the rules and the reasons for them.  The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 31, paragraph 6.5) In particular, ensure that the outdoor games equipment is in working order.

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Recommendations

 Just as in a family home, children should be able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child‟s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child‟s access to any area of the home and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child‟s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child‟s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.10) In particular, continuously review the use of bedroom door alarms and locking of the kitchen and downstairs bathroom.  Those with a leadership and/or management role should be visible and accessible

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Recommendations

to staff and able to deliver their leadership and/or management responsibilities. Any registered manager employed in the home should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the Quality Standards are met for each child in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 52, paragraph 10.7)  The registered person is responsible for deciding what each review should focus on, based on the specific circumstances of the home at that particular time and any areas of high risk to the children that the home is designed to care for, such as missing or exploitation. They will also consider what information or data recorded in the home will form part of the evidence base for their analysis and Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 5 conclusions. There is no expectation that the registered person will review the home against every part of the Quality Standards every six months – registered

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Recommendations

persons should use their professional judgement to decide which factors to focus on. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home‟s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  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 in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 53, paragraph

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality care from skilled, experienced and friendly staff. Young people make good progress. Almost all of them achieve the objective of sustaining improved relationships with their family. Staff help young people to understand their feelings and relationships better. Young people say that being here has helped them learn how to get on with other people. For example, one young person told the inspector, „I can be kind. I can communicate with people.‟ Another young person said, „Be nice, listen, say “please”. Respecting people lets you have fun.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a complete change and many new experiences while they are here. Staff provide healthy meals at the dining table and a good daily routine where young people‟s existing educational placements are well supported. They often play board games with young people rather than spending too much time on electronic games, television and the internet. Staff take young people on numerous trips to explore the countryside and the beach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff said that they „remove the pressure‟ from each young person by giving choices and being approachable rather than controlling. Young people quickly see and feel the benefits of a healthier lifestyle and accept the support of staff. Young people described feeling „chilled‟ and „all good‟. During shared experiences, and with minimal distractions, young people make positive, trusting friendships with adults and peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff complete a „journey book‟ of each young person‟s time here, using photographs and the written word. However, the books do not contain the advice and help that staff give to young people. Staff do not include the learning or progress that young people have made during their short breaks. It is also many months after leaving the service before young people receive their books. The books are therefore of little real benefit to Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 6 young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When planning for short breaks, staff and managers carefully consider the mix of young people to ensure that each young person benefits from their stay. Managers also maximise access to the service for all young people who need it. However, they don‟t consider whether young people can keep and administer their own medication and what arrangements might be needed to support this.

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

Staff and managers know and understand young people‟s risks before they come to stay for their short break. They plan the help and protection for each young person in consultation with the young person, their family and their social worker. The reasons for the service‟s rules around mobile phones, cigarettes and lighters and logging of possessions are sensitively explained to young people. However, these rules are not all clearly written down for young people in the young person‟s guide.

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

Each member of staff is familiar with the risk-taking behaviour and difficulties that each young person needs help with. They all take responsibility for helping and protecting every young person using the service. Staff have helped young people find safe and acceptable ways to behave that they can also use when they go back home with their family. For example, as young people reported, „Walk away when you are angry because someone has got inyour face; respect staff and others – all people are different; listen, be patient – you‟re not the only one; being good is rewarded.‟

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

Managers and staff advocate well for young people. They are a key part of the team around each young person. Staff and managers help young people to speak confidently in meetings and explain their points of view to their parents and carers. Staff make sure that parents and carers know what progress their child has made with their behaviour. They help all the parties to identify strategies that are likely to improve relationships and create future stability.

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

Incidents of young people causing damage or harm are few. Young people rarely go missing from the home. Staff are consistent, kind and attentive. They explain to young people the reasons why the boundaries and routines should help minimise unsafe behaviour.

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

However, staff are in the habit of locking a downstairs bathroom door and the kitchen door without clear safeguarding reasons. On occasion, they also use the bedroom door alarms to monitor young people‟s movements without a clear safeguarding reason.

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

The manager, deputy manager and staff are an experienced and dedicated team. They are all qualified. Most staff have worked here for many years. They work with young people in a caring and insightful way. They match young people together in groups, where they form positive friendships and make good progress with their individual Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 7 difficulties.

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

However, both the manager and deputy manager have been away from the service for extended periods. Experienced shift leaders have overseen all aspects of the daily work, but management oversight and review have dipped. For example, manager‟s reviews of care quality are not completed in a timely fashion and used to improve the service. These reports are not sent to Ofsted. Managers‟ reviews of incidents and areas where they identify that practice needs to improve are rarely read by staff because they are kept separately. The statement of purpose is not up to date, and when previous updates have been made these have not been sent to Ofsted.

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

Managers have not identified shortfalls. For example, shift planning does not cover the provision of targeted work with young people. Staff do not record the advice and help that they give to young people and the difference that this makes. These shortfalls mean that staff and managers are not sure who has done what work with a young person.

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

The absence of the manager means that there is delay in taking the necessary action to ensure that good-quality care is being maintained. For example, managers have not trained new senior staff to supervise other members of staff, despite this being recommended by the independent visitor several months ago. There is also delay in replacing and maintaining some of the outdoor equipment, for example the trampoline.

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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: SC382730 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC382730 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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