Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 1 Registered provider: Birtenshaw

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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 part of a large charitable organisation. It provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2017.

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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: 23 January 2019

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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: 1233310 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2019 Full Good 31/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/04/2017 Full Good 14/12/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 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—

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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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)) 31/05/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and 31/05/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 4 of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

Paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to restraint that is planned or provided for as a matter of routine in the child‟s EHC plan or statement of special educational needs. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(4))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that the locking of external doors should be recorded as a measure of control unless exempt (as outlined in paragraph 4 or if a deprivation or liberty order is in place).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that education and healthcare plans are on file. 31/05/2019

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Recommendations

 Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements that a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 35, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspectors had the opportunity to see the young people during the inspection. The home conditions are good, and the environment is warm and welcoming. Young people were observed to be happy and relaxed in the home. They have positive relationships with the staff, who know them well. Staff support them to personalise their bedrooms with family photographs and toys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are making good progress in reaching their individual goals and targets. Staff provide young people with consistent care and appropriate routines. This approach ensures that young people‟s complex needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into the home are well planned. Managers, placing social workers and parents devise these plans together. This helps the manager to assess the impact of a new young person on the other young people who live there. This method means that the young people are well matched and settle into the home. A parent said, „I knew [name] liked the home and staff as there was no crying when I left. All the children get on well together.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide sensory activities for young people both inside and outside of the home. All young people were seen to be enjoying their Easter holiday. Young people engaged with the inspectors and were keen to share the various activities that they were involved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to learn independence skills. Some young people were observed helping staff to prepare meals. Young people enjoy morning showers and baths. Staff teach young people how to brush their hair and clean their teeth. Some young people enjoy attending the dentist, and staff support all young people to attend their medical appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to young people. They know how each young person prefers to communicate. Staff support and encourage young people to give their views on their care. The use of picture symbols supports the young people to choose their weekly menus and activities. This has assisted in reducing young people‟s frustration and anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support families to develop appropriate strategies to manage their children‟s behaviour. This means that care is consistent. Staff support young people to maintain positive links with their families and their culture. This has provided young people with a sense of security and stability and has increased the amount of time young people spend with their families.

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

Individual risk assessments form part of the young people‟s risk management plans. Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 6 Staff work alongside other agencies such as health and education staff. This additional support assists staff to implement strategies specific to young people‟s needs. This supports young people to manage more difficult situations. A social worker said, „I am so pleased with this home. Staff are very attentive to young people. They know what [name] struggles to tolerate. They have introduced new experiences to him slowly.‟

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

Good levels of staff supervision mean that young people are safe. Staff completed assessments on all activities inside and outside the home. This ensures that the activities are safe and appropriate for the young people‟s complex needs.

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

Staff lock external doors to reduce the risk of young people going missing from the home. This information is not recorded in young people‟s education health care plans. It is not recorded as a measure of control. This is a missed opportunity to review the appropriateness of the behaviour management strategy.

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

Records of physical intervention need to be improved. Some records around mechanical restraints are incomplete. The records do not show the start and end of the use of this method. The manager has not signed these records. Records relating to the use of floor holds do not state whether the young person was lying on the back or front of their body. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

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

Staff know the triggers to behaviours. They identify when a young person is anxious or upset. Staff source equipment to help young people who cannot tolerate noise to engage in community activities. For example, the use of ear defenders means that young people can engage in most activities.

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

Staff support young people who have sensory needs. They provide sensory diets and structured activities. Some of the young people find music a comfort. A parent said, „Staff know [name] likes music. She enjoys time in the morning away from the others. Staff are always there to support her when necessary.‟

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

The manager was registered in April 2017. She has the necessary experience and required qualification to lead and manage the home. The manager is supported by a registered manager delegate. Managers are child focused and keen to provide quality care.

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

Not all young people‟s education and healthcare plans are on file. This means that staff are not able to use information that provides a holistic approach to young people‟s care needs.

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

Young people‟s medication is stored safely and administered by a trained member of staff. Records lack clarity in the transfer of young people‟s medication to their schools. The home could improve practice by recording the time when medication is administered to the young people. Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 7 The home does not have a sufficient number of staff. There are seven staff vacancies and agency staff are often required. This does not ensure consistency for young people who have highly complex needs. A total of five staff have gained the required qualification. This is less than half of the current staff working at the home.

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

Staff recruitment is continuous. There is no clear plan regarding how to attract new staff. The current recruitment plan will continue, despite it not proving to be effective to ensure that the home is fully staffed.

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

Staff say that they feel well supported by the managers. They have individual and team supervisions. Staff report that they are provided with a good level of training that is specific to the young people‟s needs. A staff member said, „We get a lot of training, but we need to have this because of the young people‟s needs.‟

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

The manager reviews the quality of care provided to the young people. She uses the independent visitor reports and feedback from agencies, young people and parents. These tools help her to identify any shortfalls in care.

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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: 1233310 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector’s

Jo Hornby, social care inspector Paul Robinson, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1233310 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’s

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Inspector’s

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Inspector’s

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