Children's home run by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Bolton

Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 1 SC369857 Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough 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

This is a local authority children‟s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, and/or learning disabilities, sensory impairment or physical disabilities. This home currently has two registered managers. Both managers have the required management qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 25 September 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2018 Full Good 08/08/2017 Full Good 16/11/2016 Full Outstanding 04/08/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 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 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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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children‟s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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

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

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meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person will ensure that maintenance and repair work is completed in a timely manner. This will include the replacement of the damaged front door and kitchen fridge, as well as redecoration of damaged paint and plaster. 30/07/2019

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The children‟s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from

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develop positive relationships with them;

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take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children‟s care and welfare and their lives.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 30/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 4 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child‟s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the outcomes of complaints and allegations are shared with young people. A record of this feedback and any further action required should be documented. The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans;

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understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii))

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In particular, the registered person should support all young people to be able to access full-time education. 30/07/2019

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The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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

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assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 30/07/2019

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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— 30/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 5 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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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(e)(h)) The registered person must ensure that—

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the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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children can access all appropriate areas of the children‟s home‟s premises; and

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any limitation placed on a child‟s privacy or access to any area of the home‟s premises—

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is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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In particular, downstairs rooms should not be locked at night time or during the day unless there are assessed safeguarding reasons. 30/07/2019

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If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the fire alarm is serviced as required and that an assessment of the home‟s compliance with fire safety is completed within timescales. 30/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 6 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32(4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b)) 30/07/2019

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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

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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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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. 30/07/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 7 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. (Regulation 44(1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5))

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Recommendations

 As the home will have a day-to-day understanding of young people‟s capabilities and needs, children‟s homes‟ staff will have a valuable contribution to make to the pathway planning process. They should actively seek to make the fullest contribution, working with other relevant persons. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 17, paragraph 3.28)

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improvement to be good

One young person has moved into the home since the last inspection. The decision to place the young person at the home was made by senior managers. The registered manager had little influence over the decision-making for this placement. Although an impact assessment was completed by the registered manager, this was only concluded after the young person arrived. This does not demonstrate effective care planning.

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improvement to be good

The impact of this poor planning was that the young person was not well matched to the existing young people. As a result, there was an increase in safeguarding concerns for all young people. While the new young person has subsequently left the home, there has been a lasting impact on the other young people, who have continued to be unsettled.

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improvement to be good

Young people expressed mixed views about the home. One young person used expletives to describe their negative view of the home, while at the same time identifying that they felt that this was a good home to live in. These conflicted views are shared by both young people. There are a number of factors contributing to the young people‟s decreasing sense of belonging at home, many of which are out of the control of staff. Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 8 Young people understand how to make complaints, and have done so. Complaints are investigated in a timely and appropriate manner. However, one young person informed the inspector that they did not know what the outcome of their complaints were. Although it is reported that feedback has been given to the young person, poor case recording means that this is not documented.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not ensured that the home environment has been maintained to a good standard. For example, a damaged front door greets young people on their arrival home. The fridge door is significantly dented and walls in many areas of the home need painting and repair.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, the use of a locked TV cabinet gives an institutional appearance to the lounge. One young person told the inspector that the house looks more like a workplace than a home.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the importance of education and try to incentivise young people to attend. However, this has mixed success. As a result, not all young people are accessing full-time education. This means that young people are not able to achieve their academic potential.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to develop the skills they will need for adulthood. This includes young people developing the practical skills needed to maintain a home. However, one young person does not yet have a local authority pathway plan in place. Staff have not sufficiently challenged this. This is a missed opportunity to plan for the young person‟s transition out of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff have worked hard to maintain and increase young people‟s engagement with social activities. This has been a useful behavioural incentive, while also promoting young people‟s social skills, self-esteem and confidence. Given young people‟s disengagement with other aspects of support, this is an area of success.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are of variable quality. This is because managers wait for planned review dates before they update risk assessments. This means that risk assessments do not always provide staff with up-to-date guidance on young people‟s known vulnerabilities. Furthermore, staff are not always told when risk assessments have been updated. As such, there is potential for staff to be inconsistent in their approach.

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improvement to be good

During one incident, young people were able to gain access to the office without the staff‟s knowledge. Young people used this opportunity to steal a master key for the home. Subsequent actions taken by staff to retrieve the key from the young people were poorly considered. This resulted in young people going missing from the home and placing themselves at risk of harm. Steps have been taken to reduce the likelihood of such events occurring again. Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 9 Young people go missing from the home. During these missing incidents young people place themselves in vulnerable situations. One young person‟s missing incidents are increasing in duration and frequency. In response to such incidents, staff take appropriate action. Staff work closely with the police and social workers to respond to the missing incidents, and to try and identify strategies to prevent young people from

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improvement to be good

going missing. However, the determined efforts of staff have proved to be largely ineffective.

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improvement to be good

Staff are actively involved with a range of partner agencies to ensure that the present concerns are being proactively monitored and responded to.

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improvement to be good

Staff habitually lock downstairs rooms at night-time. There are no assessed safeguarding reasons to restrict young people‟s access to these areas of the home. Young people have not raised any specific complaints about this.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has a careless approach to fire safety. For example, the registered manager has not ensured that the fire alarm system has been serviced on time. This oversight has the potential to place young people, staff and visitors at the potential risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are rarely required. However, when a restraint is required, this is proportionate and appropriate. Management oversight ensures that there are opportunities to learn from such incidents.

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

The home currently has two registered managers. One of the registered managers does not take an active role in the home and is in the process of resigning from the post.

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

The remaining manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2018. The registered manager‟s skills and experience as a leader are still developing. This has limited the effectiveness of her oversight of the home. The registered manager‟s monitoring systems have not been sufficiently robust to enable her to identify and address shortfalls in the consistency of care provided for young people.

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

A recently appointed deputy manager is providing the registered manager with some additional support. However, the deputy manager is not yet fully established in his role. Positively, both the registered manager and deputy manager are child focused in their approach. They share a motivation to develop and improve the care provided for young people.

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

The limitations of the management team have been compounded by the inconsistent quality of the independent visitor‟s reports. The registered manager has identified that she receives reports late and that they do not always contain accurate information. The registered manager has taken some steps to challenge this. However, this has yet to Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 10 result in improvements to the quality of feedback from the independent visitor.

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

External monitoring by the independent visitor does not provide the scrutiny needed to raise the standard of care provided for young people.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been some changes to the staff team, although most staff have remained consistent. Staff are suitably experienced. However, one member of staff has yet to complete the required qualification. The registered manager has not ascertained the reasons for this qualification not being completed within the expected timescales. However, it is expected that by July 2019 the staff member will have achieved this qualification.

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

Most staff have completed the training required to safely meet the young people‟s needs. However, poor planning carried out by the registered manager means that in some isolated incidents there is a delay in refresher training being offered to some staff. This results in gaps in safeguarding and behaviour management training. This does not demonstrate effective leadership.

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

Staff have a good knowledge of the services and resources in the local area. Staff utilise these links well. Although young people are not always willing to accept the support offered, staff give them every opportunity to benefit from the advice and guidance of a variety of specialist services.

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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: SC369857 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Victoria Square, PO Box 29, Bolton BL1 1RU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bernadette Brown

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Deborah Atherton and Gillian Spencer

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Inspector

Paul Robinson: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC369857 12 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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