Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 1 SC357979 Registered provider: Tameside 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 local authority children’s home offers care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2016.

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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

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2018 Full Outstanding 30/08/2017 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 3

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Recommendations

 Staff in the children’s home who play a key role in supporting young people’s education should ensure that the daily routine specifically includes planned educational tasks. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)  Records of missing and/or late returns should include any antecedents prior to the incident to aid the overall evaluation of risks for the young person. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.3)  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the use of in-house support sessions. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress in this children’s home. They are happy and settled and form close, trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. A staff member said, ‘This home is not like others I have worked in. This home is like a family home. Children play with friends on the street and neighbours become friends of the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Residential care planning is excellent. Staff work closely with the child and adolescent mental health services and a private clinical psychologist to ensure that young people are receiving the right help and support to meet their emotional and developmental needs. Each plan captures the essence of each young person’s life experiences and the impact on their lives. Carefully planned linkwork sessions help young people to address some of the issues in their lives and to take positive and confident steps forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s resilience and emotional health are at the forefront of practice within the home. Three staff have recently qualified as the home’s mental health first aiders and regularly provide relaxation and meditation sessions as part of their mindfulness programme. Consequently, staff understand young people’s anxieties and emotional frustrations and work in a safe and caring way that helps young people to express their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Some young people come to the home with a poor nutritional diet and fear of trying out new foods, tastes and textures and/or eating in front of others. Young people engage Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 4 well with healthcare professionals, including receiving regular visits from a dietitian and, as a result, make remarkable progress. For example, young people now have a varied diet, eat at the table with staff and peers and take part in cooking lots of interesting and flavoursome foods.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people coming to live at this home have a history of educational disruption and non-attendance. Staff work effectively with a range of educational providers, including tutors, work placements, school and college placements, to support re-integration. Daily homework sessions enable young people to keep up to date with their work and share their progress with staff. The outcomes for young people are outstanding. Attendance and attainment are significantly improved, with one young person currently undertaking GCSE examinations while another is studying towards eight GCSEs next year. One area for further development relates to the recording and update of the daily routine to reflect the visits from the tutor. This will help to ensure that young people know when to expect a tutorial session and can make arrangements to attend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

It is clear that staff work exceptionally hard to engage families where there have been previous hostile relationships with professionals. In most cases, this has proven successful. Where appropriate, young people enjoy regular contact with family members. Staff provide suitable support and supervision to ensure that young people have positive visiting experiences. Families are made to feel welcome to the home and are invited to take part in activities with their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s views and opinions are viewed with high regard. Consultation is at the starting point of all plans, activities and future targets. The home also uses electronic methods of communication such as private restricted accounts for WhatsApp, Facebook and SurveyMonkey. Families and professionals regularly provide feedback on the service using electronic surveys and this enables staff to assess the level of satisfaction with the care received in the home. A professional said, ‘This is a warm and welcoming home. The staff do everything they can to support the young people. Nothing is too much trouble.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Play and socialisation are promoted within the home. Young people make friends in the community and help towards local charity events by baking cakes. Recreational activities are consistently promoted that work together with mindfulness and healthy living. Young people regularly go for country walks, bike riding, swimming, climbing and skiing. Young people are encouraged to think of activities they would like to try or places they would like to visit. As a result, some young people are going on holiday abroad this year.

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

The safety and protection of young people are exceptionally well managed. Up-to-date risk assessments are developed in consultation with social workers and therapists to ensure that all eventualities are considered. Consequently, young people’s risk-taking behaviours are consistently monitored and evaluated in accordance with their risk management plan. Where risks are deemed to have increased or, indeed, where a specific change in behaviour is identified, staff take effective action to address these Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 5 concerns and update the management plan. Consequently, young people’s risk-taking behaviours are significantly reduced while living in this home.

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

Although there have not been any instances of young people being missing from home, missing-from-care risk assessments and action plans are in place. This precautionary measure means that staff are vigilant and ensure the continued protection of young people resident in the home. These measures were particularly effective in addressing an increase in absences and/or late returns from family contact for one young person. Consequently, through stringent partnership working, these incidents reduced. There is one area for development. Some records of absences and/or late returns do not contain the chronology referring to the antecedents and/or the attempts to contact the young person during the period of lateness or absence. Having this information recorded on the record of absence will ensure that essential detail is available without delay.

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

Since the last inspection in November 2018, there has been one minor use of a physical intervention used to guide a young person away from a situation. All staff are trained in the use of physical intervention. A staff member said, ‘We always work through the de- escalation and re-direction plans for young people in order to avoid the use of a physical intervention.’ Records confirmed that, on the whole, de-escalation techniques are successful and the use of intervention is minimal. Where behaviours have escalated, the home maintains a detailed record which is shared with external professionals in order to re-evaluate whether behaviour management techniques are appropriate.

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

Clear behaviour management plans are developed in partnership between the young person and adolescent mental health services, the private psychologist and health and educational professionals. This means that a consistent approach to behaviours is applied at all times. Young people receive sanctions which are fair and proportionate and suitable to their age and understanding. Likewise, young people receive consistent praise and rewards for good behaviour and the excellent progress they make towards their individual goals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has been in post since June 2016. She is qualified at NVQ level 4 in social care management. She is committed to leading a consistent, dedicated and strong team in the delivery of individualised, nurturing childcare practice. Young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support that the home provides. Internal monitoring systems provide the home with an exceptional approach to the overall monitoring of care. Detailed information highlights areas for development, and the manager’s action plan details the methods used to enhance the service. External monitoring also takes place in accordance with regulation. The monitoring reports provide a positive insight into the progress that young people make. Staff are provided with a consistent annual training package. Mandatory training is

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 6 regularly refreshed, while additional training based around the theoretical framework for attachment called PACE (play, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) and emotional resilience, is the basis for all planned work with young people. Staff benefit from regular sessions with the private psychologist employed by the home, which help young people and staff to focus on the progress that young people make and to build on their aspirations for the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are provided with excellent support. One staff member said, ‘The managers always help and support us. If we are struggling with something, they find ways to help us. We are a very close-knit team who all work really well together.’ Staff receive regular supervision, including group and link-worker supervision and additional support via a closed team WhatsApp group. However, records of some supervision sessions are not consistently updated to include the additional support measures provided to staff. This is an area for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to delivering excellent child-centred practice that is tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress that young people make, particularly in education, their self-esteem and levels of positive social integration. The home employs a strong and committed staff team, with the majority of residential staff being qualified at NVQ level 3. The training of staff at this level ensures that they are suitably qualified in the care and management of young people. Leaders and managers ensure that all referrals to the home are suitably assessed for compatibility. Evidence of impact assessment leading to decisions to place, or not to place, demonstrates a clear commitment to the young people already placed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff routinely notify Ofsted, placing authorities, parents and community police of any concern or event involving a young person, in accordance with regulation 40. Immediate action is taken to reduce risks, including, where necessary, additional staffing. The home places the needs of the young people at the forefront of its practice and this is evidenced in the excellent progress they make.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Two recommendations were made at the last inspection in November 2018, relating to young people’s educational attendance and young people reading and signing records about themselves. The manager and staff have made excellent progress in addressing these areas. All young people are now receiving education in accordance with their individual agreed plans. Likewise, young people are now more involved in practice review and development within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Three recommendations are made at this inspection in order to further develop practice in the home. They refer to the records for educational routines, staff supervision and young people’s absences from the home. These are recording issues and do not impact negatively on the outcomes for the young people in the home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 7 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: SC357979 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider : Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde, Tameside SK14 1AL

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 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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