Children's home run by Wigan Council in Wigan

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 1 SC040926

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Wigan Council

Monitoring visit 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 young people aged from 11 to 17 who are unable to live in their family home. The manager was registered with Ofsted on 24 April 2009.

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This monitoring visit

At the full inspection on 17 and 18 September 2019, the home was judged inadequate. The inspectors found poor practice relating to the help and protection of children, leadership and management of the home were poor and the home environment required improvement. These have had a significant negative impact upon children’s safety and overall progress.

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This monitoring visit

Three compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to Regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard, Regulation 12, the protection of children standard and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

On 4 November 2019, a monitoring visit was undertaken by Catherine Fargin and Lisa Mulcahy, social care regulatory inspectors. The inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice 6. The home environment has improved. The lounge has been decorated and looks homely. The child’s bedroom has also been decorated. However, some items in the child’s bedroom have not been repaired. The inspectors also found that the child has few belongings. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken sufficient steps to meet the compliance notice under Regulation 6.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 2 compliance notice 12.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspectors found that the arrangements for safeguarding children were poor. Staff‟s day-to-day care and supervision of the child is not always delivered in a way that keeps the child safe or protects him effectively from harm. Not all staff can demonstrate that they have the skills or knowledge to identify and act upon signs that a child may be at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The risk in respect of children has significantly increased since the compliance notice was issued. There have been serious safeguarding incidents that have occurred in the home and in the local community. The provider has failed to report all of these to HMCI as required by regulation. A requirement will also be made to reflect this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

On 2 November 2019, a child was placed at risk of significant harm when he was stabbed in the back when out in the local community. Staff said to an inspector that, „It was a good job that he had a thick coat on that protected him from being significantly injured.‟ Furthermore, the registered manager and staff failed to take appropriate action to safeguard the child following the incident. Although he was taken to the hospital, he refused to stay and did not receive sufficient medical treatment. No further action had been taken to ensure that the safety and well- being of the child was prioritised. A requirement will also be made to reflect this shortfall.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager‟s oversight of risk management is poor. Risk assessments do not include up-to-date information relating to serious safeguarding incidents and known vulnerabilities. This means that staff are not always provided with clear guidance and appropriate strategies on how to keep children safe. As a result, staff cannot effectively manage risk.

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This monitoring visit

Children‟s risk and safety plans are contradictory. This makes it difficult for staff to consistently follow plans to safeguard children. Therefore, there are missed opportunities for staff to take effective action to reduce the risks to children. In particular when children are out in the local community.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice under Regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard, has not been met. The compliance notice has been reissued, and a further monitoring visit will take place to consider the action taken by the provider to meet the steps within the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice 13.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors found that the leaders and managers had failed to demonstrate that they inspire and lead a culture that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential. Managers are not leading and managing the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose. This fails to demonstrate that Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 3 the care being delivered meets the individual needs of the children or promotes their safety and welfare.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager‟s oversight of care planning and risk management is poor. The inspectors found that some risk assessments are not up- to- date, and others omitted vital information in relation to a number of significant safeguarding incidents that had happened both in the home and in the local community. This fails to demonstrate that staff have the required documentation to be able to meet the needs of the child or have access to effective risk management strategies.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has failed to ensure that the home‟s statement of purpose, policies and procedures are understood by staff to enable them to provide a good quality of care to children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to ensure that robust systems are in place for monitoring of the home. There continues to be gaps in the home‟s monitoring and review systems. This means that managers cannot identify and address shortfalls in practice to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have completed additional training sessions. Team meetings and development days have taken place since the last inspection. However, during discussions with the staff at this visit, it was clear to the inspectors that, although staff had attended these sessions, the training had not provided them with the knowledge and skills to understand the risks that children face, how to minimise all known risks and their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice under Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, has not been met. The compliance notice has been reissued, and a further monitoring visit will take place to consider the action taken by the provider to meet the steps within the compliance notice.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/09/2019 Full Inadequate 08/01/2019 Full Good 04/10/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 4

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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 personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(viii)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers; 16/12/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 5 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)) The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestlyes.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(c)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to 16/12/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 6 protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(b)) * 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) * 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(c)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) 16/12/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 7 which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b)) Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 16/12/2019 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 8 (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 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

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)(7)(a)) 16/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 9

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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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Inspectors

Catherine Fargin: social care inspector Lisa Mulcahy: social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 10 to 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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