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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 1 SC040982 Registered provider: Wigan Council 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 young people, male or female. The home looks after young people who have physical and/or learning disabilities and complex needs.

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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 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: 7 December 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2018 Full Outstanding 12/09/2017 Full Outstanding 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 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 care planning standard is that children–

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(b)(ii)) 23/12/2019

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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”) which covers the matters listed in schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(1), (5)) 23/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 (Regulation 37(1), (2)(a)) 23/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 4

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Recommendations

 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 s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) This is in respect of training on the topics of self-harm and Makaton. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This children’s home provides short-break care for young people. The young people who stay at this home receive individualised care. Staff know the young people well and have a good understanding of their needs. This means that young people receive consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to make progress from their individual starting points. Staff identify goals for the young people to meet. These goals are individual and in line with each young person’s abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people, including those who communicate non-verbally, are supported to participate in day-to-day activities at the home. Staff use a variety of communication tools to find out young people’s likes and dislikes. These include pictures, questionnaires and iPads.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy spending time at the home. One young person told the inspector that he does not want to leave the home. The inspector observed warm relationships between the staff and young people. The inspector observed the young people and the staff happily eating a meal together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school. The staff attend meetings with the young people’s schools. This means that staff know the most up-to-date plans in respect of the young people. This helps them to provide consistent care to the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some young people have complex health needs. The staff know what these needs are. They speak to young people’s parents to ensure that the young people’s care is consistent. There is a robust system in place for managing medication. This ensures that this all medication is administered both safely and correctly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are care-planning processes in place. These processes generally work and the young people are well matched. However, the processes do not always show the decision-making for some young people’s short breaks at the home. This means that when some young people’s placements do not continue, the learning is not taken from this experience. This does not consistently ensure that any changes in practice are considered prior to the next young person attending the home. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with young people’s parents. One parent told the inspector that she cannot fault the care that her child receives. She was very positive about the staff team. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 6

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

There are risk assessments in place. These outline the risks in respect of the young people and the strategies to manage these risks. Staff know the risks in respect of the young people because they know the young people well. This means that the young people are safe when they are staying at the home.

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

Staff have a calm and gentle approach towards behaviour management. When young people become distressed or frustrated, staff use a variety of de-escalation techniques, which are specific to the individual young person’s needs, to divert their behaviours and to help to reduce the source of anxiety. As a result, there have been no incidents of physical intervention at the home between inspections.

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

There are behaviour management plans in place for some young people. These plans include the young people’s behaviours and triggers. Staff follow these plans. This helps the young people to feel secure.

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

There are effective safeguarding systems in place. Staff contact social workers if they are concerned about a young person’s welfare. For example, one young person did not arrive at the home for his planned break. Staff managed this as a potential safeguarding concern and contacted his social worker. This shows that staff are working with social workers to protect young people.

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

Staff working with young people are carefully selected and vetted using safe recruitment processes. This helps to prevent unsuitable people from having access to vulnerable young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a registered manager in post, and she is supported by a competent deputy manager. They are both committed and provide a child-centred approach. They work well together and ensure that the young people receive individualised care. The registered manager has also taken on responsibility for the management of another setting operated by the local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy understand the progress that young people make. They know the young people well and strive to ensure that the young people enjoy their short breaks at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides a supportive environment for staff. Staff say that they enjoy working at the home and that staff morale is good. There is a stable staff team at the home. This is a real strength, because staff know each other well. This means that there are effective working relationships. This contributes to the young people receiving a high standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular training and refresher training. Staff say that training is good and helps them in their roles. Staff would benefit from training on the topics of self-harm and Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 7 Makaton to be able to consistently support the young people who have these identified needs. A recommendation has been made to reflect this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff rotas do not include the exact hours that the manager works. This is necessary, because it could impact on the day-to-day arrangements at the home. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A young person moved into the home on an emergency basis. This is in breach of the home’s statement of purpose. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 8

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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 difference 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: SC040982 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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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC040982 10 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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