Children's home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Staffordshire Moorlands

Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 1 SC470224 Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager’s application to register with Ofsted is ongoing.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home required improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Management practice relating to care planning and admissions to the home is weak. Admission processes fail to identify the risks and impact that a new child would have on the children already resident in the home. As a result, some children stated that they do not always feel safe within the home and that they had witnessed repeated violence towards the staff. Other children, known to be easily influenced by other children’s behaviours, experience increased levels of incidents that require physical intervention.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Admissions processes also fail to identify how the needs of the child being admitted to the home are to be met, within a context of existing staff shortages and high turnover of staff. The manager and staff reported that staff were regularly assaulted by the child, that other children were hurt by the child and that there were insufficient staff members to cover the rota and to adequately supervise children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff lack the necessary skills and knowledge to meet some children’s needs. Few staff have been trained in childhood trauma and attachment difficulties and none of the staff have training in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Staff are currently caring for a child with PTSD.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staffing at the home has not been stable. Since the full inspection, there have been 10 members of staff who have left the home and there are currently four vacancies and another member of staff is to leave imminently.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager and deputies are currently working shifts at the home to cover the staff vacancies and shortfalls. Although this was initially intended to be an interim measure, this has continued for a number of months. As a result, managerial oversight has been weakened. For example, inspectors found that children had not received medication as prescribed and some staff have received poor levels of supervision following serious incidents. One child had lost her registration with the dentist due to non-attendance at an appointment. This appointment was not recorded in the appointments diary. The managers were unaware of these shortfalls.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager had previously commenced analysis and evaluation of physical restraints; however, this has now ceased due to limited management capacity.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

It is not clear which managers are making the decisions regarding admissions of children into the home. As a result, the home’s manager has sought additional assurances from senior managers that no further admissions will take place until she considers that there are sufficient staff in place to provide safe and good-quality care to children. Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 3 Some children have made progress with regards to their educational attendance and transition into mainstream schooling. Children spoken to say that they enjoy the activities that staff provide and that they like the staff. Some reported that they appreciate the time that staff spend with them and some children, through the support that staff provide, are progressing towards greater levels of confidence and independence.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some children have made progress with regards to managing their emotional responses and some, through staff advocating on their behalf, have experienced improvements in the quality of their contact with family. Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 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; demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous

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Requirement Due date

improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 26/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

* The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. 26/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

* The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 26/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that children attend medical appointments with staff support. The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (2)(a)(iv)(xi)) 26/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording and safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. In particular, the registered person must ensure that medicines are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)) 26/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC470224 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Tape Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 1BB

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Inspectors

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC470224 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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