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, the leadership and management of the home were poor and the home environment required improvement. These have had a significant negative impact on 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 provider had taken sufficient steps to meet the compliance notice under Regulation 6. However, compliance notices under Regulation 12, the protection of children standard and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard were not met so these notices were reissued.

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This monitoring visit

On 19 December 2019, a further monitoring visit was undertaken by Catherine Fargin and Lisa Mulcahy, social care regulatory inspectors. The provider had taken sufficient steps to meet the compliance notices under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 2 The inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice Regulation 12.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors found that children have up-to-date risk assessments that include all known risks. The risk assessments include the most recent risks and the strategies that staff are expected to follow to reduce these risks.

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This monitoring visit

There have been staff meetings since the previous monitoring visit. These meetings demonstrate that the registered manager had spoken to staff about the value and importance of children’s risk assessments and discussed in detail staff roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors observed how a safeguarding incident that took place on 4 November 2019 had been appropriately managed by staff. This demonstrated the improvement in safeguarding practice in the home and the actions taken to protect the child.

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This monitoring visit

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

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has introduced new monitoring systems to evaluate children’s care. The inspectors viewed these at the visit. These new systems will help the manager to evaluate children’s care to help children reach their full potential.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has ensured that staff understand the home’s statement of purpose, policies and procedures. Managers and staff discussed job roles at a staff meeting. Furthermore, managers shared practice standards with staff to ensure that children looked after receive a good quality of care.

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This monitoring visit

Since the previous monitoring visit, all staff have had supervision. The supervision records demonstrate that staff have reflected on the inadequate judgement from the full inspection. Staff have been offered advice, support and training to fulfil their roles.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager is acting on recommendations from external monitoring reports. This means that the registered manager is using external monitoring systems to improve the quality of care for children.

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This monitoring visit

Therefore, the inspectors found that the compliance notices under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13 have been met. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 3

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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)) 23/03/2020

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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; 23/03/2020 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 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 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)) 23/03/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. 23/03/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 6 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)) 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)) 23/03/2020

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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

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)) 23/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

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); 23/03/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 7 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)) Fitness of workers

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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)) 23/03/2020

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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)) 23/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

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)) 23/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

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 23/03/2020 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC040926 8 their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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)) Notification of a serious event

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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. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 23/03/2020

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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

Mrs 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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