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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC470224 1 SC470224

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Halliwell Homes Limited

Monitoring visit 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 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 in post is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

At the interim inspection on 18 December 2019, it was found that management practice relating to care planning and admissions to the home was weak. Admission processes failed to identify the risks and impact that a new child would have, or how the needs of the child being admitted to the home were to be met. This was within a context of existing staff shortages and high turnover of staff. There were insufficient staff members to cover the rota and to adequately supervise children. Healthcare needs of children were not being adequately addressed. Staff lacked the necessary skills and knowledge to meet some children’s needs. The manager and deputies were currently working shifts at the home to cover the staff vacancies and shortfalls. It was not clear which managers were making the decisions regarding admissions of children into the home.

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This monitoring visit

In response to these concerns, three compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice were issued. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to monitor the provider’s compliance with the restriction of accommodation notice and the steps laid out under the compliance notices issued under regulation 13, (leadership and management), regulation 14 (care planning) and regulation 10 (health and well-being). The home’s previous requirements were not reviewed at this inspection and will be addressed at the next inspection of the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC470224 2 Since the last inspection, there have been no further admissions of children or young people to the home. The home is therefore compliant with the ongoing restriction of accommodation notice.

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This monitoring visit

Managers now demonstrate appropriate oversight, to ensure that children’s health needs are met. New processes have been implemented that underpin safe administration of medication, and the adherence by staff to these processes is subject to regular management scrutiny. There is managerial and staff accountability in place, and all staff have been assessed for their competency in this area and received additional training. New files have been put in place that are clear, accessible and regularly reviewed by staff and managers.

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This monitoring visit

Alongside managerial auditing, one member of staff has been assigned overall responsibility for ordering medication and updating these changes to newly established health files. This member of staff also completes additional health and medication audits.

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This monitoring visit

There are now robust safeguards in place to ensure that children’s health needs are being met. All children are now registered with medical and health practitioners. As a consequence of recent health audits, one young person has been referred for speech and language therapy assessment.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in the number of staff working at the home. This has enabled the managers to dedicate a greater amount of time to tasks that inform their oversight of the quality of care that children are receiving.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the manager has implemented consistency in the supervision of staff and is in the process of ensuring that action planning from previous supervisions is regularly reviewed. Through this process, she has established better oversight of the work that the staff complete with children and has identified areas of additional learning and development for staff. Improving the quality of the work by staff with children has been a feature of these changes.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has direct input into staff planning of key-working sessions, and these are being linked to staff supervision discussions. In addition, staff have benefited from a variety of training that informs their care of children. The induction for new staff is now extended, and a greater proportion of training is now completed before they commence working in the home.

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This monitoring visit

A mentor has been identified for all new staff, and this strengthens and embeds their learning, competence and overall confidence levels. Additional changes include the manager being directly involved in the interviewing and appointment of the staff to the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC470224 3 The overall impact of these changes is that staff are better informed about their roles and their work with children.

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This monitoring visit

Recent file audits, managerial analysis of trends and patterns and consultation processes with children have resulted in emerging cultural changes in the home. These changes, for example, include children being involved in activity planning, an emphasis on mediation rather than consequences and sanctions and staff demonstrating greater awareness of children’s triggers for negative behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, processes for young people being admitted to the home have been amended. This new step ensures that the manager must sign an agreement to the child’s admission, and that this can only be delegated to a named person. A competency framework has been completed for both the manager and named delegated person with respect to this issue.

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This monitoring visit

This admission process has yet to be tested, due to the current restriction notice that applies to the home. However, the manager is clear about her responsibilities and the previous deficits regarding the admission of children to the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/12/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 25/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC470224 4

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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 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; deescalate 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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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: SC470224 5

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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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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC470224 6 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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