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 registered with Ofsted in March 2020.

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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. In response to these concerns, three compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice were issued.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted completed a monitoring inspection on 29 January 2020, where the compliance notices were assessed as met. The restriction of accommodation remained in place.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring inspection was completed to review the home’s compliance with the restriction of accommodation. The two requirements raised at the last inspection, under regulation 11, positive relationships and regulation 23, medicines, were reviewed as part of this inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The newly registered manager has worked well and motivated the staff team to address the previous shortfalls in practice within the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home remains compliant with the restriction of accommodation as no children have been admitted. The home’s admission and discharge record is not clearly set out and entries for one child are made against the record for a different child, which is confusing to the reader. The dates of discharge do not routinely include the details of the relevant year, making it difficult to account for the number of children that should be present in the home. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470224 2 The home has met the two requirements raised at the last inspection. Instead of blanket consequences, the staff team uses reparation effectively with children and these strategies are now linked to the age and understanding of the child.

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This monitoring visit

Medicine management has improved, which means that children receive their medication as prescribed, administered by staff who have had their competence in this area checked. Clear health plans are now in place and followed in practice. This means that children attend planned appointments with staff support, to receive the medical care and attention they require to meet their health needs.

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This monitoring visit

Notifications of serious events were reviewed as part of this inspection and a nocturnal incident where children grouped together without knowledge of sleep-in staff was reviewed. The lack of a waking night staff member on that night meant that supervision levels were reduced. Agency waking night staff do not provide sufficient notice to senior staff when they are unable to cover their shift, which makes it very difficult to cover the absence effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Admission procedures have been developed following the home’s attention to the compliance notice previously in place. However, the home has not tested these procedures out as it has been unable to admit new children. The regulation 44 visitor recently raised some issues with the manner in which some historical admissions were made at very short notice to the home.

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This monitoring visit

This admission history includes episodes where children were admitted to the home without a senior staff member meeting them or without the child visiting the home. The home accommodates children of a young age, who are highly sensitive to moves and placement changes. Therefore, special attention to each child’s pre- admission process and procedure is crucial. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470224 3

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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(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

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

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1)(2) (a )(b)) With particular reference to the home’s admission and discharge record. 30/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1)) With particular reference to the use of agency staff for waking night staff cover. 30/04/2020

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Recommendations

 An effective introduction to the home will take account of the child’s abilities and capacity to understand and retain information. Such an introduction may take place over a period of time and may be delivered in different formats according to the child’s communication and cognitive abilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.8) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470224 5

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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 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Karen Mitchell-Mellor

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Inspector

Karen Forster, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC470224 7 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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