Children's Home run by Halton Borough Council in Halton

Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 1 SC039559 Registered provider: Halton Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide short breaks for up to four children who may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. It is managed by a local authority and provides a service for children from other local authorities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at the home since 2007.

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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: 23 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2019 Full Good 28/11/2017 Full Outstanding 21/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/06/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This service is currently providing short breaks to 19 children. The amount of overnight stays is different for each child and is dependent on their individual needs. Staff plan the children’s care well so that the time that the children spend in the home is individualised and meaningful.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions are child-focused and take place at a young person’s pace. Staff meticulously plan for when a new child starts to use the service, through meetings with the child’s parents, attending meetings to gather information, observation at school and tea time visits. Staff make children welcome when they arrive in the home. Staff support children by utilising symbols to help young people understand what is happening in their day. For example, staff use a doll’s house to explain to a child his routine for the day. As a result, young people settle well and like staying in the home. However, the manager does not routinely use the safer location report when looking at new referrals to the home. This does not ensure that the immediate and local area is safe for a child. Currently, this has not impacted on any child who has a short break in this home but has the potential to do so if not addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents, children and professionals are fully inclusive in identifying the individual needs of a child and the care that the child receives, for example achievable targets for the child are devised and are agreed. One child had difficulty socialising and sitting with others to eat. A parent said, ‘His socialising has improved greatly. It is lovely to be able to take him out and have a meal at a restaurant.’ In addition, there is a clear link between children’s care plans and the work that staff are doing with young people to meet their needs. This approach to care planning has resulted in sustained improvements to the lives of children who have complex and challenging needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are acquiring new skills and experiences because of the care that they receive from staff at this short-breaks service. Staff are proactive in encouraging the children to take part in activities during their stay at the home. This includes trips to a zoo, a safari park, attending pantomimes, pumpkin picking, library visits and the cinema. Staff document the activities that the children enjoy. There are many photographs in the home of the children trying different activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children exceptionally well. Children love coming into the home, and feedback from parents is consistently positive about the level of care provided by the staff. One parent said, ‘I put off sending him here for years, but this is the best decision I have made. It is an amazing place and his independence skills have come on immensely.’ Another parent commented, ‘He has come on leaps and bounds. I cannot thank the staff enough.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A real strength of the home is that the staff take a proactive and creative approach to supporting the children to air their views, wishes and feelings. Staff are good at ensuring that children actively take part in day-to-day decisions about their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 4 Staff use a wide range of communication systems with children to ensure that they have choices in all aspects of their care, from food choices to activities that they would like to try. Staff are continually thinking of new ways to ensure that the children’s views are integral to the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An outstanding area of practice is how children transition into adult services. Children are prepared over time, so that they understand what is going on. They visit their new adult short-break service, stay for tea and meet other people and staff. Staff from the adult service regularly visit the home and work alongside staff. Therefore, they learn the child’s routines and behaviours. All transitions are taken at a child’s pace and can be adjusted according to the individual’s needs, for example at a slower pace, if necessary.

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

Children are safe in the home due to a high level of staffing and the shared knowledge about the child’s individual needs. Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities, and there is clear written guidance for staff to follow to minimise any known risks. However, children’s risk assessments do not give staff adequate information about the action to take if an incident was to occur. This does not ensure that staff would give the same response to ensure consistency.

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

Children do not go missing from this home, due to a high level of staffing and security. Staff are clear about what actions to take should a child go missing. Staff know children well and effectively manage behaviours in line with children’s behaviour plans, which identify individual triggers and the best strategies for staff to use. As a result, no child has been restrained since the last inspection. This demonstrates the staff’s skills at de-escalation and managing challenging behaviour. There have been no allegations or complaints made since the last inspection, and staff know what action to take should any safeguarding concerns arise. Staff have a good understanding of the vulnerability of children who have a disability and work creatively with children to equip them with the skills that they need to keep themselves safe. For example, there are pictorial symbols in the home of the fire procedures, the complaints system, personal care and whether children are happy or

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

sad. One child uses a traffic light system for alerting staff to how he is feeling. Due to this good system, he is now able to self-regulate and remove himself from situations. For example, the inspector observed the child telling a member of staff that he was feeling red and wanted to have time alone in the sensory room.

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

Staff receive training in areas of safeguarding, such as around child sexual exploitation, risk assessment and specific safeguarding training that is bespoke to children with disabilities. Parents are confident in the team’s ability to keep their children safe. They know that staff will respond to any incidents and keep them well informed. Additional training is well linked to the needs of children using the service, and includes complex health needs, autism, epilepsy and first aid. Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 5 Prior to the last inspection, there were errors made in administering medication by a member of staff. Reporting protocols were followed and the medication systems in the home were scrutinised. Because of this, new recording sheets have been implemented that require two staff signatures, medication is signed in and out of the home by a senior member of staff, all staff have received additional medication

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

training and their competency is checked frequently. As a result, there have been no medication errors in this reporting period.

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

The physical environment for the children and staff is safe and secure because it is checked regularly. This, along with the risk assessments which are reviewed and updated frequently, protects the children and staff from the risk of harm. All visitors are required to sign in and out of the home. Visitors identification badges are checked, and visitors are supervised around the home. This further protects the children. On the day of the inspection, the home was given five stars for food and hygiene by the local environmental health team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007 and is suitably qualified for the role. An experienced and knowledgeable deputy manager supports the registered manager well. They have an excellent understanding of the progress that children make and are influential in the continued improvements in the home. They work hard to find innovative and creative ways to improve the experiences of the children who access the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable, committed and enthusiastic staff team. The staff team members have the relevant skills and experience to meet the complex needs of the children they care for. Staff like working in the home and feel well supported in their roles. One staff member said, ‘I have been here for 14 years and I still enjoy coming into work every day. It is a great place to work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals, which are reflective and linked to their practice. This not only ensures professional development but also ensures that the home is meeting its aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. As a result, staff report that they feel supported in their roles. They say that managers are approachable and freely give advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key strength of the home is effective communication between staff, parents and professionals. This ensures consistency for the children across all areas of their lives. Feedback from professionals and parents is consistently positive about how the home communicates with them. One parent said, ‘The staff talk to us all the time. I know what he has done, how far he is progressing and what activity he has done.’ A professional said, ‘Communication is the key to everything and the staff at this home are very good in ensuring that I am kept up to date.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recent development at the home is that a parent has formed a charity group to raise money for the home. This has resulted in a new interactive bath that the children love. Other developments include a new cinema room and a new asphalt Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 6 area in the garden. A road map has been incorporated into the asphalt for children to use their bikes and scooters on. The manager also envisages using this to heighten the children’s awareness of road safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has completed a working development plan, with specific actions for the service and clear evidence of the progress of these actions. This ensures the continuous development of the service. The manager makes good use of internal and external monitoring systems. The manager conducts monthly audits and she has systems in place to ensure that any negative findings are addressed quickly. Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 7

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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 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that children’s risk assessments identify the actions that staff should take in the event of an incident. Further to this, ensure that the safer location area report is used when considering referrals to the home, to ensure that the area is safe for them. 30/04/2020

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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: SC039559 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halton Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor Rutland House, Halton Lea, Runcorn WA7 2GW

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 9 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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