Children's Home run by Bristol City Council in Bristol

Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 1 SC034211 Registered provider: Bristol City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/06/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 03/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 3

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improvement to be good

The young people are making progress from their starting points. They are developing a sense of belonging and beginning to form trusting relationships with the adults in the home.

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improvement to be good

The adults in the home are clear about what they are aiming to achieve with the young people. However, these aims are not detailed in care plans. The young people’s care plans are not regularly updated and do not detail the targets set for the young people so that they can be reviewed by the adults in the home to monitor the progress of the young people.

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improvement to be good

The young people are making progress and are reducing their use of illegal drugs and alcohol. However, the healthcare plans of the young people do not detail how the adults in the home will support the young people to further reduce it.

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improvement to be good

The young people are being supported by the adults in the home to increase their confidence and independence. One young person is now feeling confident about walking to the shops on their own. Another young person has recently passed a proficiency test so that they can ride their moped on the roads. The young people are supported by the adults in the home to cook, do their own laundry and learn to manage their money. By gaining independence and learning new skills, the young people are increasing their self-esteem and self-confidence.

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improvement to be good

The adults in the home understand the importance of the young people attending school, college and work placements. Young people who, for many years, refused to engage with education are now clear about their career aspirations and are attending work placements that may lead to an apprenticeship. Other young people have very good attendance at school and are making progress with their education.

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improvement to be good

The young people are encouraged to give their views and opinions. One young person has redecorated their room and chosen the colours and furnishings. Another young person suggested a cooking competition between the young people, which they enjoyed taking part in. The young people enjoy a range of activities, such as being a member of a boxing club, visiting the cinema and going on shopping trips.

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improvement to be good

The adults in the home care for the young people and build trusting relationships with them. The young people have experienced multiple moves of home prior to moving to this home, as adults have struggled in the past to keep them safe and meet their complex care needs. The trusting relationships between the adults in the home and young people are beginning to have a positive effect on the young Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 4 people, who are now rarely going missing, no longer need to be regularly restrained and are learning to respect the home’s rules and routines.

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improvement to be good

Comprehensive impact risk assessments are conducted by the manager prior to young people being admitted to the home to evaluate whether the young people are a good match. However, two young people do not get on. There have been too many incidents where they have physically attacked each other and then called the police, complaining about each other. The adults in the home do intervene when incidents occur between the young people, and the relationship between the young people is gradually improving. The adults in the home are now providing separate activities and routines for the young people to keep them apart.

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improvement to be good

Following a violent incident between the young people, one young person stated that they wished to make a complaint. The adults in the home failed to follow the home’s complaints procedure and did not make a record of the complaint. The complaint has not been investigated and no response to the young person making the complaint has been made.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion when a young person was missing from the home, a return-to- home interview was not conducted on their return. Managers did not ensure that this interview happened in a timely manner to try to find out where the young person was, who they were with and what they were doing in the time that they were away. This interview has now been arranged.

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improvement to be good

When safeguarding incidents occur, the adults in the home recognise these incidents and know how to respond to ensure that the young people are safe.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of restraint are minimal. Restraint is used only as a last resort to keep the young person or other safe. Adults in the home use de-escalation strategies or appropriate humour to divert the young people. One record of restraint does not detail how long a hold was for or whether the young person was debriefed following the incident.

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good

The home did not admit any children for 10 months due to an extensive programme of redecoration. The home began admitting children three months ago. The recently appointed manager has submitted his application for registration.

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good

The manager is child focused and is supporting the adults in the home to work creatively and positively with the young people to help them to achieve in all aspects of their life. Supervision and team meetings take place regularly.

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good

Management oversight could be improved in some areas, such as the review of complaints, incidents and restraints. While action is taken by the adults in the home to deal with incidents initially, some aspects of young people’s care have not been Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 5 followed up and require challenge to other professionals to ensure that the care needs of the young people are met.

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good

Many improvements to the home have been undertaken to provide the young people with a homely environment. These include new carpets, doors and the removal of the downstairs office. However, some areas retain an institutional appearance, such as the padlocks on the loft hatch, some door locks and the upstairs office.

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good

The adults in the home report that they feel valued and supported by the manager. They undertake the wide range of training that they need to carry out their roles. The manager and the adults in the home can describe the progress made by the young people and are proud of the young people’s achievements.

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good

Consistency of staffing to ensure a consistent team of adults in the home has been problematic. On some occasions, the adults in the home have lacked direction and leadership in the manager’s absence and young people have received mixed messages. The young people then feel confused and angry. This shortfall has been addressed by the provider. Following a successful recruitment campaign, new staff have been appointed to the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 6

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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

10: 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 achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 10(1), (2)(a)(i)) 27/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that–

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff de-escalate confrontations with, or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(b), (2)(xi)) 27/03/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by each author of the entry.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that– 27/03/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 7 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes–

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)–

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iv)(vii)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that children’s homes are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children. They will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’ page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 8

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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: SC034211 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Director of Legal Services, City Hall, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC034211 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 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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