Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Assurance visit report: SC387671 1 SC387671

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is a six-bedded short-break service for disabled children between the ages of six and 17. The home is within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council boundary and is for children from the Oldham and Rochdale area. In addition to the six beds available for planned admissions, another bed is retained for emergency accommodation for children with additional and complex needs to help families through real crisis periods or for safeguarding reasons. There hasn’t been a registered manager in post since March 2019.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

p.1

Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

p.1

Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

p.1

Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

p.1

Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

p.1

Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC387671 2

p.1

Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

p.2

The care of children

Staff and children enjoy building strong and trusting relationships. Children benefit from consistent support and a staff team that clearly understands their needs and enjoys helping them to have fun.

p.2

The care of children

Staff work well with children and their families to understand children’s unique needs and minimise anxiety about staying away from home. They seek information and guidance from health specialists who know the children well and create detailed programmes of care and activity. This collaborative approach is successful in creating access to short breaks for increasing numbers of children.

p.2

The care of children

Staff and education providers work together, ensuring that children continue to learn and make progress in their education. Staff have been creative in sourcing alternative educational placements for children who are unable to access school. The progress children make in these placements helps them to access more formal education in the future.

p.2

The care of children

Staff understand the complex needs of the children. A social worker said, ‘Staff are interested in unravelling problems.’ Staff use this curiosity to effectively address the impact of social, behaviour and communication support needs on children’s emotional health.

p.2

The care of children

Staff adapt information that helps children to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and how to keep safe and healthy. They offer practical support, such as helping children to practise social distancing, and use prompts and social stories for handwashing.

p.2

The care of children

Staff recognise, foster and facilitate each child’s unique communication style. This helps children to share their immediate views about their care and share their views with other children. Staff promote children’s diversity and help them to overcome barriers to their active participation in community life.

p.2

The safety of children

Staff understand how to manage risk and keep children safe.

p.2

The safety of children

Staff use detailed analysis of incidents and children’s behaviour and health needs to underpin carefully crafted support plans. They provide a range of activities tailored to children’s interests and wishes. They create structure and routine that helps children to feel secure. They promote improving communication and emotional regulation. Assurance visit report: SC387671 3 The positive relationships between staff and children, the support offered to their families or carers and this approach to enabling children to make positive choices means that upsetting incidents are rare and decline in frequency.

p.2

The safety of children

Each child has an individualised risk assessment and action plan that includes a personal emergency evacuation plan. Some plans lack the specific detail necessary to ensure staff know the exact routine to support children to leave the building in an emergency. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

p.3

The safety of children

A minority of children have been professionally assessed to require a confined and restricted bed space during their stay. Their care plans do not include information to help staff understand whether this is the best or only way to support them and keep them safe, or when the approach was last reviewed.

p.3

The safety of children

Staff continue to access training in a variety of formats, including training on safeguarding children, recognising and reporting concerns about staff, and behaviour support. This enables staff to understand the potential impact of abuse and neglect and respond to keep children safe and protected.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The current manager has recently been appointed and is applying to register with Ofsted. She is ably supported by a deputy manager and a strong team of experienced staff. She is actively reviewing and revising the home’s development plan in consultation with families, staff and the newly appointed responsible individual.

p.3

Leaders and managers

As short breaks have recommenced, the manager and senior staff have ensured that all children’s plans are constantly reviewed, considering the COVID-19 outbreak and any additional safeguards required to keep disabled children safe. Staff understand these plans and implement them appropriately.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The independent visitor continues to monitor the progress and well-being of the children. Visits have been carried out virtually. Using video links, the visitor spoke to and observed children and spoke with staff, social workers and families. She scrutinised several documents and has provided feedback to the manager. The visitor has now returned to on-site visits. The visitor always observes or talks to children and any concerns arising have been dealt with promptly.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The manager regularly consults children and stakeholders and uses this to improve the care and experiences provided for children. For example, the children create their individual activity plan with their key workers and take part in children’s meetings to share their views about their experience.

p.3

Leaders and managers

Parents express delight in the positive changes to how staff communicate with them, following their feedback about shortfalls in this area. Staff maintained regular Assurance visit report: SC387671 4 contact with families of children who were unable to use short breaks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many parents described this contact as a ‘lifeline’ during a very stressful period of isolation.

p.3

Leaders and managers

A core team of regular staff provides consistent and warm care for children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the manager has used some temporary staff and they have been well briefed on the needs of each child. The number of children staying in the home was limited to one or two, and all staff have worked well together, providing stability for children.

p.4

Leaders and managers

Leaders are acutely aware of the need for stable and permanent leadership so that progress is continuous and embedded into systems and staff performance. Training continues in a variety of formats to ensure continued and effective staff development. The manager and deputy manager provide regular supervision to all staff, including night staff.

p.4

Leaders and managers

The previous manager has successfully addressed all but one of the requirements and recommendations made at the last full inspection.

p.4

Leaders and managers

One requirement and one recommendation are made following this visit.

p.4

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

p.4

Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)).

p.4

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that personal emergency evacuation plans contain all the information necessary to help children to evacuate or stay safe in an emergency. 23/10/2020

p.4

Recommendations

Assurance visit report: SC387671 5  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to the child and the arrangements in place to protect them when children use beds that restrict their liberty of movement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham OL1 1UT

p.5

Inspector

Denise Jolly, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC387671 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6