Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Assurance visit report: SC064858 1 SC064858

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority maintained home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 21 January 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Sustained effectiveness

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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).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

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

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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.

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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. Assurance visit report: SC064858 2

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The care of children

Following a monitoring visit on 23 June 2020, the local authority took the decision to cease all new admissions to the home for a period of time. This assurance visit found that no young people have moved into or out of the home.

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The care of children

Staff are proactive in supporting young people to build trusted and secure relationships. Young people benefit from consistent boundaries and a staff team that clearly understands their needs.

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The care of children

Young people’s health and emotional well-being are improving. Staff are proactive in ensuring that young people get the medical advice, treatment and psychological support that they need. There are strong links with external healthcare professionals to promote young people’s health and well-being.

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The care of children

The registered manager and deputy manager met with key workers to look at how the key-work sessions could be improved. Key-work sessions are an opportunity for young people to express their views and opinions. A placing social worker said, ‘One of the key things she wants is someone to listen to her, know someone is on her side, they stick up for her.’

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The care of children

There is a strong emphasis on promoting young people’s education. One young person has continued to attend school during lockdown. Staff have assisted one young person to secure a college placement. Staff work with education providers to ensure that young people are supported to achieve their full potential.

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The care of children

Working within COVID-19 restrictions, young people are supported to keep in touch with their family, friends and other people.

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The safety of children

The monitoring visit on 23 June 2020 found that the home had been through a challenging period due to the impact of poorly matched admissions and changes to staffing due to COVID-19-related illness. This resulted in some disruption within the home. Staff acknowledged that the impact on young people had been severe, but the situation began to settle down once senior management had made the decision not admit any young people for a period of time.

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The safety of children

There are clear boundaries and expectations of behaviour that young people understand and, in the main, adhere to. Young people’s risk-taking behaviour is much reduced at present. Individual behaviour management plans and risk assessments are well established for the young people and consistently followed by staff.

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The safety of children

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures, and appropriate action is taken in response to any incidents concerning the protection of the young people. The police have appropriately been called to support staff when young people’s behaviour is unsafe or they have gone missing. Assurance visit report: SC064858 3 Records in relation to room searches and sanctions need further improvement to ensure that young people’s views and comments are consistently recorded.

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Leaders and managers

The home is well managed by a very experienced, passionate and committed individual. She leads by example and is held in high regard by the staff and other professionals.

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Leaders and managers

Staff say that they are well supported and receive regular supervision. Team meetings and face-to-face training were put on hold during lockdown. Senior managers have agreed to issue all staff with laptops, so that they can access training online and attend virtual team meetings.

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Leaders and managers

Two staff from the home are involved in a project that is looking at how virtual reality technology can be used with young people to help improve and maintain positive mental health.

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Leaders and managers

Key strengths of the home include the strong working relationships with other professionals. Young people benefit from this multi-agency approach. Strategy meetings and multi-professional meetings have taken place via video link. This ensures that young people receive the help and support they need. Professionals speak highly of the home.

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Leaders and managers

The independent visitor continues to monitor the progress and well-being of the young people. Visits were carried out virtually during lockdown. The visitor has returned to on-site visits. Young people are encouraged to share their views with the visitor, and any concerns raised are dealt with appropriately. However, the six- monthly internal quality review report does not include feedback from young people or stakeholders about the quality of care provided.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has taken action to address the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection and the two monitoring visits. However, the shortfall in compatibility matching of young people cannot be tested due to the home not having admitted any new young people. A requirement in relation to this issue will remain in place.

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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. Assurance visit report: SC064858 4

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Requirement Due date

14-The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 13/11/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with: each child; the home’s staff; each child’s family/carers where appropriate; and professionals involved in the care or protection of each child including their social worker, Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), teachers, clinicians and other health professionals etc. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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Recommendations

 Children should be actively encouraged to read their records and to add further information to them. They should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records in later life. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6) Assurance visit report: SC064858 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

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Inspector

Michelle Bacon, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Assurance visit report: SC064858 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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