Children's Home run by Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 1 SC381339

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Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently contracted to provide services for a single local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 10 and 11 November 2020

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This monitoring visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) government restrictions, this visit took place using both on-site and off-site inspection methodology.

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This monitoring visit

It was a recommendation from the last inspection that improvements were made in the practice and recording of direct work with young people to progress their placement plans. Records of direct work continue to lack substance. A significant proportion of direct work recorded relates to brief conversations with young people. There is little evidence of planned work which supports young people’s placement goals. Key-work sessions are not signed by young people and there is, on the whole, no evidence of their views. This recommendation is therefore not met.

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This monitoring visit

Recording in respect of the restraint of young people lacks sufficient detail. Records are not always written by the staff involved in the intervention and are recorded by the manager on duty. As a result, this first-hand view of events is not readily accessible. Managers do not always evaluate incidents of physical intervention. This means that records are not always clear regarding management’s opinion and learning from the event.

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This monitoring visit

Young people’s views in relation to the circumstances leading up to a restraint are generally detailed. Young people are not routinely spoken to about their views and feelings with regard to the restraint itself. Young people are not always being offered Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 2 access to medical advice post-restraint or offered an independent advocate. These shortfalls in practice mean that the checks and balances are not always in place to ensure that young people are safeguarded effectively during incidents of physical intervention.

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This monitoring visit

One incident of restraint involved two members of staff; one of whom had not been trained in the restraint of young people. A third, trained member of staff, was on duty but was not asked to support the restraint. The physical intervention used was not an approved technique within the organisation’s own model of behaviour management. The two staff involved in the incident gave different accounts of the restraint after the incident. During the course of this two-day visit, the registered manager gave a number of different accounts of the restraint and of the organisation’s response to the incident to inspectors. As a result, there is no evidence that the concerns arising from this practice have been adequately understood and addressed by the registered manager and the wider organisation. This incident was not notified to Ofsted as a safeguarding concern.

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This monitoring visit

Young people’s education has been well supported during lockdown. School staff spoken to by inspectors commented on the support given to young people by staff. There are good relationships between the home and schools. As a result, young people’s educational needs are understood and promoted.

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This monitoring visit

Professionals external to the home speak highly of the quality of relationships between young people and staff. They value the relationship that the registered manager has built with external agencies. Young people are able to build relationships with most of the adults who care for them. Staff were observed with young people during the visit and they were able to talk to young people in a way which prevented the escalation of situations. The opportunity to build these positive relationships provides young people with a secure starting point to build on and make progress.

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This monitoring visit

Practice in relation to the assessment and matching of young people prior to admission to the home has not always been effective. Pre-admission assessments lack key information. While there is evidence of the registered manager’s efforts to obtain accurate and up-to-date referral information from the local authority, this is not always provided in a timely manner. Decisions are then made to admit young people without a comprehensive assessment being completed. As a result, the home is not always able to meet the needs of young people and they risk further placement instability.

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This monitoring visit

The home continues to be contracted to provide services for a single local authority. At the last inspection, a recommendation was made in relation to the quality of the relationships between the local authority and the registered manager. The importance of the registered manager exercising responsibility for decision-making in relation to admissions was also addressed. The registered manager works hard to balance her statutory responsibilities as the registered manager with her contractual duty to the local authority. This presents sometimes conflicting priorities which the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 3 registered manager is continuing to try to balance. This recommendation is therefore repeated following this visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/12/2018 Full Good 07/12/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 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

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 30 December 2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 December 2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff demonstrate they fully understand the risks associated with any restraint technique used in the home. Techniques used for restraint that may interfere with breathing and holds by the neck that may result in injury to the spine are not permissible in any circumstances. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.56)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff must ensure that records of key-work sessions reflect the work undertaken to meet the identified needs as detailed in the child’s placement plan. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as

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Recommendations

recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of children the home is set up and equipped to care for. Specifically, pre-admission impact risk assessments must be thorough, and all relevant information must be obtained and considered prior to admitting a young person. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that effective care planning and strong working relationships between the staff of the home and the contracted placing authority are maintained as these are essential to the success of the placements. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.2)

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Recommendations

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Social Care Services Group, 31 Shaw Road, Stockport SK4 4AG

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Inspectors

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Tracy Mese, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC381339 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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