Children's Home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 1

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Halliwell Homes

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children. The home has an attached registered school.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out after Ofsted had received concerns about the safety of the children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home was registered by Ofsted on 14 August 2020. Consequently, this is the first visit to the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not have sufficient staffing with the appropriate level of experience to safeguard children from harm. The current manager has only recently been appointed and is the third manager since the home was registered on 14 August 2020. At least 11 members of staff have left since the home opened in August 2020, and four senior staff posts are currently vacant. Only five members of permanent staff (therapeutic parenting staff) are working in the home. Most of the staff working at the home have limited experience and qualifications in residential childcare.

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This monitoring visit

Despite having staff shortages, leaders and managers have continued to move new children into the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not given enough consideration to children’s vulnerabilities and presenting risks when agreeing to new placements. As new staff have joined the home, they have not received early help to enable them to have the right skills and knowledge to meet the children’s complex needs. This has caused instability in the home, and staff have been unable to manage children’s behaviours to effectively safeguard each child from harm. For example, inspectors found that Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 2 children had been able to spend time in each other’s bedrooms during the night without staff knowledge. There remains uncertainty over how this was able to happen and the risk this presented.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have access to informed risk assessments. This leaves staff without sufficient guidance on how to manage risk.

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This monitoring visit

The number of incidents in the home has significantly increased. Children frequently run out of the home, and staff are ill-prepared for how they will manage the situation.

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This monitoring visit

This is further impacted by the fact that staff do not ensure that records made about incidents are clear. This failure to make a detailed record leads to confusion as to what has happened during the incident. These omissions have not been swiftly identified by managers. Consequently, there is no learning from incidents. Instead, incidents that place children at the risk of harm continue.

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This monitoring visit

Some children present with self-harming behaviour. Ofsted does not believe that enough members of staff have the appropriate skills or knowledge to be able to safely respond to the child’s complex needs.

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This monitoring visit

Staff struggle to settle children to bed at night. This means that children aged as young as nine can be up until the early hours of the morning.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the significant concerns found at this visit, Ofsted has taken the decision to issue a restriction of accommodation notice. It is Ofsted’s view that there would be unacceptable risks to the safety of children should more children be admitted to the home at the current time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 3

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 11 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

(a) Helps children aspire to fulfil their potential ; and (b) Promotes their welfare

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(e)) 11 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 11 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 4

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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 address: The Curtis Partnership, 1 Tape Street, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 1BB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Karen Mitchell-Mellor

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Inspectors

Lisa O’Donovan, Social Care Inspector Mr Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 5 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

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

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