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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 1 SC035492

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Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short breaks for up to four children who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this monitoring visit, the home was only providing short breaks for one child at a time, on Saturdays and Sundays, due to COVID-19 restrictions. The staff were continuing to provide outreach support to children and their families in the community.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 5 April 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 20 to 21 November 2020

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged as inadequate at the last full inspection on 27 and 28 August 2019. Ofsted issued three compliance notices in respect of regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard.

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This monitoring visit

Monitoring visits were undertaken on 23 September 2019 and 22 October 2019. At these visits, the local authority could not demonstrate that sufficient action had been taken to meet the compliance notices. Therefore, the compliance notices were reissued. A further visit on 19 November 2019 found that the local authority had made significant improvements and demonstrated that the notices have been met.

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This monitoring visit

An off-site monitoring visit on 21 May 2020 found that the manager had taken suitable action to address the shortfalls identified at the last full inspection. Local authority care plans were in place, fire drills and risk assessments were taking place regularly, and medication was managed safely. Staff had received training, including care planning, the management of medication, fire risk management and safeguarding. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 2 Since the last monitoring visit, the home has made sustained progress. There are no serious or widespread concerns about the care and protection of children. The manager provides strong and effective leadership that focuses on improving the experiences of children. The manager and staff have responded to COVID-19 restrictions appropriately. They have made sure that children and families have continued to receive support safely.

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This monitoring visit

Children stay in a warm and child-centred environment. It is a place where children feel safe. They enjoy coming to stay because they can relax and have fun away from stressful situations. One child said that, ‘[Since coming to stay at the home] I am happier, less angry and getting on better with my mum.’

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This monitoring visit

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff have the personal qualities, experience and skills to build honest and constructive relationships with children. Staff recognise and promote children’s strengths and abilities. Staff have a clear understanding of what children are worried about and what is important to them. Children trust staff enough to talk to them freely about their worries and to ask for help.

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This monitoring visit

Children are involved in the decision to come to stay at the home. However, children’s assessments, plans and review reports do not include their views about what is going well, what is helping them, what they are finding difficult and what they want to happen next.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, the independent person monitoring the home does not visit when children are staying there. Therefore, children are not getting the opportunity to talk to an independent person about their experiences and the support that they receive. In addition, the independent person is not seeing the quality of children’s relationships with staff and the activities in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff protect children from harm. Staff know how to identify and manage risks to children. They take effective action when they have concerns about children’s safety. They take appropriate action when children have gone missing from the home.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children to manage their own safety both inside and outside the home. Staff have the skills to recognise the signs that children are involved in exploitative or damaging relationships. They help children to understand what makes a healthy relationship, and they provide them with support to manage the risks.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work in partnership with the other people involved in children’s care effectively. They have strong and honest relationships with children’s families. They are successful in supporting families who have refused help from other services in the past. Staff work alongside family support workers, social workers, teachers and health workers to make sure children and their families get the help they need at the right time. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 3 The manager has a clear and realistic understanding of the home’s strengths and the areas for development. The manager uses detailed plans effectively in order to continue to make improvements.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is developing a cohesive and skilled staff team that provides consistency and stability for children. Staff are experienced, well-trained and qualified. They know the children very well and provide them with the support that meets their assessed needs.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 27/08/2019 Full Inadequate 18/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/12/2018 Full Good 17/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 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

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the independent person visits the home when children are staying there. 31 December 2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that children should be encouraged by staff to see their records, including their assessments, plans and reviews, as ‘living documents’. Staff should support children to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice, wishes, feelings and experiences on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035492 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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Inspector

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