Children's home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Staffordshire Moorlands

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 1 SC008488

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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 for up to eight children or young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers education on site at a registered school.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is currently operating without a registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been appointed and has applied for registration.

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This monitoring visit

The home had its registration with Ofsted suspended on 7 October 2020. This was due to serious concerns being raised by the designated officer about a number of unexplained non-accidental injuries to a child residing at the home. Additionally, several concerns were raised by a whistle-blower relating to:

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This monitoring visit

 senior staff and managers covering up allegations made by children;  senior managers dismissing staff concerns about other staff’s treatment of children and no action being taken;  staff being told to cover bruising and not to be honest with Ofsted about this;  staff not following policy and procedures when a child is injured, such as calling 111.

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This monitoring visit

Further, the child’s social worker visited the home and reported that it was in a state of significant damage and disarray, and that there were a number of ongoing incidents taking place with children. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 2 This was a second monitoring visit to evaluate the progress made, and to review whether the provider had taken sufficient action since the last visit for the suspension to be lifted.

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This monitoring visit

Internal investigations are now complete and senior managers have taken appropriate action to deal with unsafe and poor practice. The designated officer’s investigation and the outcome of the Section 47 enquiry have now concluded. The injuries sustained by a child remain unexplained, as no specific individual could be identified as responsible for the non-accidental injuries. It is, however, concluded that a child sustained the non-accidental injuries whilst in the care of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers have given staff strong messages in relation to safeguarding practice and there are more stringent measures in place when allegations are made, for example the suspension of staff from their role pending investigations, rather than being redeployed to head office.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers have worked hard to support the transition of the new manager to the home. Whilst there are no children living at the home to determine the impact of the changes made to the senior leadership team, there is evidence that managers are prioritising a transparent and open door culture when working with the staff team. Staff told inspectors that they felt confident in approaching all managers within the leadership team.

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This monitoring visit

Managers said that staff have an improved knowledge of policies and procedures in relation to whistleblowing, allegation management and safeguarding. Staff spoken to were clear about who they should raise their concerns with, in relation to children’s safety, poor staff practice and where to escalate their concerns if suitable action was not taken.

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This monitoring visit

Accountability came across as a key message from leaders, in terms of ensuring that everybody is accountable and responsible for their actions in keeping children safe. This has included managers revisiting staff’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities relating to seeking professional medical attention for children.

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This monitoring visit

Team meetings are scheduled twice monthly, including one reflective practice session per month. A reflective practitioner has been identified to attend and work with the team during these sessions. Revised safeguarding and whistleblowing policies have been given to all staff for them to read and discuss in individual supervisions. Safeguarding and whistleblowing continue to be standard agenda items at all team meetings and supervisions.

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This monitoring visit

All staff have now completed basic safeguarding, child protection and first aid training. Managers are all scheduled to attend NSPCC-designated training to reinforce their knowledge. As a result of internal investigations, the head of therapeutic parenting (HTP) and the home’s manager have facilitated a training Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 3 session to improve the team’s skills in recording and reporting, including the completion of body maps.

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This monitoring visit

Improvements have been made to incident and restraint records. The records are focused on detailed debriefs with children and staff following serious incidents. These include guidance of authorised restraints. In addition to the manager’s monthly monitoring tool, the HTP completes a monthly side summary report to ensure thorough oversight of documentation and safeguarding incidents.

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This monitoring visit

The HTP and manager informed inspectors that their visibility in the home, day and night, is key to the home operating effectively and safely. This will enable managers to monitor patterns and trends to children’s behaviour and have a thorough oversight of staff practice. There is also a robust on-call system in place for staff to access.

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This monitoring visit

The home environment has undergone significant improvements. The layout of the home has been altered to meet children’s day-to-day needs, communal areas have been made more homely, and children’s bedrooms have been decorated ready to be personalised by them. All bedrooms have desks, bean bags, welcome packs, and teddies.

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This monitoring visit

All investigations have now concluded. Inspectors found that there has been suitable action taken by the leadership team for the suspension of the home’s registration to be lifted.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 20/02/2020 Full Good 11/12/2019 Full Inadequate 05/12/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 12 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 12 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 5 communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and

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Requirement Due date

understanding; are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(x)(xi)(b)) This is with specific reference to evidencing direct work with children following incidents, engaging children in key-work sessions to address children’s relationships with each other and children’s specific needs. This will ensure that key-work sessions are structured, appropriately timed and completed regularly. 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

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Requirement Due date

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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; and 12 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 6 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) Specifically, ensure that physical restraints and serious incidents are recorded and records reflect the full duration of the incident; staff use authorised and trained restraints only; body maps are recorded clearly and reflect detailed accounts of any bruising or injuries to children; staff are trained in safeguarding, child protection and first aid. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and

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Requirement Due date

skills to meet the needs of each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) In particular, the management oversight of the home should be more robust. Debriefs and lessons learned should be used to support staff to manage children’s aggressive behaviour towards others living in the home in an effective manner, to prevent children being hurt. Staff should have suitable sleeping arrangements while completing their overnight shift. The oversight of the review of quality of care report and locality risk assessment should ensure that both documents meet regulatory requirements. Managers should ensure that

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Requirement Due date

all staff, including probationary staff, receive regular practice- related supervisions. 12 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 7 No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1)) Specifically, managers’ oversight of sanctions should be robust, ensuring that sanctions are discussed with children, and that sanctions are proportionate and restorative in nature in order to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children and the staff caring for them. 12 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 12 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 8 Specifically, restraint records should meet regulatory requirements and reflect robust oversight by the manager. Records should include full and reflective debriefs with both children and staff involved in the incident, to help reduce the level of restraint in the home. The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) Specifically, all children should have a current placement plan on file, and the home should provide regular written reports to children’s placing authorities. Children’s individual documents should contain consistent information in relation to health and risks. 12 January 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, that staff record the work they complete with children as requested by therapists, so that children’s progress is maximised.  The registered person should ensure any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases, it will be important for

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Recommendations

children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour, and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: SC008488 9

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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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Inspectors

Cheryl Field, social care inspector Michael Charnley, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC008488 10 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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