Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 1 SC369840

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Stoke-On-Trent City Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by the local authority and offers care and accommodation for two young people who have experienced childhood instability leading to trauma and associated complex and challenging behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last full inspection, there has been a change to the home’s management arrangements. The previous manager left the home in July 2020. The current manager is the registered manager of another small group home within the local authority. The manager started work at the home in December 2020. Currently, he has not applied to register with Ofsted. The manager is suitably experienced and qualified in leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out this visit to review the arrangements and progress being made by the young person who is currently living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home was last inspected in January 2020. Since then two young people have moved out of the home; these were both positive planned moves. One young person moved into supported accommodation in June 2020 and the other young person moved into foster care in July 2020. From July to December 2020 no new young people were admitted to the home. During this period, the home was temporarily closed, and the staff were moved to support other homes managed by the local authority.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Ofsted did not carry out a physical visit to the home. The inspector gathered evidence in several different ways, including talking to the managers, responsible individual, professionals and the young person. Managers were asked to provide electronic documents for the inspector to review. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 2 The current young person moved into the home in December 2020. This was a planned move from another home managed by the local authority. The young person has a bespoke care package, which means that he requires three members of staff to support him each day.

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This monitoring visit

Staff and managers are required to follow an agreed safety plan. Managers have ensured that risk assessments contain relevant information that gives staff clear guidance on how to manage risks and how to protect the young person and others. Consequently, the young person has been appropriately protected.

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This monitoring visit

The relationship between the staff and the young person is positive. This relationship has enabled the young person to feel safe and to trust staff decisions. Staff have helped the young person to understand the restrictions imposed by the national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand the implications for him of having a deprivation of liberty order in place.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have access to the in-house therapeutic support, which helps them to have a better understanding of the young person’s needs and vulnerabilities. This support helps to assist staff to provide a consistent quality of care to the young person in line with the local authority therapeutic model of care.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have received up-to-date training to enable them to support the young person. Several members of staff have received specialised training in sexualised harmful behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and staff continue to ensure that arrangements are in place for the young person to maintain valuable links with his family. This promotes the young person’s identity and sense of belonging.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff have positive relationships with partner agencies. Professionals are pleased with the care provided to the young person in light of the challenges they face. The young person told the inspector that staff were doing an ‘amazing job’.

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This monitoring visit

Despite the positive features of care, managers do not always use monitoring and review systems well enough to help with their oversight of the home. For example, the statement of purpose needs to be brought up to date to reflect changes in the management.

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This monitoring visit

Most areas of the home are generally clean and tidy. However, this is not the case with the young person’s bedroom, which has visible signs of significant damage. Despite the significant damage, the action to repair this damage has been too slow. This delay has compromised the young person’s safety, comfort and well-being. Following these inspection findings, senior managers took prompt action to agree a refurbishment programme. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 3 Although staff receive regular supervision, managers do not always use supervision effectively to enable staff to reflect on their practice and to monitor staff progress and professional development. This creates a missed opportunity for raising staff aspirations.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/01/2020 Full Good 20/11/2018 Full Outstanding 01/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(vii)(c)(i)) 19 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 5 March 2021

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Recommendation

 The statement of purpose is of particular importance to this standard (regulation 6(2)(a) and (b)(i)). Homes are required to developed and keep under review a statement of purpose (regulation 16 and schedule 1). The home’s statement of purpose should be child focused, indicating how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the children in their care. The information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered persons and placing authority that placement Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 5 in that home is the right one for that child and the home will be able to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 14-15, paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6)

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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: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City of Stoke-on-Trent, Swann House, Boothen Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 4SY

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Inspector

Patrick McIntosh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC369840 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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