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

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2020. This visit follows on from four previous monitoring visits. The first visit was carried out on 24 November 2020, after Ofsted received concerns about the quality of care and children’s safety. Following this visit, a decision was made to issue the provider with a notice that restricted them from admitting any further children to the home. This was put in place for up to 12 weeks. This notice was issued because Ofsted found concerns around staff sufficiency. Ofsted was of the belief that should any new children be admitted to the home, this would place the existing children and any new children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

A second monitoring visit was carried out on 15 December 2020. This visit was made to review the provider’s compliance with the restriction notice. The provider was found to have complied with the restriction of accommodation notice and had not admitted any new children. Since the previous visit, in November, one child had left the home, leaving four children living there.

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This monitoring visit

During the December visit, the inspectors found that managers had not addressed the regulatory breaches identified at the previous monitoring visit. There were serious shortfalls in children’s risk assessments and ongoing shortfalls in safeguarding. Following this visit, a decision was made to issue a compliance notice under regulation 12 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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This monitoring visit

A third monitoring visit was carried out on 13 January 2021. The purpose of this visit was to check that the provider was still complying with the notice of restriction and Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 2 to check that all actions set out in the compliance notice dated 17 December 2020 had been met.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that the provider had continued to comply with the restriction of accommodation notice. However, managers had failed to ensure that all the steps set out in the compliance notice had been met. As a result, a further compliance notice dated 15 January 2021 was issued.

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This monitoring visit

A fourth monitoring visit was carried out on 26 January 2021. The purpose of this visit was to check that the provider was still complying with the notice of restriction and to check that all actions set out in the compliance notice dated 15 January had been met. At the time of this visit there were three children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this latest visit is to check that the provider is still complying with the notice of restriction. At the time of this visit there were three children living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors gathered their evidence in several different ways, including talking to the manager and staff. The manager also provided electronic documents for the inspectors to review.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have acted swiftly to make improvements since the last visit. For example, children’s case records have been reviewed and updated. Staff have received training in risk and behaviour management. Consequently, staff are now beginning to have a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities to promote children’s safety and welfare. Staffing numbers are increasing, and this change is enabling managers to dedicate more time to oversee children’s care.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers have reviewed the process for admitting new children. These changes bring greater involvement of the home’s manager when the organisation is considering any new referrals and looking more closely at matching.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are more positive about the home and the progress that has been made since the last visit. Staff are increasingly confident in their roles and recognise the positive changes. As a result of the improvements seen, Ofsted has not issued any further enforcement action and the restriction of accommodation notice has not been renewed. However, while acknowledging these improvements, the home is still on a journey of improvement, with changes yet to be fully embedded into practice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 3

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

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Sam Dulay-Kainth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2592943 4 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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