Children's home run by Warrington Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037302 1 SC037302

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Warrington 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 is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post is vacant.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was arranged due to an escalation in safeguarding notifications. This is specifically in relation to self-injurious behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found shortfalls in children’s risk assessments and risk management plans. The quality of risk assessments is variable. Children’s risk assessments are not consistently updated and do not all include clear strategies for staff to follow to reduce risk. However, despite these shortfalls, staff spoken to during the visit were clear on the individual risks for children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff demonstrate that they understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. For example, in respect of children’s self-injurious behaviour, staff undertake daily room searches. This is to ensure that they remove any items that children could use to harm themselves. In a further example, staff spoken to at the visit demonstrate that they know what to do if children go missing from home. During this visit, when a child left the home, the staff followed the child’s missing- from-home plan and supported the child to safely return to the home.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager and staff generally manage safeguarding incidents well. However, on one occasion, the interim manager did not take any action in relation to a serious safeguarding concern. Furthermore, when he received this information, he did not report the concerns immediately to senior managers. However, when senior managers were made aware of this information, they immediately rectified this. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037302 2 The interim manager does not record his review and evaluation in children’s plans. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that the interim manager has sufficient oversight of children’s plans and to make any changes required to improve the quality of care that the children receive.

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This monitoring visit

There are gaps in staff’s training which are relevant to children’s current needs. For example, not all staff have had self-harm and ligature training. However, at the visit, the interim manager immediately addressed this and arranged a date for this training to take place.

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This monitoring visit

Due to an increase in safeguarding incidents, the interim manager arranged for the staffing levels at night-times to be increased. However, these arrangements do not consistently meet children’s and staff’s needs. This is because staff report that on some occasions, they are required to stay awake throughout the night. This is not safe practice because staff are working long hours without any rest. The registered individual subsequently confirmed that arrangements will be made for a waking night member of staff to work at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff say that they have not received frequent supervision. The interim manager confirmed this. Supervision records do not demonstrate that staff are receiving supervision in line with the statement of purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The staff team have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This has meant that staff and children have had to self-isolate as per government guidance. Despite this the acting manager has endeavoured to maintain a stable staff team to care for the children.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager needs to ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is updated and sent to Ofsted as per regulation. This is necessary to ensure that Ofsted has the most up-to-date information about the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 25/02/2020 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good 13/02/2018 Interim Not judged 08/11/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037302 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The interim manager needs to ensure that he immediately acts on safeguarding information and shares this information with senior managers.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the interim manager needs to ensure that children’s risk assessments are up to date and include all known risks with strategies included to reduce risk. 5 April 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 5 April 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037302 4 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to the interim manager’s oversight and evaluation of children’s plans and incidents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 5 April 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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: SC037302 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Warrington Borough Council, Children’s Services, New Town House, Buttermarket Street, Warrington WA1 2NH

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC037302 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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