Children's Home run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC360599 1 SC360599

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Blackburn with Darwen 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 children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place off site and included a virtual tour of the home. Children living in the home were spoken to during the visit using a video link. The focus of the visit was to ensure the safety and well-being of children following a number of notifications and the discharge of one child.

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This monitoring visit

Children like living at the home. They are supported to feel included and to build strong, trusting relationships with staff. Social workers are highly complimentary about the care children receive. One social worker said, ‘They have been absolutely amazing with [name of child]. They could not improve the service they are offering to him; he is absolutely thriving in their care.’

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This monitoring visit

Staff understand children’s needs, including behaviours that may be complex and challenging. Transitions are well managed. Impact risk assessments are detailed and explore children’s needs alongside the needs of children already living in the home. Work is undertaken with all children in the home when there are changes to the group dynamics.

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This monitoring visit

Children have individualised risk and behaviour management plans. Plans are clear, regularly updated and provide staff with guidance to enable them to respond consistently. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC360599 2 The safety of children is prioritised. The team proactively raised concerns about a child’s placement when they felt her needs could not be met fully in the home. Regular meetings took place with professionals from health, children’s social care and senior managers from the local authority to implement a multi-agency safety plan while an alternative placement was found. Staffing levels and supervision were increased but were not always effective in preventing serious incidents from occurring.

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This monitoring visit

Safeguarding incidents are dealt with appropriately in consultation with other professionals. However, when the manager was absent, oversight was not clear and serious incidents were not reported as required. The manager is taking steps to address this and has planned a development day across the management team to ensure accountability in her absence.

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This monitoring visit

The home is managed by a skilled and experienced registered manager. She is child centred and provides clear leadership, guidance and oversight to the team. Effective monitoring systems are now in place and enable the manager to review the quality of care. At times, the home has operated outside of the statement of purpose and changes have not been updated in a timely manner.

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This monitoring visit

The team has a strong can-do attitude. Staff are resilient and supportive of each other. Their experiences of managing high-risk incidents over a prolonged period of time, alongside trying to maintain stability for children, have had a negative effect on their morale. Staff say they felt emotionally drained but used the support from colleagues and managers to remain child focused. They benefit from access to regular supervision and training and speak positively about the support the manager provides.

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This monitoring visit

The home is a well maintained and welcoming environment for children. Children are able to personalise their rooms and they have sufficient space to relax comfortably in communal areas. Damage caused to the home during incidents has been swiftly repaired, and issues previously identified around internet access have been resolved. Locks on internal communal doors are not used and the registered manager confirmed that she is taking action to review their purpose.

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This monitoring visit

The recommendations made at the last inspection have been met.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/03/2020 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Good 25/09/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC360599 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, the 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with—

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Requirement Due date

any other provision of these Regulations; or

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Requirement Due date

any conditions in relation to the registration of the registered person under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a) (5) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to delivering care which is consistent with the home’s statement of purpose. 31 March 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review and risk assess the presence of locks on internal communal doors. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that there are clear arrangements in place to maintain effective management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC360599 4  The registered person should notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)–(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph

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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: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY

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Inspector

Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC360599 5 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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