Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 1 SC064858 Registered provider: Salford City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for four children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, Ofsted suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this setting on 23 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and children, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and children are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2020

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: A compliance notice served on 13 June 2020 in relation to regulation 14, the care planning standard. Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 3

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inadequate

Children have, at times, been subject to physical harm from other children. Additional staff have been deployed to reduce the risk of bullying, but this has not had sufficient impact. Although a previous compliance notice was served due to poor matching, managers have not taken adequate steps to ensure that mistakes are not repeated.

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inadequate

Plans to help children learn new skills have been unstructured and progress has not been reviewed. A number of assessments that are required have not been requested or escalated promptly when delayed. This means that children are less likely to be able to access the services needed to support them into adulthood.

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inadequate

Placement plans are not used as working documents to guide staff and ensure that all are working to the same goals and aspirations for children. Staff are not all aware of the basic health needs of each child. Staff were not fully aware of and were not meeting some of the children’s basic health needs. This compromises children’s health and development.

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inadequate

Although previously recommended, the statement of purpose has not been updated. Managers are in discussion about the long-term aims of the home. As a result, staff are unclear about the direction of care for the children and plans often drift.

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inadequate

The home environment requires further attention to ensure that children live comfortably. Mismatched poor-quality furniture, locks on internal doors and damage throughout the home makes it feels less homely.

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inadequate

Positively, children are engaging in education and activities in the local community and do have some staff that they trust. Staff have worked additional hours to ensure that children are cared for by people that they know.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Risk management plans do not adequately guide staff on the actions to keep children safe. Not all known risks have been assessed, including the risk of suicide and use of ligatures. Risk levels are reviewed without clear rationale or process. This fails to ensure that risks are consistently managed by staff and places children at an increased risk of harm.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Allegations against staff have not been reported or investigated appropriately. This places children at risk of significant harm. Furthermore, managers have failed to sufficiently follow up on complaints and disclosures made. Children are not routinely offered advocacy and when complaints have been made, processes have not been Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 4 followed to ensure that they are reviewed independently. As a result, children have not been updated about the outcome or changes made as a result of their concerns.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Restraint records are poorly recorded and lack sufficient detail. This has reduced the manager’s oversight of patterns and trends. Records lack detail and are not reviewed by all staff involved.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Sanctions used lack understanding of the underlying needs of the children. Financial reparation has been linked to returning home late when children are known to be at risk of exploitation. Managers do not discuss room searches or sanctions with children in order to help them understand why such action is being taken. This was raised as a previous recommendation as it does not support children’s understanding and enable them to make positive change.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

A number of serious incidents have not been reported to Ofsted. This has reduced the regulator’s oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and deputy managers have been absent from work for a period of time. A senior staff member has stepped up to oversee the home. However, she has not been provided with appropriate training and support to do this effectively. The responsible individual has not made suitable arrangements to cover the management of the home and as a result, the quality of care for children has been poor. Procedures and policies have not been followed and suitable training has not been provided to meet needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records show that staff have not received training to meet the needs of the children. Children’s plans and records are not written in a way that children can easily understand. This means that children have not been able to effectively contribute to their records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not actively sought feedback from children, when reviewing the quality of care. This means that management direction and focus is reduced and has led to a lack of clear actions being identified and regularly reviewed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Previous requirements and recommendations have not been met. Administrative systems in place are chaotic. As a result, the culture of the home and development of the team has deteriorated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Language used by staff is dated and institutionalised. It often places blame on children for behaviours that challenge staff, rather than evidencing an understanding of children’s needs. This means that children do not have a sense of security and belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers’ oversight of records has not identified weaknesses in staff practice or been used as an opportunity to ensure that processes are followed through. Staff Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 5 debriefs following incidents lack reflection and learning. Supervisions in recent months have also been limited, reducing the opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice and develop. Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 6

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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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(e)) 01 June 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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 01 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 7 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;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(f)) 01 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 8 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every six months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to seeking feedback when completing the review and including an action plan. 15 July 2021

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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 and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that staff treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that staff use appropriate language that does not stigmatise children or place blame.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that the environment is more homely and that damage is repaired quickly. 15 July 2021

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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

The registered person must— 15 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 9 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 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))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that a decision is made regarding the purpose of the home and made clear within the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to removing internal locks on the doors of communal areas. 15 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

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 a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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”) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within five 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)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 15 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 10 This relates to seeking children’s views on records of restraint, sanctions and room searches. Children need to be offered advocacy after physical intervention.

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Requirement Due date

Staff need to record a description of the holds used when physically intervening and all involved need to read and sign the record.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 01 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

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Inspectors

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Carly Quinn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC064858 12 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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