Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 1 SC373044 Registered provider: Birtenshaw Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a charitable organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited the home on 23 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/12/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 3

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improvement to be good

Several improvements have been made to the physical environment since Ofsted last visited the home. However, there remains a significant amount of work that is required if the manager’s vision of a therapeutic home is to be achieved.

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improvement to be good

There is an absence of pictures and soft furnishings around the home. This contributes to communal living areas feeling austere and unhomely. This feeling extends to one child’s bedroom, which is totally devoid of any personal items or furniture. While an element of this was based on risk and the child’s views, the absence of a bed in a child’s bedroom does not reflect an acceptable standard of care. Arrangements were made during the inspection for a specialist tough bed to be installed.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the visit, the home was accommodating two children. Overall, these children are making progress in many aspects of their lives. They have been supported to re-engage with their education, and their school attendance and learning outcomes have improved.

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improvement to be good

Additionally, children enjoy an active life; staff encourage them to pursue interests of their choice, such as visiting the zoo and the seaside, walking in the park, cooking and baking, and playing on their scooter. As COVID-19 restrictions lift, staff are exploring long-term interests, such as working at an animal farm and attending a local youth club.

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improvement to be good

Children have good relationships with some of the staff. During the inspection, the inspector observed staff laughing and joking with children and showing a genuine interest in them. A social worker said: ‘[Name of child] has some very good relationships with some staff. He is getting the care that he needs, and I am very happy overall.’

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improvement to be good

Children living at this home have complex needs and disabilities. Staff understand these needs and support the children to access routine and specialist health services as required. Medication is administered safely. However, the arrangements for storing controlled medication do not meet the required standard.

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improvement to be good

Children have been involved in developing a pictorial menu that promotes healthy eating. However, this principle is undermined when children are not offered healthy alternatives when they refuse to eat the food on offer. Furthermore, children are not routinely encouraged to sit and eat together. This is a missed opportunity to reinforce the family living model that the manager is trying to achieve.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 4 There is a high level of supervision that safeguards children. Staff are alert to risk- taking behaviour and understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Protective strategies are in place and are effective in managing and reducing risk-taking behaviours. A social worker said: ‘The staff have done well to reduce incidents of self-harm for [name of child]. This was a really concerning behaviour before he lived at the home. Although the behaviour has not gone away, incidents are now infrequent.’

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improvement to be good

The manager understands her safeguarding responsibilities and follows the organisation’s procedures for managing allegations and safeguarding concerns. She has made some improvements to how safeguarding records are organised. However, these continue to be missing key information, such as evidence of decision-making by the local authority designated officer.

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improvement to be good

Complaints management requires improvement. The manager has failed to acknowledge serious concerns raised by a parent as a formal complaint and, as a result, has not kept a record of the action taken to address these concerns. Alternative evidence was considered during the inspection, confirming that all matters had been addressed.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff are working hard to develop a consistent approach to helping children to manage their emotions and behaviour, without the need for physical restraint. This can, at times, be challenging and demands a great deal of patience and resilience from staff. When restraint is used, detailed records are kept. However, better scrutiny by the manager would help identify areas of practice that could be improved. For example, the effectiveness of de-escalation techniques and the timing of staff placing hands on the child.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are in place. There are several vacancies within the team. The manager is keen to ensure that these are filled by staff with the right personal qualities, skills and values to help vulnerable children.

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good

The home is run by an enthusiastic registered manager who is committed to improving the quality of care in this home. The manager has identified what needs to improve and is working to an action plan. This plan focuses on improving the environment and establishing a stable and skilled staff team.

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good

Three requirements were made at the previous visit. Although some progress is noted in respect of all of these, it is not sufficient to acknowledge them as met. Consequently, improvements to the environment and child protection records are still required.

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good

Positively, the manager has addressed the two recommendations that were also made. Children’s emergency evacuation plans have been improved and systems to Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 5 ensure that staff read and understand children’s records have been introduced. Accountability and record-keeping will be further improved when the organisation’s transition to electronic records is complete.

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good

Several of the core staff have worked at the home for long periods and provide familiarity for the children. They have been joined by a number new staff who are keen to make a positive impact on the children and the home. Feedback from all staff was very positive about the day-to-day support they receive from the manager, and the direction of travel in terms of improving the standard of care.

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good

The manager understands that formal supervision is a key component of achieving high standards of consistent care. Despite this, she has failed to prioritise staff supervision. Records confirm that not all staff are receiving supervision in line with the organisation’s policy. The manager acknowledges that this is a missed opportunity to ensure that the team is working to her improvement plan.

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good

It was noted at the last visit that the manager had made a concerted effort to ensure that mandatory training was brought up to date. However, most staff have not refreshed their safeguarding training. Furthermore, some staff are yet to complete epilepsy training and self-harm training, which are known or suspected needs of a child in the home.

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good

Most staff are suitably qualified or are in the process of completing a relevant qualification. However, one part-time member of staff is not completing the qualification, despite working for the organisation for over two years. Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, improve the standard of the environment by ensuring that ongoing and planned improvements are completed in a timely manner. 1 July 2021

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding. 1 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 7 (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii)(viii)) Specifically, ensure that all children have a bed in their bedroom, and encourage children to safely personalise their bedrooms to make them less austere. The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

provides for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the home’s records are organised and include a full account of what action was taken and the outcome of any allegation. 1 July 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)) 1 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 1 July 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children refuse meals, the alternative offered is healthy and nutritious, and that children are encouraged to sit and eat together at mealtimes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.8)  The registered person should ensure that controlled medication is stored in line with the Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations 1973. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should thoroughly evaluate all incidents of restraint and use this information to improve staff practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that staff refresh their safeguarding training and that they complete training in working with children with epilepsy and

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Recommendations

children who self-harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should ensure that arrangements are made for all staff to complete mandatory qualifications within statutory timescales, including those who work part-time. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 8

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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: SC373044 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Birtenshaw Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Paul Scott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC373044 10 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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