Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 1 SC484789 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 privately owned and run. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have learning disabilities and sensory impairments.

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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 this setting on 2 September 2020 to carry out an assurance 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 19 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/02/2020 Full Inadequate 30/01/2019 Full Outstanding 05/12/2017 Full Outstanding 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people benefit from the individualised care that staff offer. Through the patient and sensitive care that they receive, children and young people are supported to reach their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff forge trusting relationships with children and young people. These contribute to their sense of belonging and underpin and support the progress that children and young people make. Progress includes improved sleeping patterns, greater willingness to engage in community-based activities and more socially acceptable ways to express their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people enjoy a wide range of fun activities, such as boat rides, visiting the zoo, walking, swimming and trampolining. These offer stimulating experiences and provide good levels of exercise. Although home-based activities are also offered by the staff, current use of the outside space is limited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are supported and encouraged to develop their communication techniques and strategies. These, over time, enable them to exercise greater choice and better convey their wishes and feelings. The progress that children and young people have made includes greater use of picture symbols, increased use of speech and use of hand gestures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children and young people’s skills and levels of independence. They employ a patient and consistent approach that recognises the small yet important steps that children and young people make towards their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When young people have left the home, they have done so in a planned way. They have been fully involved in the transition, and their wishes and feelings are respected and responded to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop and sustain positive relationships with other professionals and the children and young people’s families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s complex needs are understood well by staff. One parent said: ‘They are just brilliant with him. Staff are [really] in tune with him and they understand his needs and wants.’ Another parent said: ‘He is doing really well. He is saying more, asking for more, getting more knowledge and he understands what you are saying to him.’

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

Since the assurance visit, there have not been any safeguarding incidents. This means that there have been no allegations or complaints, incidents of missing from Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 4 home or exposure to situations that may pose a risk to children and young people’s welfare.

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

High staffing ratios contribute to children being kept safe in the home and when they go outside.

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

Incidents in the home are infrequent and are of a low-level nature. Staff understand children and young people well and provide care that is individualised and sensitive to their needs. This underpins the low number of physical interventions that have been necessary and is indicative of children and young people feeling settled and appropriately cared for.

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good

The previous manager left the home in May 2021, and the current manager is undertaking the process of registration. He leads a staff team that is dedicated to its care of children and young people.

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good

The manager provides formal and informal guidance and supervision for the staff. Staff say there are good levels of support and a learning and open culture in the home. The manager makes use of a variety of monitoring tools that ensure that staff provide supportive and attentive care.

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good

The manager and staff promote the development of children and young people’s communication strategies. This in turn assists their abilities to express their views and make active choices.

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good

The manager understands children and young people well. He takes an active involvement in ensuring that their plans and goals remain relevant and are adjusted to their changing needs. Plans for children are regularly reviewed with parents and the local authorities. However, not all changes to plans have benefited from clear timescales and the means of measuring outcomes.

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good

The manager and staff work collaboratively with parents and professionals to ensure that children and young people continue to make progress. Feedback from parents and professionals is regularly sought and considered.

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good

A requirement made at the last visit has not been fully met. Although staff have commenced study towards qualification, there remains a low number of staff who are qualified. As a result, this requirement is set again at this visit.

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good

The overall presentation of the home is tired and worn. One child needed a new bed. Some furniture replaced during the inspection was of low quality and noticeably second-hand in appearance. In addition, managers had failed to ensure that the quality of furnishings met health and safety standards. These concerns were responded to during the inspection by managers. Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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

(Regulation 13(1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 30 September

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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;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to refurbishment of the home and child-focused use of the outside space. 31 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that plans to reduce children’s supervision are written and include measurable progress and timescales. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: SC484789 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC484789 8 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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