Children's Home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report children's home: SC040733 1 SC040733 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 up to four children who have emotional, educational and developmental needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2018.

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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 the setting on 10 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/08/2019 Full Good 14/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/08/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 3

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improvement to be good

Young people feel cared for by staff. This means young people have trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. One young person said, ‘I know the staff do too much for me, but it is because they care so much.’ However, young people have several multi-agency plans that do not have common goals. This creates confusion for young people and the staff team in relation to what they are trying to achieve.

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improvement to be good

All young people have an education plan; however, they do not always attend their provisions. Staff and managers do not create contingency plans for young people when they do not attended education, which hinders their academic progress. There is also a lack of multi-agency input to help young people overcome any educational barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential.

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improvement to be good

Staff have positive working relationships with family members. One parent said, ‘It is not just a job to the staff; they go to work every day to help someone. It is the first time I have ever received a Mother’s Day card and gift from my child. This is because the staff team helped him buy it and supported him to deliver it and spend time with me.’ This practice helps young people maintain good-quality relationships with their families.

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improvement to be good

Young people are supported to attend medical appointments and referred to specialist services when they need additional support. Young people often struggle to engage with specialist services, and staff are not trained in supporting young people with complex needs, such as ADHD and substance misuse. This prevents staff from educating young people and providing individualised care to improve their outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans provide staff with some guidance on how to keep young people safe. However, they do not reflect the current levels of risk, or signs and indicators that staff may see when risks are emerging. There is a multi-agency response to safeguarding issues. However, professionals lack clarity on thresholds of risk and there is not a clear approach to reviewing risk. The current system is not having an impact on reducing risk for young people.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff have training in important risk areas such as exploitation and harmful behaviours. This has an impact on their ability to reduce risks for young people. Staff rely on their relationships with young people to reduce risk. However, the risk management strategies are limited due to gaps in knowledge. Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 4 When young people go missing from their home, staff make efforts to locate and encourage them to return. However, staff do not consistently search local areas and known addresses, which is part of the young people’s safety plans. As a result, young people are at increased risk. Ofsted have not been informed when young people have been missing from home for long periods of time. This reduces the regulator’s oversight of potential exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Managers assess the potential impact of young people moving into the home, but do not review the potential risk to the young person moving in. The team’s skill set has also not been reviewed to establish if they can meet young people’s needs. As a result, staff care for young people without a clear understanding of the risk between each young person or in the community.

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good

Managers are well respected by young people, the staff team, professionals and families. Managers have created a culture of care and compassion among the staff team. The manager is also currently supporting another home, which is beginning to have an impact on team development. Furthermore, the current staffing arrangements in the home are not in line with the young people’s risk management plans.

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good

Supervision sessions are valued by the staff team; however, they do not always take place in line with policy. Supervision is given by staff members who have not received sufficient training. This can negatively impact on practice standards and consistency throughout the staff team.

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good

There is a culture in the home of young people expressing their views, wishes and feelings about their home and the care that they receive. The managers act on the young people’s opinions and ensure that young people receive feedback about the action that has been taken. As a result, young people feel heard.

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good

The managers have oversight of significant events in the home and there are clear records to indicate this. However, the managers do not review the staff’s actions, to identify areas for development. This results in the primary focus being about the children’s actions instead of evaluating and reflecting on staff practice, to help them improve or to recognise good practice.

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good

The independent person visiting the home has not requested feedback from young people, family, professionals and the staff team. The lack of feedback from these important people reduces the opportunity for improving the care provided. A further lack of feedback, in the review of the quality of care and Ofsted surveys, means that the manager is unable to identify areas of development and growth for the team.

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good

Staff have not received the training necessary to meet the needs of the young people. Staff have received mandatory training. However, some training need refreshing. Poor monitoring systems result in managers not being able to identify Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 5 gaps in training, which directly impacts on the quality of care and support provided to young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to having clear assessments of risk and risk management plans that are followed by staff. It also relates to staff having knowledge to safeguard children from specific risks such as exploitation. 30 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 7 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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

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Requirement Due date

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)(d)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager providing evaluation on records to improve practice.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to improving management systems to ensure that gaps in knowledge and skills are identified. 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 30 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 8 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

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 each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission;

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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)(c)(e)(i)(ii)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to plans being clear for the young people, with common multi-agency goals led by the young people.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 30 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 9 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 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

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Requirement Due date

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 from children, family and professionals when completing the review and to including an action plan. 01 October 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. If a child’s progress is not in line with their agreed targets or next steps, staff should seek expert advice from education professionals, such as the Virtual School Head, SENCO, educational psychologist, learning mentor or teacher. Staff must challenge the child’s education or training provider if the child does not receive sufficient support to progress as outlined in their relevant plans. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11) Inspection report children’s home: SC040733 10  That registered person should ensure that where children are not participating in education the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education

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Recommendations

as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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’.

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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: SC040733 11 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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