Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 1 SC036023 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority short-breaks service is registered to provide care for up to eight children or young people who may have learning and/or physical disabilities. A variation is in place to allow one child to live there until suitable and permanent accommodation is found.

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Information about this children’s home

The short-breaks service is suspended currently.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2018.

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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 inadequate

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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: 5 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2020 Full Outstanding 06/02/2019 Full Good 30/01/2018 Full Good 13/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the statement of purpose. A child was admitted to the home in an emergency six months ago. A variation permitted the child to live at the home until a suitable and permanent home is found. Due to the child’s high level of violence and aggression, the short breaks have been suspended until such a time when it is safe to re-start them. It is acknowledged that the needs of the child cannot be met by this short-breaks service.

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improvement to be good

Children receive a warm and friendly welcome when they come to stay at this home. A child’s move to the home in an emergency was managed effectively by the staff team. Staff took the time to make a welcome video to ensure that the child had a smooth transition to the home and to settle in quickly. One staff member said, ‘[Name of child] is at the front and centre, and that’s what matters. She is our priority.’

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improvement to be good

Positive relationships between the child and staff enable the child to trust the staff sufficiently to express their moods and feelings. However, some of the relationships have become unhealthy. This has led to periods of disruption and serious incidents. The extent of the child’s fixation on several staff has been intense and overwhelming, which has resulted in them being absent from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans are child centered and kept under review. However, they do not consistently guide staff about what action to take when children disengage. For example, when a child is reluctant to engage in education and learning, there are no suggested approaches for staff to follow. This means that staff are working in isolation in their attempts to engage the child in informal educational activities.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage the child to engage in activities that are fun and interesting. Examples include arts and craft, playing cards and board games, travelling on a train for the first time and visiting different places of interest. Memorabilia and photos provide the child with positive and lasting memories of their experiences. Family time is encouraged and facilitated by the staff team, and this enables the child to spend good-quality time with their loved ones.

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improvement to be good

The child’s wishes and feelings are listened to and they are consulted regularly. This includes sensitive discussions between the child and staff about healthy eating and the importance of regular exercise. Although progress is slow, the child’s involvement in a fundraising walk is an example of how they are engaging in physical activity to raise money for guide dogs. The child’s physical and mental health needs are promoted by the staff in partnership with the relevant primary and specialist health services. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 4

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and their complex risk-taking behaviour, such as self-harm and harm to others. The registered manager and staff work with the child’s social worker and the child and adolescent mental health services. The strategies that this service offers help the staff to use different approaches to manage the child’s complex behaviour.

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improvement to be good

High staffing levels and supervision ensure that no children go missing from the home and they are not exposed to exploitation. Stakeholders are confident that the staff are keeping the child living at the home safe. A parent said, ‘[Name of the child] can have their moments, but staff handle it well.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s individualised behaviour management plans and risk assessments identify current risks. This guides the staff to manage the risks through agreed strategies and interventions. However, the risk assessments do not include the effectiveness of the measure. The lack of management oversight of the plans has not provided sufficient assurances that the strategies used are reducing risk.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions have increased. The interventions are keeping the child and others safe when de-escalation techniques have been unsuccessful. Staff debriefs are taking place following the interventions. Although the staff help the child to reflect on their behaviour, the child’s views are not always recorded. The manager has not consistently reviewed the restraint and sanction records as prescribed in the regulations. This does not provide reassurance that the measures used are safe and proportionate and offer the right level of support to children and the staff.

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improvement to be good

The restrictive practices that are used to safeguard a child around the home have not been approved through the appropriate legal framework. The manager has not escalated the matter with the local authority to ensure that appropriate legal steps are taken without any further delay.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager and senior management team have a strong track record of providing a good-quality short-breaks service that places children at the centre of their work. The experienced and skilled management and staff team have worked diligently with families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and have provided a reduced short-breaks service when the restrictions eased.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The fundamental concern relates to the challenges that managers and the staff team are experiencing over a sustained period caring for a child with highly complex needs. While there has been a firm commitment to the child, the extended timescales of caring for the child have had an impact on the leadership and management of the service. The registered manager has not been providing direct care and has spent a period away from the home. Other managers have been working excessive hours, and this has had a detrimental effect on the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 5 The certificate of registration cannot be located. This is a potentially serious breach that the registered manager is addressing. Overall, the monitoring systems have not identified and addressed gaps in practice with sufficient speed. The action plan does not include any timescales. No opportunity has been taken to reflect on the learning

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

over this period and what could have been done differently. None of the reviews include consultations with children, parents, professionals and the staff to influence service improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Similarly, independent visits have been carried out remotely for several months. This practice has gone by unchallenged by the provider. This is particularly relevant given the difficulties that are evident in the home. Gaps in the report lack clarity about how they are making a robust safety and welfare statement when they do not have all the supporting information, such as the physical intervention records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff sickness levels are high. Frequent incidents and staff working in an intense atmosphere have been a contributing factor to the absences. This has been de- stabilising for the child and has led to serious incidents. A team of agency staff has increased the staffing numbers in recent weeks. They are taking the lead to care for the child with support from the existing staff. This provides safer staff ratios. The recruitment and qualification credentials of the agency staff have not been verified by the registered manager to ensure that the agency staff are suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Until recently, some staff have not been supervised since November 2020. This does not ensure that practice-related supervision is in line with the statement of purpose. Nor does this allow the staff to have the time to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not always notified Ofsted about serious incidents in a timely way. This has impeded the regulator from monitoring the home’s safeguarding practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The physical environment has suffered a lot of damage over the last few months. Although the damage has been made safe, the premises and overgrown garden have not been maintained suitably. The rationale for staff using walkie-talkies is not included in the home’s statement of purpose to ensure transparent and non- institutional practice. The home does not have a bespoke development plan, which limits its capacity to prioritise and develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Regular daily handovers inform the staff about the child’s progress and daily plans, but they do not compensate for the team meetings that have not taken place for several weeks. Good training opportunities, including bespoke topics, have enabled the existing staff to keep up to date with their learning and development. Staff spoke positively about their care of the children and support, but some express low morale. This relates to the current circumstances that have limited their capacity to perform to their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been suitably met and are repeated following this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 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, 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) This refers specifically to the registered manager requesting information from the local authority about the progress of the legal advice in relation to the deprivation of liberty order. 9 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; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff— provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii)) This refers specifically to the registered manager ensuring that the premises and garden are maintained consistently to a good standard. 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 7 The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

registered person to ensure— 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b)) This refers specifically to the registered manager ensuring that risk assessments include the effectiveness of the measure and have management oversight. 9 July 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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) This refers specifically to the registered manager obtaining the certificate of registration and putting it in a conspicuous place, producing a development plan specifically for the short-breaks service and checking the recruitment and qualification credentials of the agency staff caring for the child. 9 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) This refers specifically to the registered manager ensuring that children’s care plans clearly show how the staff support children’s lack of engagement in their education and include the child’s achievable goals. 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 8 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 (3)(a)(b)) This refers specifically to the registered manager making clear the rationale for staff using walkie-talkies in the home’s

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) This refers specifically to the registered manager ensuring that all staff receive practice-related supervision at regular intervals in line with the home’s policies and procedures.

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This requirement is carried over from the previous

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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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)(b)(ii)(c)) 9 July 2021

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This requirement is carried over from the previous

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 9 July 2021

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This requirement is carried over from the previous

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b)) This refers specifically to the provider formally requesting that the independent person carries out face-to face visits 9 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 9 and can access all information to support their view of the children’s safety and well-being. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (5)) 9 July 2021

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24). In particular, ensure that monitoring systems include scrutiny, and that staff read and sign staff meeting minutes and other records as required. This recommendation is carried over from the previous inspection.

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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: SC036023 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sheffield City Council, Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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