Children's Home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 1 SC397344 Registered provider: Birtenshaw Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It offers care for up to four children who may have been diagnosed with a learning disability and/or physical disability. There is a condition on this home that it must reduce the number of children by the number of young people aged 18 and over who are provided with care and accommodation.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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 setting on 27 January 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

Date of last inspection: 27 January 2020

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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: SC397344 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2020 Full Good 07/01/2019 Full Good 01/08/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 3

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improvement to be good

Children receive care from dedicated and committed staff who understand the children’s needs well. This individualised care enables children to build trusted relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

All children attend education regularly. For one child, there has been a marked increase in his attendance since living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Every day, children are encouraged to increase their levels of independence and develop their social awareness of others. For example, staff encourage children’s participation in preparation of meals and support children to practise skills, such as helping to tidy up and prepare the table for eating. For one child, there has been marked progress in learning not to take others’ food but instead to help serve the food to the plates.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are fully supported. The manager has been active in ensuring that appointments are kept and that specialist assessments from other agencies take place.

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improvement to be good

Children’s contact with their families is respected and encouraged by the staff. Staff are active in building positive relationships with family members.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, and they are supported to make active choices regarding their preferences.

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improvement to be good

Professionals report good communication from the staff and manager, and that information is shared in a timely way.

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improvement to be good

One child’s progress has not been maintained. To address these concerns, the manager has advocated on behalf of the child and appropriately challenged other agencies. This has ensured that specialist intervention and services are in place.

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improvement to be good

Significant changes in the behaviour of one child have led staff to adopt a system of locking doors and keeping children apart. This means that another child and one young person are being restricted in their movement around the home. As a result, they are unable to make use of the outdoor space or sensory room when the child is in the home. This affects the timing of their choices and spontaneous decisions they may wish to make. It also ties them to routines that are determined by another child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not sought an early review of one child’s placement in light of the restrictions that are in place. The effects of this delay on a child and a young person living in the home have not been fully considered. Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 4 One young person, who lives in the home, benefits from staff who know him well. Although he has enjoyed longevity of placement, there are no detailed plans with time frames to assist his smooth transition to an alternative provision.

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improvement to be good

At the last inspection, a recommendation was made with regards to the presentation of the home. This recommendation has not been met. The decor presents as worn and tired looking. The sensory room has minimal equipment, and the outside space lacks interest for children.

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improvement to be good

Children have secure relationships with staff who understand their vulnerabilities and complex needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide clear boundaries regarding acceptable behaviour and offer a patient approach to reinforcing learning in a sensitive way.

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improvement to be good

To keep children safe from other’s behaviours in the home, staff regularly lock an internal door at night. To reduce the number of incidents and to ensure that children and the young person are safe, they are kept separate. As a consequence, there is daily restriction of movement and at times they have had to eat meals in their rooms.

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improvement to be good

Staff have, on occasion, used techniques to restrain a child using methods not recognised by the company’s adopted approach. Recordings by staff are not always clear why these methods have been used, nor have they benefited from managerial review.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment of staff working in the home is not rigorous. Some references have not been verified, and managers do not have a full overview of the agency staff’s safe- recruitment checks.

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improvement to be good

Managers are unclear why some recommendations contained in the home’s fire risk assessment have not been adopted. In addition, children have not had opportunity to practise their personal evacuation plans.

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good

The previous registered manager resigned her registration as manager of the home in May 2021. The current manager has been in post since this time. She is aware of the shortfalls and weaknesses and has commenced with plans to address them.

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good

She has acted as a strong advocate for one child to receive the assessments and services he requires. Professionals spoke positively about the manager and her role Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 5 in meetings. Professionals consider that any concerns are brought to their attention promptly.

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good

The staff team is committed to its role, and there has been limited staff turnover in the last 12 months. However, the additional needs of one child have led to an increase in numbers of staff required on shift and in turn the use of agency staff. The manager has liaised with the agency and sought to ensure that the same staff are used to cover these additional staffing needs to improve consistency.

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good

Staff that were spoken to consider the manager to be open and supportive, and they receive regular supervision. However, supervision and team meetings do not always address children’s needs, their plans or progress.

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good

Managers have not reviewed the impact that restrictions in the home have on the welfare of the children and young person. Some of those living in the home do not require such restrictions as part of their care. Managers have deferred this review, to await the outcome of specialist assessments for one child. There is no agreed time frame for this delay. In the interim, managers are without clear assurance that the children and young person continue to receive care that meets their needs.

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good

Some staff recordings are not clear with regards to why physical interventions have been necessary nor where staff were positioned when one young person managed to elude staff restrictions. The manager is aware of these shortfalls and the improvements necessary to provide clear accounts of staff actions. In addition, the manager is aware that staff need additional training on the electronic system to ensure that records are comprehensive. Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 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 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

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)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that the home’s decor is maintained to a high standard and that there are suitable and varied sensory toys and equipment in the sensory room. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 31 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 7 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")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (2) (3)(a)(ii)(v)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that records by staff are clear and that the manager regularly reviews the practice of staff, and the impact on children is fully evaluated.

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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;.

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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 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s restriction of movement in and around the home and the impact of these arrangements on all children and young people. In addition, that the registered person ensures that plans are formulated for young adults to transition from the home. 31 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 8 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of 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 developments of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that children are not cared for by a high number of agency staff. In addition, that the manager evaluates and reviews the day-to- day experiences of children in the home as a result of restrictions of movement. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to references from previous employers being sought and verified, identity documents being scrutinised, and that agency staff undergo the same satisfactory checks. 31 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for 31 October 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 9 article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to a review of the home’s fire risk assessment and recommendations contained in that report. In addition, that children have opportunity to practise and understand their personal evacuation plans.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the electronic system used by the provider to keep children’s records is fully understood by staff and that suitable training is made available. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulation including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff are afforded opportunity to discuss the needs of each child and reflect on their practice in supervision and team meetings. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulation including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC397344 10

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Pauline Yates, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC397344 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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