Children's Home run by Halton Borough Council in Halton

Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 1 SC039559 Registered provider: Halton Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide short breaks for up to four children who may have learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairment. It is managed by a local authority and provides a service for children from other local authorities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered at the home since 2007.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 25 February 2020

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Full Good 23/01/2019 Full Good 28/11/2017 Full Outstanding 21/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This service is currently providing short breaks to 14 children. The number of overnight stays is different for each child and is dependent on their individual needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has a good transition into the home. Prior to their stay, staff visit them in their own home and meet their parents. The child visits the home several times and stays for tea and joins in activities before an overnight stay. The manager makes sure that children are matched with other children of similar abilities and interests. There are god plans in place for children when they transition into adult services. As a result, children stay in a welcoming and supportive home where they are fully valued and respected. A strong feature of the home is the warm and affectionate relationships between staff and children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress at this home. Parents and social work professionals are exceptionally positive about the service provided and the staff’s overall commitment to children. Comments include: ‘Staff are warm and welcoming’; ‘Children look forward to their stays here and the staff are very knowledgeable’; and ‘I can relax because I know he is well cared for and safe; his anxieties have lessened and he is more sociable.’ Staff plan the children’s care well so that the time that the children spend in the home is individualised and meaningful. Children’s well-being is at the centre of the home’s practice. Support plans are good and staff spoken with during the inspection demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of children’s plans. This ensures that good- quality care is provided, in accordance with individual needs. Staff also continue to consult on a regular basis with families and placing social workers to gain a detailed

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and comprehensive understanding of the children’s complex needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with parents and schools in setting targets for children to improve their skills, such as a child being more confident in looking after their own personal care needs or using items of cutlery. These experiences, captured in photographs, are included in the children’s memory books and scrap books. As a result, there is a seamless approach to helping children gain skills and become more independent. Children have access to a wide range of opportunities to explore the world, build their confidence and increase their social skills. They have participated in a variety of leisure and community activities. At the home, they have access to a quiet area, a playroom, a sensory room and a cinema room. These are well used by the children. The home is attractive, homely and safe, and is a stimulating place where children can maximise their potential. This clearly conveys to children that they are valued

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and deserve the best. The premises are well designed and fully equipped to meet the children’s full range of mobility needs. They include a large garden and outdoor space where children can play and have fun in a secure environment. Children’s Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 4 bedrooms are well designed and furnished, which promotes the children’s privacy and independence.

p.3

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

Parents and professionals confirmed that they have every confidence in the home’s ability to keep children safe. Staff are well supported and receive effective and specific training to enable them to meet the needs of the children. For example, all staff receive training in safeguarding vulnerable children, administering medication, first aid, and different medical conditions. Staff fully understand the children’s needs and are confident in their ability to deliver personalised care. High staffing ratios ensure close support, supervision and monitoring of children. Children’s strengths, vulnerabilities and triggers are highlighted within plans and risk assessments, which are followed in practice. However, risk assessments do not give staff clear information on the action to take if an incident was to occur. This has not impacted on the care or response given but has the potential to do so. Staff are well trained in a range of safeguarding topics. Therefore, they can

p.4

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

recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect and are aware of the children’s vulnerability to exploitation and the risks that accessing social media may present. Staff take suitable action when they have concerns about children’s welfare, reporting all concerns in a safe and timely manner to all relevant safeguarding professionals. This ensures that children are kept safe. There has been one occasion where a child left the building unsupervised. Staff followed the missing-from-home procedure. They searched the local area and informed all the necessary people. The child was found quickly and returned to the home safely. A thorough investigation took place. As a result, some changes were made to the security of the building. For example, a quick-release fob on a door has been disengaged and staff checks of the building are completed by two separate staff. Staff manage children’s complex and challenging behaviour well. They are consistent

p.4

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

in their responses to negative behaviour and have been successful in their efforts to help children manage their frustrations and anxieties. Parents say that this has helped their children to be more sociable in the home, out in the community or when playing with other children. Children are protected from hazards by a wide range of health and safety procedures, risk assessments and checks. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks, including fire drills, to ensure that the premises are safe and children know what to do in case of an emergency. There are suitable systems in place to ensure that visitors to the home are suitably checked and supervised to protect children. All staff have been appropriately checked and vetted.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 5 The registered manager provides strong leadership. She is appropriately qualified and experienced and has been registered with Ofsted since 2007. An experienced and committed deputy manager supports her in her management role. All the staff have a recognised qualification in childcare.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is an enthusiastic and committed leader who places the welfare and safety of children at the heart of her practice. The home is managed consistently and is successful in meeting the aims and objectives highlighted in the statement of purpose. Staff practice is rooted in the belief that children have the right to be treated as individuals. The staff are skilled at implementing this ethos and place children at the centre of all that they do.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key strength of the home is effective communication between staff, parents and professionals. This ensures consistency for the children across all areas of their lives. Over the last 18 months, the home has had to close on two occasions due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Staff supported parents by telephoning them on a weekly basis, delivering food parcels and purchasing sensory toys for the children. Staff, parents and social work professionals acknowledge that this was a difficult time but are very appreciative of the support given and the good plans for children’s reintroduction back into the home. Regular team meetings provide time for staff to discuss research-informed practice, so that the home continues to review and develop the service it provides for children. For example, a child was upset because his grandfather could not remember his name. A member of staff researched dementia, bought child-friendly

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

books to help explain this to him and presented her findings to the staff team. Further to this, staff then completed a recognised training course in this area. This led to the staff and child having a better understanding of the complexities of dementia. There is clear oversight of practice and, where necessary, any staff performance issues are addressed. Staff regularly receive supervision that develops their professional practice effectively. They confirmed that they are well supported in their practice and receive clear direction and guidance. Good internal and external quality assurance systems mean that a good standard of care within the home is maintained. Children’s care and progress are tracked through good monthly monitoring by an independent visitor. In addition, the manager proactively seeks the views of the children, their parents, professionals and other stakeholders, which informs her own regular service monitoring and

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

development plans. Therefore, the manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and she is committed to implementing the changes required to improve progress and experiences for children. Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The provider should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is specifically in relation to ensuring that staff have clear guidance on the action to take if an incident was to occur. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.6

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: SC039559 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3rd Floor Rutland House, Halton Lea, Runcorn WA7 2GW

p.7

Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039559 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8