Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 1 SC039414 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 home is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since July 2021. The registered manager was not available at the time of the inspection. An acting manager has been appointed to manage the home temporarily. No application has been made, as required, to Ofsted.

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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.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 15 January 2020

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/01/2019 Full Outstanding 22/06/2017 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 3

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inadequate

Children are not happy living at this home. Their day-to-day care is not being delivered effectively as the team does not have the structure or resources in place to provide the help that children need.

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inadequate

Staff do not have a good enough understanding of the children’s multiple and, sometimes, complex needs. Specialist help has not been made available by managers to guide the staff. The core group of staff has provided some stability for the children. However, staff have been unable to create and sustain a culture where children feel happy and safe.

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inadequate

Children have limited opportunities to take part in positive activities inside and outside of the home. The toys, games and resources for children to use are limited and need replacing. Staff want the best for children and want to provide opportunities for them to have fun. Staff are committed and try their best to meet the children’s needs. However, the insufficient number of staff means that this possibility is significantly reduced.

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inadequate

Children are supported to have meaningful family time. Open lines of communication between staff and children’s families help to maintain the relationship children have with those who are most important to them.

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inadequate

Education attendance varies. Although children have school placements, attendance is inconsistent for some. Staff encourage children to attend each day.

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inadequate

The home has been recently decorated. However, the environment does not feel homely. Communal areas lack personal touches. Children’s bedrooms show good levels of personalisation. However, they are chaotic and untidy. The communal areas lack personalisation and warmth, which would help to create a more homely atmosphere.

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inadequate

Managers and the children’s social workers meet often to discuss the children’s needs. The social workers spoken to by the inspectors reflected on how staffing shortages have impacted on the quality of care for children. However, they do recognise the staff’s commitment.

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

The manager has failed to ensure that staff maintain accurate records that are required to protect children. Consequently, the managers and staff were not sure about the number of safeguarding incidents that have occurred and were unable to provide any information about these. This prevents the managers from having oversight of staff’s practice. It also means that the managers cannot analyse and Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 4 evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken by staff. This leaves children at risk of significant harm.

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

Significant and widespread failings in the management and leadership arrangements mean that staff are not provided with clear direction on what action they must take to keep children safe. The children’s risk assessments are of poor quality and do not always reflect the current risks. For example, one child’s use of deodorant cans as a weapon to harm or threaten another child was not reflected. This does not enable staff to understand the extent of risk and safeguard children.

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

The absence of restraint records for the last few months means that the managers cannot look at incidents in detail. They cannot evaluate the appropriateness, effectiveness and safety of physical intervention. The lack of management oversight of such incidents does not ensure that restraint practice is safe and that the views of children are heard and acted on. This leaves children vulnerable to harm, and leaves staff open to allegations that may not be investigated appropriately.

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

Staff are unable to safeguard children effectively when they go missing from the home. They do not have the resources in place to consistently respond to such incidents. The instability in the staff team, low staff numbers and lack of clear strategies mean that children are at an increased risk of harm.

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

The managers were unable to provide inspectors with the children’s missing-from- home protocols or the missing-from-home reports. The true extent of the children’s missing-from-home episodes is not known by the managers. This results in procedures and actions to safeguard children being missed. It limits the managers’ ability to evaluate whether children are at risk of harm through child sexual or criminal exploitation.

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

Staff have not been effective in managing incidents of bullying. This has resulted in children not feeling protected by staff as issues between peers have been left unresolved. Consequently, children are sometimes unable to live happily alongside their peers.

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

Children do not take part in fire evacuation drills regularly. One child has not taken part in a drill for over a year. This lack of action could result in children being unsafe in the event of an actual fire.

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

Managers have failed to consistently notify the regulator when a serious incident has occurred. This prevents the regulator from having oversight and assurance that the children are protected from harm.

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

The manager has referred allegations about staff practice in line with the local safeguarding procedures. The designated officer has provided external scrutiny when children have raised concerns about how staff care for them. This external allegation management increases the level of protection for children. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 5 Staff have established relationships with the children’s social workers, the police, and other safeguarding agencies. This enables the partner agencies to have a better understanding about the children’s needs. For one child, this has enabled professionals to put in place a safety plan to manage the child’s risks in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management at the home are poor. The staff do not have the guidance or structure to help them in their roles. The staff do not receive regular supervision, and team meetings are rarely taking place. New staff do not have a full induction to the home. The specialist input for staff from a psychological support team, as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose, has not been made available to staff. This leaves staff feeling unsupported in managing the complex care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are staff shortages at the home due to staff sickness or because of staff leaving. Some staff are working very long hours, and those spoken to by the inspector report feeling exhausted. Staff are overwhelmed and appear to be responding to children inconsistently due to the chaotic arrangements. This does not leave children feeling safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Agency workers and staff from other homes are supporting the core team to care for the children. This leads to children receiving mixed messages about the day-to-day routines and expectations. This also means that children are looked after by people who they have not established relationships with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has not submitted the last three reports from the independent visitor. These reports raise concerns about the safety of children. Managers’ failure to send the reports means that the regulator is prevented from having oversight and taking action. As a result, the children were left at risk of harm over a prolonged period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s monitoring systems are inadequate. Ineffective monitoring of the home has led to a decline in the quality of the care, support and resources delivered to the children. This has had a negative impact on the children’s experiences and has placed them and staff at risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The use of agency workers at the home is excessive. Managers are unclear if these workers are appropriately trained or experienced in relation to the children’s needs. Managers are unable to provide assurance that safe recruitment checks have been followed by the agency. This leaves children vulnerable. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 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

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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice; 2 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 7 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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii))

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the risk assessments and the behaviour support plans to ensure that they include the children’s current risks and behaviours. These documents must provide the staff with clear actions about the care and support that they will provide to children to reduce the risk of harm. 2 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 8 The registered person must ensure that staff manage relationships between children effectively to prevent them from harming each other. This includes responding effectively to children bullying other children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must devise a system to review and monitor the quality and effectiveness of risk-management strategies, including the missing-from-home protocols.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any incidents that potentially place children at risk of harm are recorded and that action is taken to reduce the likelihood of these incidents occurring in the future.

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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— 2 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 9 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is sufficient day-to-day management oversight in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must develop and implement an effective system to review children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans to ensure that they remain current and effective.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff understand what information should be recorded in children’s records. In particular, this refers to information relating to safeguarding incidents, physical interventions and missing-from-home episodes.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure effective and prompt oversight of all serious incidents, including physical interventions and missing-from-home episodes.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide consistent care for each child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that regular supervision and team meetings take place in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must develop and implement robust monitoring systems to provide effective analysis of plans, staff practice and recording. The registered person must ensure that the evaluation of these monitoring systems informs the home’s development plan.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the manager and staff team understand how to notify Ofsted of a serious event.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 2 December 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 10 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children participate in fire drills. 2 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure 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

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 2 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 11 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; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take steps to ensure that all staff know when there is a need for physical intervention in line with the child’s positive behaviour support plan.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take steps to ensure that all staff understand, when the need for physical intervention occurs, how to record all elements identified in the regulation. The registered person must ensure that this record is scrutinised and evaluated to ensure that practice is necessary, proportionate, safe and effective.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 2 December 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the independent visitor’s monthly reports are sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. 2 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 12

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a homely, nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the staff, the experiences of children living at the home and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. The registered person should ensure that the report is submitted to the regulator at least once every six months. (‘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: SC039414 13

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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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Inspectors

Aaron Mcloughlin Social Care Regulatory Inspector Alexandra Howitt, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 14 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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