Children's Home run by Halliwell Homes (Midlands Division) Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children's home: 2611027 1 Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Midlands Division Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to eight children. The home has an attached registered school.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector only inspected the social care provision at this school

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Information about this children’s home

The manager took up post on 15 June 2021 and was registered with Ofsted on 15 September 2021. The manager has an appropriate qualification.

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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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2611027 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report children's home: 2611027 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection since the home was registered in September 2021. During this time, there have been five admissions, and one child has moved to a home more suited to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a good quality of care that enables them to make good progress. Staff work hard to ensure that children live in a safe, caring and supportive environment. This coordinated approach helps children to have improved outcomes, especially in their school attendance and in being able to exercise better self-control with regard to their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager appreciates the significance of careful matching of children’s needs. However, impact risk assessments do not always include the views of other professionals and the children already living at the home. Furthermore, one assessment has not acknowledged the needs of the children already resident at the home and those of the new child being admitted. This creates a missed opportunity to promote consultation with all stakeholders, along with the potential to impact negatively on the continuity of care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the health of children is promoted positively. Children have clear health plans and are registered with the relevant primary healthcare services. Children have access to the organisation’s therapists. This tailored care contributes to children receiving support and guidance in relation to their emotional, social and psychological well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Medication is stored safely, and arrangements for the administration and recording of prescribed and non-prescribed medication are effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the organisation’s on-site school. Children have made good progress in engaging in education, based on their individual needs and starting points. School and home staff have effective daily communication regarding children that provides a good consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of relationships and support children to see their families. Children benefit from this and it helps them to maintain positive relationships even though they are living away from home.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children in their care and of their individual vulnerabilities. There is a clear procedure for reporting and managing safeguarding concerns, and staff have a good understanding of this process and of their responsibilities. Inspection report children's home: 2611027 4 The manager and staff develop detailed risk assessments and management plans for each child, which are monitored and updated so they remain relevant and effective. Staff supervise children in line with their risk management plans to ensure their safety in the home and the community.

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

Staff manage challenging behaviour effectively and encourage children to reflect on incidents in a constructive and supportive way. Inappropriate behaviour is challenged or de-escalated as appropriate. Staff reinforce clear boundaries and provide daily routines and stability for children. This is supported by praise and recognition of achievements. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort to protect children from harm, accident or injury, and is proportionate to their behaviour.

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

There is swift action taken by staff when children go missing from the home. Partnership working with the police and safeguarding agencies helps to ensure that children are safe. Staff go looking for children and, in line with protocols, share information with the police at an early stage. Children are provided with an independent person to speak to on their return home. This helps to add detail to existing information and this, if appropriately considered, may help to protect them from going missing from home again.

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

Children live in a home that is physically safe and secure. Staff complete regular health and safety checks and follow a range of safety procedures to protect children from potential hazards. This includes fire drills, to ensure children know what to do in case of an emergency.

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

Children are protected by the organisation’s effective recruitment practices. Staff are background checked and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the children by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the manager and say that they are well supported. She provides staff with regular supervision that enables them to reflect on their practice. Team meetings are well attended, and staff confidently engage in discussions about the service and the children in their care. Staff also meet monthly with a therapist from the organisation’s clinical team. This provides staff with valuable insight into the care needs of the children and enables staff to explore any areas of concern.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably qualified or currently undertaking their qualifications in residential childcare. There is a good training programme in place to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet the complex and challenging needs of the children in their care. However, the training record is not accurate and does not support the manager in reviewing when a staff member is due for training or what training has been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems that capture children’s progress and parents’ and professionals’ views and ensure that documentation is Inspection report children's home: 2611027 5 detailed and up to date. These systems allow her to understand the team’s strengths and the areas that require further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work effectively with a range of other professionals. These include social workers, school staff and health professionals. As a result, children benefit from coordinated care and make good progress. A social worker reported, ‘My communication and collaboration with all staff has been great.’ Inspection report children's home: 2611027 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 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

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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the training matrix and ensuring that it is kept up to date and accurate. 16 March 2022

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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; 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to impact risk assessments and including consultation with others as part of the assessment 16 March 2022 Inspection report children's home: 2611027 7 process. Furthermore, ensuring that matching of children is carefully followed.

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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: 2611027 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Midlands Division Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pearce House, 80 Cawdor Street, Eccles M30 0QF

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2611027 9 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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