Children's Home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 1 SC040733 Registered provider: Salford City Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home, registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager retired on 31 January 2022. There is currently no registered manager in post.

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Inspection date: 1 February 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 1 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager recently retired following a long period of absence. The deputy manager has been acting as manager since April 2021. The local authority has advertised for a new manager and provided additional managerial support to the deputy manager, who said that she felt very well supported.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some of the children contracted COVID-19 and appropriate protocols were followed. Few staff contracted COVID-19, which means that the staff team has remained stable, with limited impact due to staff sickness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on to supported living and one child has moved in, through a very well-planned programme of introduction and assessment to ensure that this was an appropriate place to stay. This is an improvement from the last inspection. On the day of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The deputy manager, supported by the newly appointed residential homes’ service manager, has made some improvements to various aspects of the home. However, work is required to ensure that all children have positive experiences and receive the help they need to ensure they make good overall progress and are ready for adult life.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The problems identified at the last inspection in relation to employment and school attendance for some children are not resolved. There is limited evidence to demonstrate any urgency to resolve employment challenges or school attendance so that children leave school with appropriate skills and qualifications for their future. Although a recommendation at the last inspection, it is still not clear if the virtual school head and other agencies have been challenged sufficiently to ensure that the employment and education provision is appropriate for each child. One child attends an alternative provision. There are no records available to establish if this provision is registered with Ofsted. Records do not show the progress that each child is making or how this is contributing to their education plan. The home has no systems in place to accurately measure attendance and educational progress.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, one child is attending school more regularly, on a part-time timetable. This is impressive progress given that the child had been out of education for some time and only recently moved to live at the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the home has received no complaints and there has been no use of restraint. There have been no recent episodes of children going missing Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 3 from home and the risks identified at the last inspection linked to children going missing have reduced considerably. Staff have received training in criminal and sexual exploitation of children and have been able to apply this knowledge to better understand the risks in the community to children. However, there remains a lack of professional curiosity about drug misuse and how children can obtain illegal substances.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The number of significant incidents requiring notification to Ofsted has also significantly reduced. When notifications have been required, they have been provided in a timely way.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

A programme of refurbishment and redecoration and an upgrade of the heating system is ongoing and children have been consulted as plans are developing. The plans include creating an additional room for children to use for homework and quiet time.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress has been made on most of the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection, although one requirement and two recommendations remain outstanding.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has a new independent person, who is employed by the authority to carry out the visits. The reports are detailed and the independent person consults with the children, their families and staff. Recommendations are made at the end of the visits. This has supported the manager in making improvements, specifically in record-keeping. The independent person does not include in the report her opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded and if the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. The reports at times read as more of a quality assurance visit and blur the purpose of an independent person’s report as set out in regulation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home submitted a review of the quality of care in September 2021. The report was not compiled by the registered person, does not contain any recommendations or an action plan and is limited in the use of any analysis of findings to improve the overall quality of care in the home. This reduces the use and impact of the review. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On the day of the inspection, the manager and staff, with the help of the service manager, were implementing a new recording and file management system. This will streamline the system, reduce duplication and increase accessibility to key information required by staff and children. Recent changes to the internal care planning process have been strengthened and children make some contribution to these plans so that their views are considered in planning their day-to-day lives. However, the longer-term plans for all children require development to help staff work with children to prepare them for the next steps in their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/08/2019 Full Good 14/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 5

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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—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to engaging the children’s social workers and independent reviewing officers to ensure that the long-term plans for each child placed are known, agreed and understood by the child, their families and staff. 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 28 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 6 maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The relates specifically to engaging the virtual school head and other agencies to ensure that the employment and education provision is appropriate for each child and they are supported to make sufficient progress to prepare them for their adult lives.

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 31 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; 3 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 7 the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff act as effective advocates for or on behalf of a child who may be experiencing difficulties with education or training matters, including, but not limited to, attainment, admissions, attendance or behaviour, as a good parent would do. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.12)  The registered person should ensure that all involved in the children’s lives are complying with the statutory guidance, specifically ‘Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children’ and ‘Keeping children safe in education’. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.6)

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full 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 for children’s home: SC040733 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

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Inspector

Helen Humphreys, Social Care HMI Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 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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