Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 1 SC356868 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to accommodate up to five children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2008.

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Inspection date: 16 February 2022

Date of last inspection: 24 November 2021

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Inspection date: 16 February 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 16 February 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 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 the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children have made limited progress since the full inspection. The manager has a plan focused on improving the outcomes for children. However, this has yet to be fully embedded.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff struggle to engage children in their education and learning plan, and attendance remains low. Staff do have conversations with the children to emphasise the importance of education, though this has had minimal impact as most of the children remain disengaged.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Missing-from-care incidents have remained significantly high for one child. The manager attends multi-agency strategy meetings with the police and other safeguarding agencies to review the child’s safety plan. However, the manager does not yet have an effective system for monitoring the significant number of missing- from-care incidents. The lack of management oversight of such incidents does not ensure that emerging patterns of concern can be identified or that they are being shared with key professionals.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One child continues to participate in his chosen hobbies, which include playing snooker and going to watch his favourite football team. Some children have also enjoyed trips to the cinema together, and they are having conversations with staff about what other enjoyable experiences are available to them. As two children continue to stay away from the home most of the time, the opportunities for bringing the children together are limited.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Important conversations have not occurred with the children to explore what they need to feel safe living together at this home. There haven’t been any further bullying incidents. However, staff have not worked with children meaningfully, to help them to develop a culture where conflict is resolved restoratively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is an ongoing decorating programme in the home. The walls are freshly painted, and the communal areas now feel more homely. There are further plans in place to continue to improve the living areas for the children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The use of physical intervention in order to keep a child safe and prevent the risk of significant damage to property has been appropriate and proportionate. The record of incidents of restraint involving a child provides a clear and accurate account of the measures used. However, the debrief with the child about the use of the physical Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 3 intervention has not occurred, which limits the manager’s ability to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken by staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The children’s risk assessments have improved to provide sufficient guidance to staff about how they can help children to keep safe. However, the staff have not devised behaviour support plans for children, and there is no clear strategy on how they should help them when they are in crisis. The current plans are not aligned to the staff team’s behaviour management strategy and may result in inconsistent help for children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff are having more conversations with children about the help they need to make progress. Topics such as education, substance misuse and keeping safe when away from the home are all well documented in the children’s records. However, staff have not had focused conversations with children about what they need to be put in place at the home in order for them to live happily together. This does not help children to develop safe relationships with one another. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/05/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 31/05/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children’s risk assessments and the behaviour support plans provide the staff with clear actions about the care and support that they will provide to children in order to reduce the risk of harm in relation to their behavioural needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff effectively manage relationships between children in order 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 provider must devise a system for reviewing and monitoring the quality and effectiveness of risk management strategies, including for children going missing from home. 17 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 6 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

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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that decisive and prompt action is taken to meet the above, and to lead and manage the staff team in order to ensure that they have the skills needed to help the children to make progress. 17 April 2022

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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)(c)) 17 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 7

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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: SC356868 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 9 regulates and inspects 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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