Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 1 SC040509 Registered provider: Salford City Council Full 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. The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2022.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 9 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/09/2018 Full Good 01/08/2017 Full Good 06/12/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 3

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improvement to be good

The home closed for six months and reopened in February 2022. A decision was made by the responsible individual to close the home to reflect and make positive changes across the homes in the local authority area. A new team has been put in place. During the inspection, there were difficulties in accessing some of the records that were in use prior to the closure.

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improvement to be good

One child has moved into the home and is making some progress. Although he moved in an emergency, the manager and staff from across the local authority worked together in order to provide care for him. This prevented the child moving into an unregulated setting. A mental health specialist said, ‘The response from the manager has been phenomenal. She very quickly organised staffing to ensure that a child can move in very smoothly.’

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improvement to be good

Staff have sensitively supported the child back into education. The child has been encouraged to share his wishes and feelings. Staff worked closely with the school and utilised the relationships he had previously in order to help him feel safe. However, the manager and staff are not aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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improvement to be good

The home is in the process of being redecorated and modernised. Children are encouraged to choose and personalise their bedrooms. Ongoing plans are in place to change institutional aspects of the home, including fire doors and radiators, to make it even more homely. This evidences the positive change in culture across the local authority that will allow children to feel comfortable in their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are using language in the records that is sensitive and accessible to children. This means that children are more likely to understand and engage in the decisions made. One child previously living in the home was provided with an interpreter in meetings to ensure he was able to fully contribute. Further training is planned to help staff understand the impact of trauma and embed this in how they care for children.

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improvement to be good

Children have received support with their mental health needs. The manager and staff have worked closely with specialists to help inform how they can support each child and reduce the risks presented. However, staff do not always have the skills and knowledge prior to children moving in. This puts children at increased risk in the early stages of moving in and has led to children moving out earlier than planned. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 4

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improvement to be good

The recording systems across the local authority are in the process of being changed. The risk management plans are being used as working documents. Staff are aware of the potential risks and the steps to take; however, not all the documents are available to staff. This has the potential to lead to inconsistent risk management.

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improvement to be good

Staff have taken necessary steps to keep children safe. When children have left the home without agreement, staff have been active in locating them and bringing them home safely. Staff have taken the views of the children into account when agreeing the routines and expectations. This has had a positive impact on the child currently living in the home, who is collected at a reasonable time.

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improvement to be good

Records of complaints prior to closing could not be located. A new online database will prevent any potential loss going forward. One child was supported by staff to share his complaint around the budgets available to him for clothing. As a result, the budget was increased, and the child was able to have a positive impact on children across the local authority.

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improvement to be good

Staff have worked proactively with agencies to prevent children from being exploited. Specialists have been invited into any multi-agency meetings and have completed some training with staff to help increase their understanding of the potential signs and indicators of exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Medication procedures are not robust. Medication stock has not been booked in properly or counted regularly. The auditing system in place has not been sufficient to identify errors. Medical advice has not been requested when children have refused medication sporadically. This practice could lead to children’s health being compromised and medication errors continuing to take place due to poor oversight.

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good

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022. She has worked in the local authority for a number of years and is currently completing the relevant leadership and management qualification. Professionals spoke highly of the efforts made to open early in order to provide care for a child who needed it.

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good

COVID-19 had an impact on staff absences prior to the home closing. The manager spoke about this being a particularly difficult time with the main focus being attempting to provide consistent care to the children. The manager has tried to increase staff’s resilience in more difficult times. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘A lot of planning meetings have taken place to make sure all are working together.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 5 The staff team has been newly formed since reopening. Further recruitment is planned to strengthen the management team. The manager is eager to lead a child- focused team. However, due to the circumstances around the home closing and reopening, the monitoring systems in place are not yet effective in recognising where improvements are needed.

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good

Children do not have their liberty deprived unnecessarily. The manager and senior managers requested a period of assessment when the child moved in rather than the child beginning with too many restrictions to his liberty. The staffing ratio in the day and night has been reduced in line with the reduced risks to the child’s welfare. As a result, the child is settling in and building relationships with staff.

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good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care. However, the report lacks evaluation, and feedback has not been requested from children, parents, staff or external professionals. This is a missed opportunity to be reflective and make plans to improve the service based on feedback from stakeholders. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 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, the 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers need to ensure that staff receive training necessary to meet the needs of children before they move in.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to managers using monitoring systems effectively to enable them clear oversight. 08 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and 08 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 7 a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff ensuring there is a clear audit trail of stock and checks completed regularly.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff seeking medical advice if a child is refusing medication intermittently.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers requesting feedback when completing the review of the quality of care and encouraging children, parents and professionals to share their views and acting on them. 08 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the following items, which may be kept in electronic form, are kept in an accessible manner—

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Requirement Due date

children’s case records (see regulation 36);

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Requirement Due date

records of complaints (see regulation 39). (Regulation 38 (i)(j)(l)) 08 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are aware of whether a child has an EHC plan and the information in it. Managers should research the support available through the local offer and use them to improve outcomes for children with SEND. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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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: SC040509 9

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040509 10 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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