Children's home run by Warrington Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 1 SC037302 Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council Full 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 care for up to three children who can no longer live at home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager resigned from this home in May 2021. An acting manager has submitted her application to register with 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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 January 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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 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. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 2 Date of last inspection: 25 February 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Full Good 07/11/2018 Full Good 13/02/2018 Interim Not judged 08/11/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 4

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improvement to be good

When a child moves into or out of the home, a good transition is planned. An impact risk assessment shows that the home considers the child’s needs, history and behaviour and the needs of the existing children in the home. However, the previous manager had not considered the home’s location area report as part of this process. As a result, they had not considered any identified potential risks and whether these would have any bearing on the suitability of the placement. Further to this, t he acting manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, setting out the support available for children with special education needs or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to regularly attend and engage in education and employment. The child in education has excellent attendance and the other two children are committed to full/part-time employment. The children know how important education and employment opportunities are and respond well to the education incentives in place. Consequently, the children’s outcomes have improved. However, one child has been in placement for two years and has identified special educational needs and their education, health and care plan has not been received from the local authority. The acting manager has requested this document numerous times, but she has not escalated this further. Similarly, two children have been in placement for six months and did not have their local authority placement plan. This does not ensure that staff have all the relevant information to support and care for children well. The placement plans were received on the morning of the

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improvement to be good

A medication error occurred in January 2021 and again in April 2021. After the first instance, the home took appropriate action and an independent review was completed to ensure that staff practice improved. However, some of the identified actions from this review, such as refreshing medication training for staff, have been significantly delayed. The previous manager has not evaluated these incidents or reflected on how staff practice has improved. The acting manager has put together a competency booklet for staff to complete, but this is yet to be implemented. She has also sourced a more thorough medication course for staff to complete.

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improvement to be good

Generally, children said that their views, wishes and feelings are listened to. However, several children said that although the acting manager talked about their verbal concerns with them, they often did not see much change. The manager has not addressed these verbal concerns formally. Therefore, children are not sure of the action the manager has taken.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a range of activities. One child said: ‘I love going out and I now go to boxing and play golf. It is great fun.’ The children are planning and looking forward to a summer holiday. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 5 Children receive the support they need to sustain contact with their friends and families. As a result, they enjoy the time that they spend with the people that are most important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children are being prepared for becoming independent. One child has a part-time job and another child works full time. The children enjoy going to work and take their responsibilities seriously. The children told the inspector that they had plans to run their own businesses when they are older.

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improvement to be good

The home is warm and welcoming and decorated and furnished to a good standard. The children take pride in their home and help with chores. They personalise their bedrooms, which gives them a sense of belonging.

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

Children say that they feel safe and that staff show genuine concern for them. Children were unanimous in saying that staff help them understand risk and how to protect themselves. For example, one child said: ‘I do not drink alcohol, but I now know how drinking alcohol can lower your inhibitions.’ As a result, children have a strong sense of personal safety.

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

Children infrequently go missing from the home. Missing-from-home procedures are in place, which staff understand and follow. Staff work in partnership with other agencies responsible for safeguarding, including the police. The acting manager ensures that independent return home interviews are provided to help gain a greater understanding of the reasons why children go missing. This helps the staff understand the push-and-pull factors for children. Regular individual work with children on staying safe is carried out to help reduce risks of them going missing and offer them additional safeguarding support.

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

Safeguarding practice at the home is good, and it keeps the children safe from harm. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting the children. When serious incidents occur in the house, the staff team is adept at managing them safely. All safeguarding incidents are reported swiftly. Robust protocols are followed and all professionals are informed. Social workers said that multi-agency working and communication are strong features of the home.

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

Staff help young people to self-regulate their own behaviour. They anticipate issues well and have a good understanding of the triggers for children’s behaviour. Consequently, staff respond to incidents in a calm, controlled, professional and sensitive way.

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

The home has the appropriate systems in place to notify Ofsted and other relevant bodies of significant events that occur at the home or with children. This ensures that the appropriate people are informed about the child’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 6

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good

The registered manager has resigned from this home in May 2021. The acting manager has submitted her application to register with Ofsted. She has the knowledge, experience and qualifications to carry out the role.

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good

Staffing at the home has remained stable since the home opened. All staff have experience of working with children in children’s homes and hold relevant qualifications. However, some staff training is out of date, such as health and safety and fire awareness training. This does not ensure that staff have the most up-to- date information to assist them in their role.

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good

Staff receive monthly supervision, which further supports them in their role and enables them to reflect and develop their skills and practice. However, the workforce plan requires further information, such as the timescales for induction, probation and supervision.

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good

Monitoring systems in the home need improving. There has been a lack of oversight, reflection and evaluation on some records. For example, one sanction says ‘loss of all privileges’ without any explanation or challenge about what this entails, and one record discusses a ‘knife’ when there was no knife involved. Further to this, the independent visitor has not raised recommendations around these or the children’s missing local authority documents. This does not ensure that the acting manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 7

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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 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

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

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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the manager secures a copy of a child’s education, health and care plan. 29 April 2022

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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

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, consider the safer area report when assessing whether the home can meet a child’s needs. 29 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 8 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.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the home has the children’s local authority placement plan. 29 April 2022

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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

Particularly, that actions from the independent medication review are implemented. 29 April 2022

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that staff training is refreshed. 29 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 9 The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 29 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must challenge the placing authority when they do not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should make best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should support children to use the complaints system when consistently raising verbal concerns. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special education needs or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 26, paragraph 5.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 10

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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: SC037302 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Children’s Services, New Town House, Buttermarket Street, Warrington WA1 2NH

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037302 12 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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