Children's home run by Wigan Council in Wigan

Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 1 SC051856 Registered provider: Wigan Metropolitan 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 home provides short breaks or shared care arrangements for up to four children at any one time with a diagnosed disability. This may include children with autism spectrum disorder and a learning disability, and/or multiple complex learning needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 14 May 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The local authority made the decision to close the home in November 2017 to complete a service review. The home reopened in October 2021. Since then, three children have stayed at the home.

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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 judged

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 2 At the full inspection on 25 October 2017, the home was judged inadequate. There were significant shortfalls in the assessment and management of risk, which placed the child at risk of harm, and inadequacy in the leadership and management arrangements. As a result, 11 requirements were made. Two of the requirements were the subject of compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. The local authority closed the home on 13 November 2017. At an interim inspection on 12 March 2019, the home was ‘not judged’ because it was closed. A further visit took place on 5 August 2021, when it was agreed that the home could start to provide care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2019 Interim Not judged 09/01/2019 Interim Not judged 24/01/2018 Interim Not judged 25/10/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive short stays at this home. It is a safe, pleasant and well- resourced environment. Children and their families benefit from the high standard of personalised care provided by experienced, knowledgeable and skilled staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s high-quality care and professional practice are contributing to children’s development. Children are making good progress in improving their health and emotional well-being, personal care, eating habits, sleep patterns, communication, social interactions and family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to express their wishes and feelings. Staff are skilled at using a range of methods of communication to help children to make meaningful choices about how they are supported and how they spend their time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take time to understand what children are saying and respond appropriately to children’s wishes. When a child indicated that he was not happy at the home, staff explored this with him. Staff found that sometimes he felt bored, so they spent time with him to see what activities he would like to do when he stays. At his suggestion, staff are going to take him swimming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Effective care-planning and strong working relationships between staff, parents, social workers, schools and health professionals ensure that staff have a detailed understanding of children’s assessed needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The arrangements for introducing children to the home are sensitive to the needs of each child and their family. Introductions are planned according to children’s abilities and capacity to understand and retain information. Children visit the home often before they stay overnight. They have opportunities to get used to the environment and to get to know the people who will be looking after them. A child said that his first night at the home was ‘terrifying, but I don’t know what I was worried about. I felt safe and staff were there to help me. I want to come to stay again.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and follow the objectives of children’s plans. They support children to widen their experiences as part of their development. For example, staff encourage children to cook and try new foods, they build children’s confidence and skills in social situations, and they use activities that meet children’s individual sensory needs.

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

Children stay in a safe and supportive environment. The day-to-day arrangements for children’s care protect them from harm and support their emotional well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 5 Staff have a detailed understanding of the vulnerabilities of each child. They continually assess the risks to children’s safety. They take considered and reasonable precautions to make sure that children are protected.

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

Staff make sure that children do not go missing from their care. The potential risks of individual children going missing from the home or in the community are considered in detailed plans. Staff know what they must do if a child goes missing from their care.

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

Staff have the necessary skills and training to respond appropriately to children’s health and medical needs. The arrangements for managing children’s medication are safe and ensure that children get the right treatment.

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

Staff use well-thought-out support plans to create a consistent environment where children feel safe. Staff have the right qualities and skills to support children to reduce unwanted behaviour, and they find healthy ways for children to manage their wishes and feelings. When a child shows signs of distress, staff intervene confidently to reassure the child and manage the situation safely.

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

Staff have the expertise to find out what works to help each child. For example, staff use a ‘now and next’ strategy and visual timeline to help children to take turns or finish an activity and move on to another. One child has started to initiate the use of these techniques to manage situations positively.

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

Staff support parents to use the strategies with their children. Parents and social workers have seen significant changes in how children manage their emotions. Families benefit from advice and guidance to understand their children and how they experience the world.

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

Families, schools and staff work together consistently to help children reduce unwanted behaviour. A parent said that things have improved: ‘We can now do things together as a family and school are seeing a big difference in him too.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, the manager, deputy managers and staff have worked together successfully to make the necessary improvements. They have addressed the shortfalls found at the last inspection and met the compliance notices in relation to the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate, experienced and suitably qualified. She provides strong and effective leadership. She is ambitious for children to have the best possible experience of staying at the home and receive the help they need to improve their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager agrees to support children only when she is satisfied that the home is suitable to meet children’s assessed needs and provide the necessary support in line with the home’s statement of purpose. She declines to support children when she Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 6 believes that the home cannot meet the child’s assessed needs and that coming to stay would not be in the child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

However, the manager does not record the reasons for the decisions about supporting a child. Written impact risk and matching assessments do not always show how staff have suitable experience, skills and training to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. Likewise, these records do not reveal where staff may require additional training to understand the child’s needs and care for them effectively. This is a shortfall in recording and does not affect the quality of children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Well-planned staffing arrangements make sure that there are always enough knowledgeable, experienced, skilled and well-trained staff available to meet the children’s needs safely. The staff team is settled and works cohesively to make sure that children are supported consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy managers provide each member of staff with the right support, guidance and encouragement. Staff use practice-related supervision and team meetings to reflect critically on children’s progress and their own professional practice. The manager and deputy managers evaluate staff’s performance and learning to make sure that children are provided with high-quality care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop their knowledge and skills through training that is tailored to meet the needs of the children, including training in autism spectrum disorder, foetal alcohol syndrome, the use of rescue medication, self-injurious behaviour and sensory needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers make sure that children’s plans are followed consistently and continue to meet each child’s needs. The manager has effective working relationships with parents, social workers and education and health professionals. The manager uses these relationships effectively to make sure that children receive the best possible support. When this may not be the case, the manager confidently and assertively challenges partners to improve the support for the child and their family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records provide a detailed picture of their needs, experiences, progress and achievements. However, at the end of a child’s placement, staff do not complete an evaluative summary of the child’s experiences and progress. This would help the manager and staff to reflect on the child’s time at the home and the impact of the quality of care on the child’s life. Additionally, it would provide important information for the child and their family, carers and professionals about their needs, skills and achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates an understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. However, the manager has not yet completed a review of the quality of care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 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 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.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report")

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)) 30 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the impact risk and matching assessments for each child demonstrate that staff have suitable experience, skills and training to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. The assessments should show where staff may require additional training to understand the child’s needs and care for them effectively, and whether this training has been Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 8 completed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. In particular, staff should complete an evaluative summary of the child’s experiences and progress at the end of the child’s placement at the home. This helps the manager and staff to reflect on the child’s time at the home and the impact of the quality of care on the child’s life. Additionally, it provides important information for the child and their family, carers and professionals about their needs, skills and achievements. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: SC051856 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shirley Parkinson

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC051856 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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