Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 1 SC065067 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 five children with social, emotional and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has not yet submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 19 October 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/07/2021 Full Inadequate 31/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has continued to live in the home since the last inspection. This is one of the longest periods of stability the child has had in recent years. She is building strong, trusting relationships with staff. The child has been encouraged to invest in the home; she has started to add photos of her childhood to the living areas. As a result, the child has begun to speak positively about her options and is becoming more aspirational about her future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and comfortable. Further plans are in place to modernise the institutional aspects of the home, including radiators and fire doors. Senior managers are currently completing a residential review to ensure that children are at the centre of the decisions made. Staff spoken to during this inspection were excited about the improvements planned and those already achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the child to attend school. The manager has also reviewed support available in the local offer for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Managers have also challenged the content of the child’s education, health and care plan to ensure that it reflects the child’s current needs. However, staff do not plan structured activities for the child in the times that she is not attending school. This is a missed opportunity for staff to be consistent in their efforts to build on the child’s educational ability and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Communication between staff and the child’s family has improved. The child’s mother said, ‘Staff will do anything for [name of child]. They have picked me up to take me back for lunch at the home and we all went out for a birthday meal together. They do their best to keep [name of child] safe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Language used in records is becoming more accessible to children. Staff are beginning to recognise how they can speak and write in ways that are less institutional and more considerate of how children will feel when reviewing records in years to come.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Continued mental health support is in place. Staff have helped the child to sustain links that the child had previously established before moving into the home. This has provided much-needed consistency for the child. Staff have a strong understanding of the need to build networks in the local area that can support the child into adulthood.

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

Staff are supporting the child to have healthier relationships. Ongoing direct work is educating and empowering the child to make more informed choices about which relationships in her life are positive. Staff show curiosity about friends and acquaintances to ensure that they can assess the risks appropriately. Friends are Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 4 invited to spend time at the home. When there are concerns, staff work with relevant agencies to share information.

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

Managers and staff have become much more proactive in responding when the child leaves the home without authorisation. As a result, police involvement due to the child being reported missing from home has reduced. The police missing-from-home link worker said, ‘Staff do everything they can to get [name of child] home safely. Staff have been instrumental in many of the times that she has been found. This is down to the engagement and work staff have done to gain [name of child’s] trust; she hasn’t had these relationships before.’

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

Multi-agency working is effective. As there are a number of agencies working together to ensure that the child is safe, managers have given consideration to limiting the number of people working directly with the child. Clear processes mean that the child is able to build trusting relationships with consistent professionals.

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

Complaints and allegations are taken seriously. When the child has raised a concern, the manager has given feedback to ensure that the child feels listened to. For example, when the child said that she did not want staff to leave as part of a staffing restructure across the local authority, her views were considered and plans were made to ensure that she could continue to be cared for by staff she considers to be like family.

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

The safety plans in place provide clear guidance for staff. Staff are aware of the plans in place and follow them. Some practical measures have been taken to reduce the risks. For example, a car has been purchased to ensure that staff are able to respond quickly to locate children if needed. Staff have driven to other cities to ensure that the child is safe. As a result, risks are reducing and the child feels cared for.

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good

The manager is experienced and qualified. She has worked in the local authority for a number of years in different roles. Feedback about the manager from staff, parents and professionals is positive. However, the manager is yet to submit her application to register with Ofsted. This is a repeat requirement.

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good

The manager has clear oversight of the events in the child’s life. Records evidence that the manager is able to evaluate the steps taken and plan further actions. However, Ofsted has not been notified of some of the serious incidents that have occurred. This reduces the regulator’s oversight, and therefore its ability to ensure that the actions taken are sufficient to ensure that children are safe.

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good

Staff have attended further training since the last inspection. New monitoring systems are in the process of being implemented to ensure that managers can easily identify when training is required. Staff have now undertaken the mandatory Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 5 training, and further training is planned to ensure that staff have a deeper understanding of the impact of trauma.

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good

Staff are recruited safely. Steps have now been taken to ensure that references are verified. This meets a previous requirement. All staff are either qualified or enrolled on the relevant qualification course. Staff spoken to remained positive and reflective about the changes being made across the local authority.

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good

The home is visited on a monthly basis by an independent person. They produce a thorough report, which includes feedback from a range of stakeholders. The manager is open to feedback and uses the report to make improvements to the care provided for children. Consequently, reports have been more positive in recent months and evidence a positive change in the overall culture in the home.

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good

A review of the quality of care has been completed. The manager has used this as an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the last six months. The child was encouraged to share her views and these have been included throughout the report. As a result, the manager now has a clear, realistic and child-focused development plan for the team to work on over the next six months. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 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 registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) This relates specifically to the manager submitting an application to register with Ofsted. This is a repeat requirement. 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)) 31 May 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children who are not attending education full time are engaged in suitable structured activities relevant to their individual needs and interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15) Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 7

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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: SC065067 8

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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: SC065067 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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