Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 1 SC357979 Registered provider: Tameside 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 care for up to three children . ‘The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with EBD (social and emotional difficulties)’

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2022

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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 children’s home: SC357979 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/06/2019 Full Outstanding 07/11/2018 Full Outstanding 30/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are currently three children living at this home. One child, who moved into the home in February 2022, has settled in well and has been made to feel welcome by the other children and staff. The child said, ‘I’ve been in a lot of care homes and this is one of the best.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make satisfactory progress from their individual educational starting points. Staff work with children’s education providers to support improved learning outcomes for the children. One child attends a mainstream school and is currently sitting her GCSEs. The other children are engaged in an alternative educational provision. However, for one child, this equates to only 4.5 hours of education a week. This limits the child’s learning opportunities to achieve his full educational potential. As a result, a recommendation is raised in respect of this issue.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician, which promotes their positive health. They receive good support to attend their routine health appointments and are encouraged by staff to lead a healthy lifestyle. Medical consents have been obtained for the children, and staff are familiar with the types of health decisions that are delegated to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Smoking agreements are in place for one child who smokes at the home. This agreement outlines the home’s rules on smoking and the support available to children to help them stop smoking. The registered manager has written a draft smoking policy for staff to follow to support children who smoke. However, this requires senior approval before the policy is used or implemented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with the adults who care for them. One child said, ‘I have good relationships with all of the staff.’ Children receive the support they need to see their friends and families. As a result, they sustain their familiar relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been no complaints since the last inspection. Children did not raise any complaints or concerns with the inspector during this inspection.

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

Risk management plans are used by staff to promote the safety of the children. These plans now include more detailed guidance for staff to follow to manage children’s risks and behaviours more effectively. This ensures that children living at the home are protected and kept safe from harm. A child said, ‘I feel safer here. It’s always chilled out and we all get along with each other.’

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

Impact risk assessments are carried out prior to children moving into the home. These assessments include consideration of the needs of the existing children at the Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 4 home. However, they do not include evidence of any consultations with social workers or other professionals to show the rationale behind the registered manager’s decision-making. Consequently, a requirement is raised in respect of this issue.

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

The frequency that children go missing from the home has reduced in relation to their starting points. When children go missing from the home, staff actively look for them and work closely with the police and the families of the children to secure their well-being and safe return. Staff maintain effective partnerships with external professional agencies to report concerns and keep children safe from harm.

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

Sanctions used by staff to address negative behaviours are fair and proportionate. The use of restraint is exceptionally rare, and no restraints have been used since the last inspection. The forms used to record restraints and sanctions have improved since the last inspection. Recording is now more detailed and includes improved management oversight.

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

The accommodation provided for the children is clean, tidy, physically safe, comfortable and homely. Children’s bedrooms are decorated in accordance with their needs and wishes, and rooms are suitably furnished. However, the kitchen door is damaged, and a replacement fire door is required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home now employs a full-time permanent registered manager. This has led to improved management presence and oversight of staff’s practice at the home. Prior to the registered manager’s appointment, this post was vacant for several months. The presence of a registered manager is having a positive impact on the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022. She is suitably experienced and qualified. A member of staff said, ‘The biggest change is having a manager again and staff now feeling supported and listened to.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff provide the children with continuity of care so that they sustain their positive attachments. Changes to the home’s staffing arrangements are now kept to an absolute minimum. Two new members of staff have been recruited and a vacant post has been advertised. All but one member of staff are suitably qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The use of casual and agency staff has reduced, and staff are no longer being moved to work in the other local authority run homes. This has resulted in increased stability and consistency for the children. Staff’s enthusiasm, well-being and morale have improved considerably since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that staff benefit from access to regular training opportunities to develop and refresh their practice, skills and knowledge. Additionally, she ensures that staff benefit from regular practice-related supervision so that they feel supported to fulfil their working roles. Annual development reviews Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 5 have now been booked for all staff by the registered manager to support and appraise their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited by an independent professional on a regular basis to review the performance of the home and the quality of the children’s care. Reports highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The registered manager uses these visits to tackle any identified shortfalls with the home’s practice. Combined with the registered manager’s own internal managerial monitoring, there are effective systems to secure the home’s continuing improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has made good progress in addressing the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. The responsible individual is new to his role. As such, he has not yet established an effective system to ensure that he has effective presence and oversight of management practice at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 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, 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that a written policy is in place in relation to children who smoke. 1 September 2022

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 1 September 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 7 This relates specifically to impact risk assessments, including the outcome of consultations held by the manager with the relevant professionals to inform the home’s decision-making and what contact was made with the child’s social worker and/or previous carers.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the door to the kitchen is repaired or replaced with a suitable fire door and ensure that the door is not kept locked at night. 30 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26) (7)(b)) 25 July 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates that this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28 paragraph 5.14) Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 8

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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 children’s home: SC357979 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde, Tameside SK14 1AL

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC357979 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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