Children's home run by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040719 1 SC040719 Registered provider: Bolton 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 children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. The home specialises in caring for children who may need support to develop their independence skills as they approach care-leaving age.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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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: 24 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 for children’s home: SC040719 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2020 Full Outstanding 06/11/2018 Full Outstanding 15/06/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC040719 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are enabled to build secure relationships with the adults who are looking after them. The staff group is stable, experienced and committed. The staff offer nurturing care to the children. A child said, ‘This is like a family.’ Children feel cared for, which increases their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can have a say in decisions about their lives. The children have regular meetings as a group with staff and individually with their key member of staff. They can share their preferences for day-to-day things such as what meals they want to eat and activities they would like to participate in. Children say they feel listened to and that their opinion matters. This will increase their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage with work and education. This has been challenging at times. One of the children is not currently in education or work but staff and the manager ensure that they have a structured day and are supported to apply for work to help them move on from this position.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to develop independence skills. A significant amount of care and attention is given to supporting this work. A child very proudly shared with the inspector the work she had completed towards her goal of independence. This was very thorough and will help her when she moves on to the next step on her life journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work positively with parents to promote safe family time. Children enjoy the time that they spend with their family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is homely and comfortable, and the children’s bedrooms are personalised. However, some internal doors have locks which restrict children’s access to shared areas of the home.

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

Children have detailed risk assessments and safety plans which all the staff are aware of. These are updated regularly and cover all the areas of risk that are known about. Children said that they feel safe living in the home.

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

There have been incidents of children going missing from home. When this has happened, all incidents are reviewed and analysed by the management team. Staff have a debrief with a manager or senior staff member and children’s views are sought. This helps managers to understand the event and prevent future occurrences.

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

Children’s behaviour is managed well. Staff take the time to understand what the children need individually and put measures in place to support their positive Inspection report for children’s home: SC040719 4 behaviours. There are clear routines and boundaries in place, and children are encouraged to behave well by receiving rewards for good behaviour.

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

Each child has a key worker or trusted member of staff who they can talk to. Staff working in the home are clear about what constitutes a safeguarding concern and know what procedures to follow if they are worried about a child. This contributes towards children’s feelings of safety.

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

Staff communicate well with each other, there is a clear handover procedure to new staff on shift and they confirm that safety checks have been completed. This ensures that there is continuity of care for the children and that routines and boundaries remain the same.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is also registered at a second home and has an experienced deputy manager to support her. Staff commented that the management team is ‘stretched’, meaning that they lack capacity to do certain tasks. There is a plan to add senior staff to the management team, however, this is not yet in operation. This has meant that plans for improved monitoring of the service and development of the team are still to be acted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff has improved, using a new template which supports the staff team to reflect on the needs of the children. Supervision is not yet as regular as it should be. There is a plan to provide supervision training to the management team and some team members to strengthen this system.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are experienced at working with children. They offer nurturing care and work together effectively. Children receive consistent care and know what to expect, which enables them to have a feeling of safety and security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and committed to ensuring that the children have good outcomes. The staff trust the manager and feel secure in their roles and in the quality of care they are offering the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children know the staff who are caring for them and aware of who is going to be there for them. The clear staffing arrangements and consistent rota system provide a predictable environment and help children feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good relationships with partner agencies, schools and family members. This helps to ensure that children receive a consistent level of care that meets their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040719 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any registered manager employed in the home should have sufficient capacity to ensure that the quality standards are met for each child in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.7)  The registered person should review and revise the policy for locked doors to ensure that children are not unnecessarily restricted in their access to shared areas of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff have access to regular good- quality reflective supervision of their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 32, paragraph 8.15)

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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: SC040719 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Victoria Square, PO Box 29, Bolton BL1 1RU

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Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040719 7 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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