Children's home run by Homes for Support

Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 1 Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to six children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with emotional, behavioural and learning difficulties (social and emotional difficulties).

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered by Ofsted in February 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: 7 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make measurable and steady progress from their initial starting points. Staff have a good understanding of children and their backgrounds. Staff provide an environment of nurture and care, and this supports the emotional well-being and progress of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a tidy and spacious home. Since the last inspection, staff and children have worked together to improve the communal living areas. A child commented that the introduction of colour to the lounge has helped to make it look less ‘bland’. Some improvements to children’s bedrooms are required, such as replacing damaged furniture and/or carpet. Children would like to personalise their bedrooms by painting the walls in their favourite colour choice. A recommendation is in place from the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, three children were away on holiday with staff at a caravan park. One child remained at the home. Children were eager to share their views and opinions of the home with inspectors. Children shared written comments about the home and they were able to take part in a video conversation with the lead inspector while they were at the caravan. All children reported that they were happy and settled in the home. Children said that consequences were fair and that staff worked ‘exceptionally well’ to care for them. Staff are supportive and caring, and children can reflect positively on their own progress and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met and, in most cases, the overall health of children has improved. One health professional reported that a child no longer smoked cannabis since living at the home. Although one child continues to smoke cannabis, this has reduced. Professional support is provided by appropriate agencies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have healthier diets and opt for heathier food choices, following education on diet. When necessary, staff ensure that children attend appointments for specialist care that supports their mental health. A child told the inspector, ‘I feel good, and my mental health is much better.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have previously missed a lot of education now have some level of education, according to their education plans. Flexible and creative learning opportunities ensure that children continue to learn and achieve. This may mean changing a college course to one that is better suited to the child’s interests or providing tutoring for those children who struggle in larger environments due to social anxiety. One child has an outdoor activities education plan as part of their weekly timetable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Independence is encouraged and children enjoy a wide range of activities in the local area. One child is actively involved in the local football team. The manager is keen to promote ice hockey, based on his own passion for the sport. All children Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 4 have enjoyed going to the ice rink and learning a new skill. One child sold their artwork at a local exhibition and raised money for a charity by dying their hair pink. A child said, ‘I was previously basically homeless, but I now have way more opportunities that benefit us, and so many more activities generally.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children progress steadily with their transition plans. Children who struggle with managing their money may require additional guidance and input to ensure that they make responsible decisions with their finances. This will help to ensure that they are prepared for adult life. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are reassured that their sexual identity is respected, valued and supported by their carers. Staff took a child shopping to buy clothing and make-up so they could then freely express their sexual identity and feel confident with their appearance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive time with family members. One child is hoping to return home to live with their family. Another child is due to see all their siblings after many years of separation. Staff encourage positive relationships and organise children’s time with family.

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

Since the last inspection, the quality and content of risk assessments and risk management plans have improved. The documents are now streamlined and a staff member commented that they were now easier to follow. Each child has a behaviour crisis management plan. Some children have an additional safety plan to help staff manage and risk assess complex behaviours, for example, those children who display sexually harmful behaviours.

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

Structured key-work sessions help children to work through and gain a better understanding of concerns such as child exploitation and positive sexual health. Staff ensure that online safety and regular phone checks are in place. Phone checks at varied times in the day would provide greater scrutiny and promote acceptable phone use. A consistent approach is required to ensure that regular phone checks are undertaken for those children who display sexually harmful behaviours. A recommendation is made to address this matter.

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

One child was able to bypass the home’s internal online safety portal. A mobile application, downloaded by the child, allowed access to inappropriate websites. This was swiftly acted upon by staff, who liaised with the local police. A police investigation took place. The manager provided a clear action plan of structured sessions to promote online safety and help to safeguard the child against further risks and avoid criminalisation. This evidenced good multi-agency partnership working with key stakeholders.

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

Incidents of going missing from care have significantly reduced for children who have previously gone missing, or they no longer go missing. When there are such incidents, staff follow the home’s missing-from-care protocol and will actively search Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 5 for children. Staff undertake regular welfare spot checks in the community, as well as welfare ‘check-ins’ by phone, when children are on free time. This assures staff that children are safe and that children feel cared for. Children who may engage with criminal activity in the community are now making measurable progress, and concerns in the community are gradually reducing.

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

Complaints by children are now responded to effectively and the manager writes a letter to children detailing the outcome of the complaint. Children are confident that they are listened to and that their complaints are taken seriously and acted upon.

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

During one incident, two children accessed the fire escape to smoke when staff were in bed. Subsequently, children were in each other’s bedrooms into the early hours without staff’s knowledge. One of the children made an allegation against another of inappropriate sexualised behaviour. None of the four staff on sleepover shift said they had heard the children. The complaint was investigated by the manager and the allegation was deemed to be unfounded. Alarm sensors are now fitted to external fire doors. Night-time monitoring of the home requires improvement as this was a concern at the previous inspection. A requirement is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager who has been in post since February 2020. The manager is confident, child-focused and nurturing. This has enabled children to build positive relationships with the manager and the staff team. The manager is supported by three team leaders. Together with the manager, they form part of an effective management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager evidenced improved scrutiny of placements to the home and provided a suitable explanation as to why some placements could not be accepted due to matching with staff and other children already living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff promote and encourage smoking cessation. However, staff smoke on the premises, which detracts from their ability to act as positive role models to children in their care. A recommendation has been made, so that the home maintains a professional approach and ensures that staff do not smoke on the premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a comprehensive electronic system in place to keep children’s records. However, this is not always used effectively. Some documents were stored in a separate electronic filing location. This led to some documents being missing from children’s records during the inspection. Medication records are hand-written and difficult to read. A recommendation is made to improve this aspect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that working relationships with partnership agencies are effective. External professionals report that the communication from the manager and staff team is very good. The manager advocates strongly on behalf of the children. This has been effective for one child, who now benefits from increased time with his family. This promotes the child’s sense of identity. Future care plans Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 6 and transition arrangements are not clear for some children. A recommendation is made to improve this aspect.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recruitment and retention have improved since the last inspection. The number of qualified staff has increased, with some staff members being promoted in the home. This shows staff that the manager is invested in their career progression. Staff told inspectors that they feel supported by the management team. Staff receive regular reflective supervision. This helps improve practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a variety of internal and external training. For example, staff undertook training on harmful sexualised behaviour and gender identity. Such bespoke training is effective to help staff meet the diverse needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are attended by staff and minutes evidence detailed discussion about the care and progress of all children. The manager also uses this opportunity for staff development and has introduced external speakers who are knowledgeable in their field. This helps staff to increase their skills, knowledge and awareness of wider concerns. The staff team is growing in strength and staff make creative use of role play and drama to build their knowledge of the regulations and quality standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is supported by internal monitoring systems. This works particularly well to ensure that staff training is up to date. However, external monitoring systems do not routinely capture the views of the children, parents and professionals. This limits the quality of these evaluations, which can impact on areas of improvement for the home, including Ofsted’s understanding of the lived experiences of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure improved monitoring of children accessing each other’s bedrooms at night. 31 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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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

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. 31 October 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 8 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))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s homes are homely, domestic environments, and that children contribute to the furnishing and colour choice of their bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. In particular, ensure that medication records are legible and that all documents relevant to the child are stored on the child’s electronic records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home complies with relevant health and safety legislations and that staff do not smoke within proximity of the home. This is to ensure positive role modelling for children and

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Recommendations

setting a good standard for the home within the residential community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the local authority regularly consults the child and the home about the child’s relevant plans. If the child raises concerns about the content of any of their plans, their implementation or the process of review, staff should advocate for the child and seek to ensure that their concerns are addressed. In particular, ensure that children’s permanence and transition plans are in place and understood by those using them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.11)  The registered person should seek to ensure that staff help children to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes

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Recommendations

supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting, personal self-care and supporting Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 9 children who struggle with managing their finances. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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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: 2553274 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Homes for Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Cloister House, Riverside, New Bailey Street, Manchester M3 5FS

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Inspectors

Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Rob Neild, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2553274 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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