Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 1 SC356868 Registered provider: Sheffield City 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 care for up to five children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2008.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 16 February 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/05/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 3

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improvement to be good

Most of the five children living in this home are making progress from their starting points. A small number of children do not integrate fully with daily home routines and prefer to spend time with family. Staff do not maintain their attempts to engage one child who spends the day in his bedroom. Staff are not successful in helping all children to develop relationships and benefit from the experiences of living in this home.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy living with each other. One child considers the other children in the home to be his brothers. However, the children engage in boisterous play fighting with each other. During these incidents, two children have been hurt. One child had two further short episodes of play fighting despite having hurt himself. Staff are not effective in anticipating and directing the children to engage in alternative and more appropriate physical activities. Staff do not complete work with children to help them understand more socially acceptable behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Children live in a clean and well-maintained house which has a lovely garden for children to use. While children personalise their bedrooms, not all areas of the house are as welcoming and inviting as they could be. Staff have removed cushions and games from the lounge to reduce the risk of harm or damage by children play fighting. This does not encourage children to rebuild trust and take ownership of the home.

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improvement to be good

Most children receive medication as prescribed from staff who are appropriately trained. One child sought medical advice on his own, but staff have not supported him to collect his medication. Another child lacks understanding about why he takes his medication. Staff have not sufficiently considered children’s ages and levels of understanding to support them effectively to manage their long-term health needs.

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improvement to be good

Three children have moved into this home since it was last inspected. Staff prepare children well with visits to meet other children living in the home before they move in. One parent describes how, in the short time her son has lived at the home, he is happier than he was in his last placement. Children settle quickly into this home because staff and other children make them feel welcomed.

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improvement to be good

Staff advocate for children who are ready to move on from this home. They strive to ensure that children move to suitable accommodation to meet their needs. Staff helped one child to decorate his flat and they supported his move on from the home. This helps the children to feel prepared and to develop confidence to live independently.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote social opportunities for children. Children enjoy meals together at the dining table and games nights. Children develop positive relationships with staff and Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 4 each other. Staff also encourage children to join social events outside the home. Staff consider all children, even if they are not joining in with the group activity. One child declined a trip to the cinema. Staff, however, phoned the child afterwards and he chose a dessert which staff brought back for him. This helped the child to feel included, even when he was reluctant to engage in the activity.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to pursue personal interests, such as football and snooker. This helps children to maintain relationships outside the home with their families and friends.

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improvement to be good

Staff communicate regularly with children’s families. Parents develop relationships with staff and share information to help children progress and stay safe. A participation worker described staff as welcoming when he visits the home. Staff communicate effectively, which helps him to understand the child’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff know children’s risks. Leaders, however, do not provide clear strategies and guidance for staff in children’s risk assessments. Leaders do not help staff to anticipate or recognise behaviour triggers to reduce risk. Staff are not always proactive and effective when supervising children. Staff have not intervened quickly enough to anticipate and divert children when they become boisterous. Children have therefore been hurt during play fighting.

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improvement to be good

A small number of children place themselves at risk of potential harm when they have unplanned time away from the home. Staff appropriately report children who are missing to the police, and they attempt to contact the child by phone. Children’s Philomena Protocols do not provide sufficient direction to staff about how they assess risk and complete local area or known contact searches. Staff therefore miss opportunities to verify children’s locations and to encourage them to return home at the earliest opportunity.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered an independent return home interview when they have been missing but children do not always engage in them. Staff are unable to encourage the children to speak with the independent workers. Leaders do not therefore fully understand the circumstances around children’s missing episodes. Children therefore continue to be at risk of potential harm when they have unplanned time away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond quickly when children have items that can cause potential harm within the house. They use their skills and relationships to engage with children to reduce risk. This helps to keep children and others safe. On one occasion, staff removed a potential weapon. However, they did not report this quickly enough to police or senior leaders. Staff were therefore caring for the child without sufficient oversight and guidance from professionals and leaders. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 5 Staff manage children’s behaviour without the use of physical intervention. They use their established relationships with children to help them regulate their behaviour when they are distressed.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise children’s achievements and rarely use consequences to manage behaviour. Children enjoy time with staff away from the home. This provides opportunities to celebrate and reinforce the progress children make.

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improvement to be good

Children express their views in children’s meetings and key-work sessions. Leaders have improved their oversight of children’s meetings. Children are now provided with additional opportunities with their key worker to follow up what they have said in their meeting. This provides reassurance to the child that their voice is heard.

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improvement to be good

Children live in a well-maintained home which is free from hazards. Staff and children know how to keep themselves safe in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

Leaders complete appropriate safer recruitment checks. They ensure that staff are suitably qualified and skilled to work with the children living in this home.

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good

The registered manager does not provide effective oversight of the care that children receive. Leaders have not identified poor recording in records kept in the home. On one occasion, a body map had not been completed to show bruising that a child had following play fighting. Leaders had not identified that a child had medication to collect or that a fire drill was not completed in a timely way when a child initially moved into the house.

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good

The registered manager has not improved existing monitoring systems. Staff have recently moved to an electronic recording system. Staff record room searches in daily logs. The registered manager has not directed staff to use the new recording system to create stand-alone recordings when they complete a room search. This hinders the registered manager’s oversight and assessment of risk.

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good

The registered manager has not introduced additional monitoring systems in response to new concerns, such as children’s play fighting or episodes away from the home. He does not collate important information about patterns of risk and consider the potential impact on children. The registered manager therefore does not analyse information available and use it to develop the quality of care provided in the home.

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good

Staff report that they like working at this children’s home. They speak positively about the children, and they are committed to being consistent carers for them. Staff support each other to cover rota shortfalls due to staff sickness. This reduces the frequency of agency workers. Five new staff have joined the team. They have received appropriate induction training. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 6 Staff meet regularly for team meetings and their discussions are child-centred. Staff discuss what is going well, their concerns and actions for each child. However, the registered manager has not used team meetings to provide specific direction to staff to manage play fighting and promote children’s welfare.

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good

All staff receive appropriate training, including contextual safeguarding. This helps them to understand potential risks for children living in this home.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision. Not all staff have sufficient opportunity during supervision to discuss the children they are caring for. Staff do not therefore use supervision to explore and learn to enhance their practice.

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good

The newly appointed service manager provides improved visibility and oversight within the home. He has identified areas of improvement for the home. The service manager is committed to developing the care that children receive to help them to fulfil their potential. Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a))(ii)(iii)(v)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that staff prevent children from play fighting with each other. 30 September

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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— 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 8 that staff—

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to leaders ensuring that children’s assessments and plans provide clear guidance to staff so that they know how to respond to reduce children’s risk of potential harm.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, this relates to staff escalating their actions when they are concerned about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered manager overseeing the effectiveness of the care that staff provide for children 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 9 and, when necessary, providing additional direction to improve experiences for children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, this relates to the registered manager using monitoring systems to review the quality of care and practice in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home offers a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of children. A homely, domestic environment should be provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff take a proactive role in encouraging children to understand and manage their health and well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC356868 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC356868 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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