Children's Home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 1 SC040733 Registered provider: Salford City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by the local authority. The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Two compliance notices were served on 10 May 2022 in relation to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Both compliance notices were met when reviewed at a monitoring visit on 20 June 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2022 Full Inadequate 01/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are building trusting relationships with staff. One child said, ‘Everything is better.’ Staff are being more proactive in planning activities and holidays away for children. As a result, children have enjoyed the summer and have been more settled in their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have taken steps to make the home more homely. Photos of children are now displayed around the home. Creative methods have been used to make the home more inviting while more extensive maintenance work is being planned. Children have invested in personalising their bedrooms and are proud of them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have been supported when moving in and out of the home. Considerate multi-agency planning has meant that the current group of children enjoy living together. More-structured plans around building life skills are also likely to help children when they move out to live independently.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their physical and mental health needs. Staff seek resources from health services to ensure that they can give informed advice to children. Close multi-agency working means that children have quick access to support with their individual health needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is being planned more proactively. Additional resources and plans in the home are in place to support children who are struggling to attend school. The manager has also requested support from the local authority local offer and virtual school. As a result, staff are clearer in their role in ensuring that children receive their education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend quality time with their family and friends. Staff understand the importance of children’s support networks now and in their future. Multi-agency planning takes place to ensure that children are safe when seeing their family and friends.

p.3

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

Children feel safe. They have taken part in safety planning with staff. As a result, children have felt more included and have responded more to appropriate boundaries. One social worker said, ‘Staff have the balance right with age- appropriate expectations and nurturing.’

p.3

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

Staff follow protocols when children leave the home without agreement. The manager has reviewed patterns and trends and made positive plans to interrupt them. As a result, children are coming home at appropriate times more often and the risks have reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 4 Risk management plans provide staff with clear steps to take and are regularly reviewed. As a result, staff are more consistent in how they keep children safe. Staff consistency has improved staff morale and means that children are no longer frustrated with mixed messages.

p.3

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

Complaints, concerns and feedback are now treated seriously. Children are kept updated throughout the investigation process, which helps them to feel heard. Ofsted is also kept informed of any serious incidents. This allows the regulator more oversight to ensure that children are safe.

p.4

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

Children who self-harm are given the appropriate support from specialists. However, not all staff have received formal training on how to respond. This has not had a direct impact on children but has the potential to do so.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager in post is highly respected by children, staff and other professionals. The manager has good oversight of the events in the children’s lives. She is suitably qualified and experienced. One staff member said, ‘This is the first time in a long time I feel we can go forward.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and service manager have worked closely together to ensure that staff are clear on the expectations of their role. As a result, children are spending more time in communal areas and out enjoying activities with staff. One independent reviewing officer said, ‘I am feeling more confident that the new manager is more proactive.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have not received regular supervision. This is a missed opportunity for staff to individually reflect and develop their skills. However, staff have met regularly as a team for child-focused discussions, which has improved consistency.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited monthly by an independent person. Recent reports have been more reflective of children receiving good-quality care. The manager is keen to seek feedback as often as possible and uses this as an opportunity to make further improvements.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are having ongoing training to help them to understand their role and equip them with improved skills and knowledge. Language used in the records continues to be more sensitive and accessible to children. As a result, children have started to read their plans and contribute their views.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight and monitoring systems in place. However, the manager has not always evaluated the staff’s actions when reviewing the records. This is important to capture any learning and training needs for individual staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.5

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31 October 2022

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that evaluation of incidents, including missing-from-home incidents, is undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond effectively to complex issues, including self- harming. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12)

p.5

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: SC040733 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

p.6

Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040733 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7