Children's home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 1 SC034012 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 children’s home offers care and accommodation for up to three children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that care is provided for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since November 2021.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 16 February 2022

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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: SC034012 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/02/2022 Full Good 16/09/2019 Full Outstanding 24/04/2018 Full Outstanding 15/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy warm and secure relationships with staff. They sustain their positive attachments with the adults that care for them. Children benefit from well-planned, personalised care that supports change and improvement in their lives. A social worker said: ‘A very positive placement. Staff are very attuned to the needs of the young person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their friends and families. This ensures that they sustain their familiar relationships with the people that are close to them. Staff support family time and ensure that contact is a safe experience for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with the providers of children’s education. Staff promote the children’s educational achievements and encourage children to attend school regularly. School leavers are supported to further their learning and pursue their educational goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have plans to attend college this September. However, one child is struggling, and staff are supporting them to overcome the barriers to furthering their education. A social worker said: ‘They are proactive in providing solutions to difficulties and play an active role in the child’s care planning.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians. There are good arrangements to meet the specific health needs of the children. Staff support children to attend their health appointments and ensure that children have access to specialist support to promote their emotional well-being. Children benefit from positive activities with staff, such as the cinema, meals out, theme parks and attending the gymnasium. Staff are in the process of planning a summer holiday abroad for the children to enjoy this year. Children are supported to share their views and feelings with staff. Staff listen to children and act on their reasonable requests. This ensures that the children feel supported, are valued and listened to. A child said: ‘The manager’s good at listening. He’s nice to everyone.’

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

The safety of children is at the forefront of staff’s practice. Staff are trained in child protection and know how to protect children from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the police, social workers and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of children. Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 4 Significant incidents are shared with the appropriate authorities to keep children safe from harm. A social worker said: ‘Communication is excellent. They are quick to respond to issues around safeguarding and manage risks well.’

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

Staff are trained to manage children’s behaviours safely. Staff understand the triggers for behaviour. They anticipate incidents and act quickly to prevent behaviours from escalating. This has been effective, and no child has been held for their safety. Sanctions to address negative behaviour are effective and proportionate.

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

Risk management plans are reviewed regularly, and children’s plans are kept up to date by staff. This information helps staff to manage children’s behaviours and emerging risks effectively. Children become safer because of the actions staff take to help and protect them. Unsafe behaviours such as self-harm and children going missing for lengthy periods are controlled and minimised.

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

Staff employed to work with children are vetted. This ensures that children are further protected from harm. The accommodation provided for children is physically safe and appropriately secure. The home provides children with a comfortable and homely living environment.

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good

The registered manager post has now been vacant since November 2021. This aspect of the service requires improvement. The absence of a registered manager was also raised at the last inspection, so a previous requirement is repeated. The home has met the other recommendations and requirements from the last inspection.

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good

The acting home’s manager has now been assigned the registered manager’s position. They are currently in the process of applying for registration.

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good

There are currently two senior vacant staff positions. Both posts have been advertised and interviews are scheduled to be held in November 2022. Once these positions are filled, the home will be fully staffed to promote continuity of care for children.

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good

The manager demonstrates effective leadership in the operations of the home. They ensure that staff are professionally supervised and are managed and led effectively. The manager leads staff by example and is actively involved in the care of the children. Staff morale is good, and this contributes to a happy environment for children.

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good

Children benefit from a diverse, well-qualified, skilled and experienced staff. They benefit from adults from different backgrounds. Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 5 Development plans are in place to improve the performance of the home. The home is visited on a regular basis by an independent professional to review the quality of the children’s care.

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good

These visits help the manager and staff to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager makes good use of these monitoring activities to address weaknesses and secure continuing improvement. Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 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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Statutory requirements

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Statutory requirements

there is no registered manager in respect of the home;

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Statutory requirements

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Statutory requirements

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Statutory requirements

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Statutory requirements

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 30/11/2022

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that school leavers are supported to further their education and have access to training or employment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.16) Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 7

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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: SC034012 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tammy Sutherland

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC034012 9 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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