Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 1 SC036023 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 short-breaks service is registered to provide care for up to eight children who may have learning and/or physical disabilities. However, the short- breaks service is currently on hold and a variation of the conditions allows two children to live here. Two children with complex health needs were admitted to the home in an emergency. One child attends the home for day care.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2018. They have had a period of absence, during which an acting manager was overseeing the management of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 28 January 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2020 Full Outstanding 06/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 3

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inadequate

Serious failures in safeguarding practices and the leadership and management of the home have resulted in the overall experiences and progress of children being judged as inadequate. One child was not kept safe and suffered injuries from holds conducted by staff who were not suitably experienced or trained to meet their complex social and emotional needs.

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inadequate

Staff encourage and promote the children’s education. The child currently living at the home receives home tutoring from an independent tutor. A structured routine facilitated by staff and assisted by the tutor helps the child to engage with their learning programme.

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inadequate

The staff capture the children’s experiences by taking photos of events and activities. When they leave the home, children are presented with a colourful booklet that shows the enjoyable times they had in the company of the staff. This enhances the memories they have of their time living at this home.

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inadequate

The children spend time with their family members, who visit them at the home. The play facilities and sensory equipment in the garden help to enhance the time they spend together.

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inadequate

A child who moved on from the home benefited from a well-thought-out transition plan. The staff from the child’s new home helped to care for the child while they still lived at this home. This enabled the process of forming new relationships with the child to start as early as possible and helped them develop an understanding of their routine.

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inadequate

Staff encourage the children to communicate about the things they like to do and are responsive to their wishes and feelings. For example, they ensure that children can play on their favourite swing in the garden or choose their favourite book to read at bedtime. This helps children to have the experiences they enjoy the most.

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

Children have not always been kept safe living at this home. The safeguarding protocol was not adhered to after a child suffered bruising from unsafe and extended holds by staff in response to a child’s behaviour. The provider’s core staff involved were not trained in using advanced techniques and many of the holds were conducted in places that are unsafe, such as on the stairs, and involved holding the child on the ground. There was a total lack of understanding and awareness from the manager overseeing these holds about the staff’s lack of skills and experience in this practice. The holds conducted had been evaluated as safe and proportionate. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 4 The provider failed to ensure that suitable discussions were held between the child and their social worker, although they did alert them of the incidents.

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

The provider failed to notify the local authority designated officer of the child’s injuries. This did not allow for an investigation to commence to explore the suitability of the staff involved and whether they remained safe to continue to work with children.

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

Several agency staff are supporting the core staff to care for children. However, there is clarity about whether these staff are appropriately trained should they be present when a restraint occurs. There is no direction and guidance to help them understand their role during a restraint incident. This increases the risk of children suffering harm should an incident occur.

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

The quality of the records relating to the holds is poor. There are inconsistencies in the style and clarity of the recordings and the manager’s oversight does not always fully explore the incident. Records relating to debriefs with staff and with children following the incidents lack detail and evaluation. They fail to show how managers help staff to reflect and learn from the incidents and how children are supported. This does not provide reassurance that the actions taken by staff reduce the risk of harm for children.

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

Fire drills have not been carried out with a child in receipt of day care. The child has been receiving care for several weeks but has not been involved in a fire safety test. This does not prepare the child to understand the process should an emergency situation arise, which may cause unnecessary distress.

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

An environmental assessment has not been completed for one child. Therefore, the impact of the setting on the child’s sensory needs is not fully known. Consequently, the care planning does not fully reflect the child’s needs, which may cause unnecessary emotional distress.

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

Recruitment checks do not consistently evaluate that agency workers have the knowledge and skills needed to care for the children living at this home. For example, Disclosing and Barring Service (DBS) checks and employment references are not always seen by managers, and the level of experience of agency staff has not always been known prior to them working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been away from the home for a period. In his absence, an acting manager has been in day-to-day charge of the home and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted has not always been notified when a serious incident has occurred. This has prevented the regulator from having oversight of the serious nature of incidents that occurred. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 5 Staff have not had regular practice-related supervision. One staff member has not had supervision since January 2022. This does not help them to cope with the demands of the role, and reflect on their practice with a view to improving this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings have not occurred at the normal frequency the staff are accustomed to. This has limited their ability to come together and plan for and discuss, with managers, the level of care children need. Morning handover discussions provide some mitigation to this shortfall and a daily forum for staff and managers to plan the day ahead.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Gaps in mandatory training courses that staff should complete mean that staff do not have the knowledge and skills to care for children. In addition to staff not having the required level of restraint training, there have been occasions when none of the staff caring for the children overnight have had a valid first-aid certificate. This has since been addressed but does not provide assurances about children’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The two requirements issued at the last inspection relating to risk assessments and the manager’s own monitoring of the home have been met. However, the good practice recommendation in relation to staff reading and signing the team meeting minutes and other documents is still not met and has therefore been repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff have stated that they feel disillusioned and demotivated because of the changes at the home relating to staff providing full time care rather than short breaks. However, staff are focused on helping children the best they can. Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 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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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child has in place an up-to-date environmental and sensory assessment, to ensure that the help and care that is being provided is aligned to the child’s assessed needs. 4 December 2022

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the processes in place for referring safeguarding concerns for children and concerns about staff practice to ensure that they include clear actions for staff and managers to follow.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff and managers know what action to take when there are concerns for children. 4 December 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 7 The registered person must ensure that the revised process is shared with the relevant safeguarding professionals and be reassured they know what action to take when there are concerns for children.

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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

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive debriefs following incidents to evaluate staff practice, to help them understand the impact their care has for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have a system to identify and address shortfalls in staff practice. This includes whether staff are completing documents in a timely, detailed and accurate way.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the system for recording restraints to ensure that the records completed help the manager to evaluate the action staff have taken. 4 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children receiving care at this home take part in a fire evacuation drill at their earliest opportunity. 4 December 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have in place a system to check and verify the experience, training and other relevant checks, such as DBS and references of agency staff members. Prior to an agency staff member working, the registered person must ensure that they have verified and assessed that the agency member of staff has the skills and experience needed for the role. 4 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 4 December 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 9 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(v)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 4 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring, including under regulations 44 and 45, to ensure continuous improvement. In particular, ensure that monitoring systems include scrutiny, that staff read and sign staff meeting minutes and other records as required. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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 children’s home: SC036023 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: Sheffield City Council, Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036023 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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