Children's home run by Bristol City Council

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 1 Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home can provide care for up to three children who have experienced trauma in their early years, have social and emotional difficulties and may be at risk of exploitation. The home is owned by the local authority, which has a number of other homes in the local area. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 The response to one child smoking in their bedroom has not been adequate to ensure the safety of everyone in the home.  Risk assessments are not robust or used effectively to accurately assess the fire safety concerns arising from a child smoking in the home.  Fire evacuation procedures have not been reviewed or tested during the nighttime, when children are likely to be at increased risk.  The quality of care plans is variable. There has been an insufficient response to one child smoking tobacco.  Following children being missing from home, staff do not follow up with children to ensure they are safe and well.

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The care of children

Care plans provide staff with some strategies to support children, although they are variable in quality. For example, the plan to support children to achieve well in education is detailed and has resulted in positive educational outcomes. However, the plan to support smoking cessation for one child is limited and does not seek the involvement of external health professionals. In addition, when positive health outcomes have not been achieved, plans have not been reviewed or amended. As a result, children are not sufficiently supported to improve their health outcomes.

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The care of children

The environment is mostly well presented, warm and homely. However, outstanding maintenance tasks detract from the overall feel of the home. In one child’s bedroom, there are abusive comments written in pen on the walls and stains on the carpet. This does not provide a homely and welcoming environment for children to live in.

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The care of children

Children are happy and enjoy living in the home. Interactions between staff and children are warm and friendly. Staff are able to identify ways in which they are supporting one child to become more social and involved in the home. Children feel able to seek support from staff when needed. This had resulted in children making some progress in the home.

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The safety of children

Leaders and managers have not adequately responded to significant fire safety concerns. One child continues to smoke cigarettes in their bedroom. Smoking paraphernalia and damage from smoking is evident in the room. Although staff are aware that the child is smoking in their bedroom, the response has been minimal and permissive. There was no risk assessment in place to manage this risk and nighttime fire evacuations had not been completed. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 3 Behavioural support plans are in place to support children to express themselves safely. However, plans do not always include the strategies that have been agreed with children and external professionals. For example, one child identified a traffic light communication tool with their therapist to tell staff how they were feeling and what support they required. This was not included in their behavioural support plan,

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The safety of children

although a different traffic light communication tool was. This could lead to inconsistent responses from staff.

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The safety of children

When children have been missing from home, staff have responded proactively and followed safety plans. Staff welcome children home on their return, and return home interviews seek to identify actions to prevent a future occurrence. However, on one occasion, a child stated that she was injured while missing. Staff did not follow this up. Consequently, staff were not assured of the child’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager has reflected on the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection and made efforts to improve the care offered to children. The registered manager has been accepting of feedback and has taken steps to address the issues that were identified during this inspection. However, further actions are required. Leaders and managers have not adequately identified risk or responded proactively to mediate it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The quality of care review provides an overview of the developments made in the home. However, when actions have been set, the plan is vague. For example, leaders and managers have not identified how an action will be achieved, who is responsible, or when it will be completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff supervision takes place regularly, although it lacks reflection about the support offered to children. Staff are offered comprehensive training opportunities, which are informed by the needs of children. The training matrix was not up to date, although the registered manager was assured that training had been completed. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 5

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should be provided with the support and services they require in order to stop smoking. 30 January 2023

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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

In particular, the registered person should ensure that night- time fire evacuations support children to safely leave the building. Where difficulties arise, the registered person 9 January 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 6 should ensure that adequate risk assessment and steps to mediate risk are identified.

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe; and

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that risks associated with fire safety are assessed and mediated. 9 January 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to children’s behaviour. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. In particular, children’s plans should provide staff with clear strategies to best meet the needs of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that staff strive to build positive relationships with children in the home, and develop a culture of openness and trust that encourages children to be able to tell someone if they have concerns or worries

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Recommendations

about their safety. In particular, when children return home following being missing, staff should ask the child how they are and provide caring responses to Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 7 any concerns that are raised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.11)  The registered persons should ensure that children are provided with nurturing and supportive environments that meet their needs. Homes will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. In particular, staff should ensure that children are supported to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. When maintenance tasks arise, these should be completed in a timely fashion. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including

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Recommendations

under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. In particular, the registered person should ensure that action plans resulting from monitoring are clear and sufficiently detailed in order to prevent delays to improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bristol City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City Hall, College Green, Bristol, Bristol BS1 5TR

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656731 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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