Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 1 SC039414

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at this home. An acting manager is in post and an application to register has been made to Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/11/2021 Full Inadequate 15/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 3

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improvement to be good

Changes in staff and inconsistent care have had an impact on children’s experiences. The acting manager is helping the staff to develop trusting relationships with the children. However, the children’s confidence and trust in staff are yet to be embedded.

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improvement to be good

Most of the children have said that they are not happy living at this home. However, they are beginning to benefit from a more structured and relaxed environment that has been created by the acting manager. There is more laughter at the home, and children are beginning to enjoy one another’s company. This is helping to nurture friendships for some children. One child said, ‘[Name of acting manager] does care about us.’

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in relation to their education and outcomes varies. Some children have accepted the help from staff to engage with their education and have achieved positive outcomes. For example, one child has achieved their GCSE qualifications and now attends college. Another child has started at a new school after a long period of non-attendance. However, staff struggle to support the other children to engage with their home learning programmes. The acting manager continues to work with the virtual school to find suitable school placements for those children who do not have formal learning.

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improvement to be good

The lack of structure and focus in a child’s independence programme has delayed their progress. The child’s plan regarding money management and budgeting gave them an unrealistic experience of living independently. The acting manager has worked with the child’s social worker and consulted with the child to agree a new plan. This plan is more structured to enable the child to develop their independence skills.

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improvement to be good

Previously, staff’s approach to mealtimes has been inconsistent. Children rarely ate together or enjoyed home-cooked food. However, the acting manager has introduced routines around mealtimes and ensures that fresh food is readily available for children, including alternative food choices if needed. This is helping to reduce the anxiety children experience around mealtimes and encourages them to eat together.

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improvement to be good

Staff struggle to help some children attend primary health services such as the dentist, while other children can do this independently. An environmental assessment for a child on the autistic spectrum has not been arranged and there is no evidence about how the child’s needs have been considered. Actions agreed for another child to have an environmental and psychological assessment at the time of their admission several months ago have also not been addressed. This does not Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 4 ensure the provider has a good understanding of the children’s needs and may limit children’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Children have mixed feelings of safety because of incidents that have occurred with some of the other children. However, the children’s level of distress from these incidents has reduced because of the improved sense of security delivered by staff. Staff are now more approachable. This is enabling children to express their feelings to the acting manager and staff more frequently.

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improvement to be good

Children are developing relationships with staff. This is helping the children to improve their tolerance with one another, knowing that staff are more able to help them work things through. One child’s independent reviewing officer said, ‘When I last spoke to [name of child], they were much happier. The staff are much more stable and there are less agency workers.’

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improvement to be good

The staff work in partnership with a local police officer. The police officer is well known to the children because of the established relationship he has with the home. This helps children to understand the potential impact of their actions for themselves and others and avoid the risk of being criminalised.

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improvement to be good

Staff hold children and use physical intervention to keep them safe by guiding them away from dangerous situations. Incident reports describe the reasons for a hold being used. However, children do not receive a debrief after an incident occurs. This does not allow children to share their concern and limits the manager’s evaluation of whether staff’s practice is proportionate and effective.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments describe their needs and associated risks. They provide direction for staff about what action they should take to help keep children safe. However, in some areas the risk assessments are still lacking in guidance to help the staff support children when they are experiencing difficult emotions.

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improvement to be good

Managers follow the safeguarding policy when concerns are raised about staff practice. This ensures that appropriate decisions are made by the right people to keep children safe. However, there is no clarity about whether children are informed of the outcome of their concerns about staff. This does not give children closure or help them feel that their views are taken seriously.

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improvement to be good

The staff supervise the children’s access to the internet and online activity to reduce the risk of children accessing harmful material. However, conversations with children about how to stay safe online are not yet part of the staff team’s safeguarding practice. This does not help children to develop their own strategies to stay safe online.

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improvement to be good

There are inconsistencies in the recruitment checks completed for agency workers. For example, Disclosing and Barring Service (DBS) checks are not always seen by Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 5 managers, and the level of experience of agency staff has not been assessed as suitable by managers prior to them working at the home.

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good

There has been no registered manager in day-to-day charge of this home for over a year. Although the provider has appointed managers to oversee the running of the home during this period, they have not stayed and registered formally. This has not provided stability for the staff team or the children.

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good

The quality of the supervision notes for staff is poor. The notes lack evidence of how staff are supported to reflect on the needs of children. For one staff member, there is no record of how their probation period has been reviewed and how their competencies have been evaluated against their job role. This does not ensure that staff have the required support to help them to be effective in their roles.

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good

The system used by the manager to monitor staff training is disorganised. It does not support the manager to have an accurate and up-to-date picture of staff’s training needs. Staff have not received sufficient training on the use of ligature cutters. This does not provide the regulator with assurances that the provider makes suitable arrangements to ensure that staff are skilled to meet the needs of the children.

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good

The acting manager has had a significant impact since starting in post at the home. Her committed approach and aspirational mindset have been infectious to the team. This is helping to develop a positive team culture. The acting manager makes herself available for children and is making her office more comfortable for children to speak to her.

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good

The acting manager has made a positive difference at the home. This is widely recognised by the children’s parents, social workers and independent reviewing officers. Some of them said, ‘She has been amazing’, and ‘It’s definitely got better since the new manager has come along’, and ‘[Name of manager] is working really hard to change the culture and the quality of care for children.’

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good

The staff team has a developing relationship with the local multi-agency psychological support team for children. Consultations with this team are helping staff to have a better understanding of the children’s emotional and behavioural needs.

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good

A programme of decoration has led to the home having a homelier feel. There are soft furnishings in the communal areas, and a new sensory room provides children with an additional comfortable living space to relax. These improvements are helping children to take more pride in their environment.

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good

Some repairs, including a cracked tile in the bathroom and dints in a number of walls, have not been carried out. In the back garden, there are a significant number Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 6 of wheelie bins, beyond what is needed for this home. This looks unsightly and, coupled with the other repairs needed, detracts from the progress that is being made to improve the quality of the premises.

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good

The manager does not have a system for seeking regular feedback from the parents and professionals, which would help them to make further improvements. This may limit the development of the team and the progress the children make. This remains unmet from the last inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children receive the help and support described in their care plan. This includes assessment of their needs by the relevant professionals to ensure that the help and care that are being provided are aligned to children’s assessed needs. 5 February 2023

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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. 5 February 2023 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 8 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that training records for staff are well organised to support the manager to have oversight of the staff team’s training needs;

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Requirement Due date

review all staff members who have passed their probation in 2022 to ensure that their knowledge and skills are compatible with the standards described in their job roles, and ensure that there is a system in place to review staff’s performance throughout their probation period;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff receive ligature training by a person who is assessed and accredited as being competent.

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Requirement Due date

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 5 February 2023 Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 9 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 and retain evidence of doing so.

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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)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are debriefed following any incidents of physical intervention. 5 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1) (3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are given an outcome about a complaint they make. 5 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a) (5)) 5 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they reduce the number of rubbish bins in the back garden and that their monitoring system for the building identifies Inspection report children’s home: SC039414 10 minor repairs so they can be rectified in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand each child’s risks associated with the internet and social media and develop the children’s awareness by adopting regular conversations about staying safe online as part of the team’s safeguarding culture. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should include in the children’s behaviour plans direction that is individually aligned to the children’s needs for staff to follow when helping children cope with difficult emotions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: SC039414 11

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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: SC039414 12 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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