Children's Home run by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040723 1 SC040723 Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home that is registered to care for up to four children. The home provides support for children who may find it difficult to manage their emotions, which has a negative impact on their behaviour. Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since October 2018.

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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 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: 10 November 2021

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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: SC040723 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Good 26/06/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Good 19/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC040723 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well-planned care from staff who are committed to giving them the best possible chances of success. Staff take a supportive and empowering approach to helping children understand and overcome the challenges they face in their lives. A social worker said, ‘The level of care that staff have shown when things have been difficult for [name of child] is exceptionally good. They really understand how his past experiences are affecting him.’ She went on to say, ‘Staff are constantly giving the message that they care and will stick with him no matter what.’ Staff demonstrate a good understanding of each child’s needs. These are captured in records that are regularly updated and provide a good insight into children’s individual behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities. However, records are not organised in a way that makes it easy to locate the most up-to-date and relevant records, such as care plans and risk assessments. This proved to be a challenge for managers

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

during the inspection. Links with partner agencies are strong. Professionals spoke with confidence and positivity about consistently high standards of care that are helping children make good progress overall. Staff recognise and promote the importance of education. They work closely with education professionals to overcome barriers to participation and promote positive learning opportunities. Children are at different points on their learning journey and making varied progress. When resources are not forthcoming, staff present a strong challenge, including supporting one child to make a formal complaint about her local education authority. Children are given good support to maintain, rebuild and improve relationships with the important people in their lives. Staff understand the fragility of some of these relationships and do their best to ensure that contact is safe and beneficial to those involved. When necessary, support is extended to family members to help them

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

understand and better meet their child’s needs. The effectiveness of this approach is evidenced by one child being able to go on a family holiday abroad.

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

Children say they feel safe. They have strong relationships with staff, whom they trust and can talk to about any worries or concerns. The manager and staff fully understand and effectively implement their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They know what action to take in the event of an allegation or safeguarding concern.

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

Staff know the children well and take a good-parent approach to helping them understand and manage their behaviour, risks and vulnerabilities. Staff provide Inspection report for children’s home: SC040723 4 learning opportunities through direct work and ad-hoc conversations in relation to risks such as spending time in the community, anti-social behaviour and substance misuse. This is done in a way that encourages children to make educated and age- appropriate choices. A social worker said, ‘Staff understand [name of child] and take a risk-aware approach to helping her stay safe. They do an excellent job of keeping watch.’

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

Risk management plans are individualised and contain child-focused strategies of support. However, these are not sufficiently detailed in relation to what action staff should take when children are suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Furthermore, records of such events, which are infrequent, do not evidence how staff have kept children safe at such times.

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

Children’s behaviour is well managed by staff. Staff act as positive role models and provide children with fair and clear boundaries and expectations. Positive behaviour is incentivised with financial rewards and treats. When negative behaviour does occur, it is managed in a respectful way that encourages children to reflect on and moderate their behaviour. As a result, the use of consequences is infrequent, and physical restraint has only been necessary on four occasions since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is run effectively by a qualified and experienced registered manager who also runs a second home. This arrangement works because of the good support from a competent deputy manager and a stable, highly experienced and qualified staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have been successful in their efforts to provide a family-like ethos of care. Children have responded positively to this and are making good progress relative to their starting points. A professional said, ‘This has been a fantastic placement for [name of child].’ They went on to say, ‘What [name of child] has achieved since being at the home is excellent. He would not be where he is was it not for the warm and caring support that he has been given.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recognises the qualities of her team and the importance of good support. Supervision and appraisal are now used effectively to maximise staff development and potential, with a clear focus on improving children’s experiences. Access to a range of mandatory and needs-led training opportunities ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager maintain good oversight through a range of quality assurance processes. These are used effectively to maintain good standards of care in the home. Internal monitoring is further strengthened by the scrutiny of an independent visitor whose monthly visits promote improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Suitable action has been taken to address all requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040723 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, 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.

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that risk assessments clearly identify what action staff should take when they suspect children to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and that a detailed record of what has been done to safeguard children is maintained. 10 February 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are organised in a way that makes information easily accessible by anyone with a legitimate need to view them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: SC040723 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspectors

Paul Scott, Social Care Inspector Kayleigh Treanor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040723 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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