Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 1 SC028905 Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who have experienced childhood instability which has resulted in trauma and associated complex behaviours. The home also offers children care on an emergency basis until an alternative placement is found.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager holds a level 5 qualification.

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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: 15 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 children’s home: SC028905 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2022 Full Good 22/05/2019 Full Good 16/11/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection two children were living at the home. A number of children have left the home since the last inspection, including one child who has moved on in recent months.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and have developed positive relationships with the staff. During the inspection, the inspector observed warm and relaxed interactions between the children and staff. One child informed the inspector that they ‘liked’ living at the home. Another child told the inspector that all the staff are ‘great’. These positive relationships help children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has worked hard to create a warm and welcoming environment. Since the last inspection, the home has been redecorated and soft furnishings help to create a more homely feel. This ensures that children feel a sense of belonging and that they feel comfortable at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education. One child, who did not attend school before coming to the home, is now in full-time attendance. For another child, whose first language is not English, staff are creative in helping him to develop his learning. The child’s social worker informed the inspector that there had been positive improvements in his language skills. This is a positive achievement for these children and shows the progress they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend all required health appointments. This ensures that children receive the help and support that they need to address their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In line with their care plans, children are supported and encouraged to maintain and develop time with their families and friends. The staff are proactive in their approach and have helped children to rebuild relationships with their family members. One parent informed the inspector that the support from the home had been ‘amazing’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have the opportunity to share their views, wishes and feelings and have an input into decisions about their lives. However, staff do not always provide a response to the children’s views, meaning that the children do not always feel listened to.

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

Staff work hard to keep children safe. Children informed the inspector that they felt safe living at the home and they can identify people who they can talk to. One child told the inspector that they can talk to the staff if they have any worries.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in self-harming behaviour. For one child this resulted in an incident where medical treatment was required. During Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 4 the incident, staff responded quickly and proactively to ensure that the child was safe, in addition to seeking support from external professionals. Furthermore, staff worked with the child in a sensitive manner to help them understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond quickly. They follow protocols, and recordings of the incidents are clear. The local missing-from care- coordinator visits the home to explore the reasons why a child has gone missing. This extra support helps to bring in further strategies to prevent children going missing from the home.

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

Children engage in key-work sessions with the staff. These sessions support the children to understand the effects of smoking, alcohol and the use of illegal substances on their well-being and help them to develop strategies to keep themselves safe.

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

Medication is stored and administered safely. Staff consult with health professionals when changes are required, for example changing the dose and type of medication. This improves well-being for children.

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

Health and safety is monitored effectively. The registered manager has taken the appropriate steps to ensure that the fire risk assessment is up to date. Regular fire drills are conducted, with all the children and staff aware of the procedures to follow. This practice helps to ensure that children live in a physically safe environment.

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

Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well understood by staff. Staff work closely with other agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken to keep children safe. Children’s risk assessments and behaviour plans are thorough and provide staff with clear guidance on how to keep children safe. However, on at least two occasions, the inspector noted that staff had not followed a child’s plan despite known risks being present. This was a missed opportunity to identify and further address the risk to the child.

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

There has been an increase in the number of physical interventions with children. Physical intervention is used appropriately, when necessary, to avoid harm to the child or others around them. When physical intervention does occur, all records are reviewed by the manager. However, the manager does not ensure that debriefs are carried out with the children or staff. This does not support the children or staff to understand the incident and prevent future occurrences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and experienced. She is supported by an equally skilled and experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has effective monitoring and review systems in place. The managers understand what is working well and the areas for improvement. This Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 5 means that the managers and staff can identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A strength of the home is the stable and well-established staff team. Staff retention is high and this is because staff enjoy working at the home and feel supported by the management team. One member of staff told the inspector that the management team is ‘brilliant’. Another commented that the support from management had been ‘great’. This provides children with a level of stability, which supports their positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. These provide them with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and support good management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff relationships with external professionals are good. This is because there is good communication and information-sharing between staff, the registered manager and other professionals. One social worker informed the inspector that she could not fault the level of communication from the managers and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Over half of the staff hold a level 3 qualification, and those who do not are working towards it. However, not all staff have completed relevant mandatory training. For example, not all staff have up-to date training in relation to physical intervention and fire safety. The absence of this training has not affected the safety or welfare of children. Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.5, page 42)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 4.11, page 22)  The registered person should ensure that a child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of restraint as practicable. Children should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, paragraph 9.60, page 50)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.11, page 53)

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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: SC028905 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wedgwood Buildings, Tipping Street, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 2DH

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Inspector

Lydia Isaac, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC028905 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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