Children's Home run by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 1 SC040437 Registered provider: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority and is registered to provide care for up to five children. The home operates a short-break service and provides an outreach service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in April 2019.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/07/2021 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Good 05/03/2019 Interim Not judged 15/01/2019 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children thrive in this short-break setting. They have positive relationships with staff that are built on honesty, trust and respect. This was evident in the number of children who came in specifically to speak to the inspector during the visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can reflect on their time here and said that staff had brought stability into their lives. Children have made progress in their education, self-esteem, social skills, independence skills and emotional well-being. They said that the staff had helped them to be more confident and to manage their emotions in a better way. This has helped them to improve their relationships with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the heart of everything the home does. As a result, children have a strong sense of ownership and want to be here. Children’s opinions and views are valued by staff. Children are instrumental in planning their support, the activities and choosing the menus. Therefore, children understand the plans for them and can influence the decisions that are made about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate well on behalf of the children. They are key in helping some children to re-engage with their education, for example, helping parents get children ready for school in the morning or speaking to school staff to help children overcome barriers to their learning. One child said they now had the confidence to go to school because of the staff’s encouragement and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are updated regularly. Any changes to the plans are discussed with children and staff daily, so that everyone knows and understands what support children require. However, information about the children’s medical needs is not always clearly recorded. This may mean vital information is missed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health and well-being have improved because of their stays. Staff work well with other professionals to ensure that children get the support they need at the right time. Staff skilfully organise activities so that children can explore various topics in a non-threatening way. Consequently, they have access to a range of information so that they can make informed choices about their health.

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

Children have a strong sense of safety and well-being. Staff’s safeguarding practice means that children are protected from harm. Since coming to stay at the setting, the children have become significantly safer. They make positive choices to stay away from negative influences. Staff are not complacent and understand the children’s vulnerabilities and risks. However, this is not always clearly recorded in the children’s risk assessments. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 4 Staff use strong safeguarding practice that promotes the welfare and safety of the children. Staff are trained in safeguarding and additional subjects such as child exploitation, county lines, child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. This means that they have the skills and knowledge to identify any potential concerns.

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

Children behave well and want to be here. They enjoy the company of the staff. Children said it was great that their stays were organised so that they could be with their friends.

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

Children understand the home’s rules and boundaries and said that they feel safe here. There have been some incidents when staff have had to physically hold a child. These incidents are few and far between. Records are in place but do not always record how long a child is held for.

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

Good recruitment and selection processes ensure that staff are suitable to work with children. Staff complete regular health and safety checks to ensure that the home environment is physically safe and secure.

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

Children stay in a warm and welcoming environment. They choose the room that they wish to stay in and personalise this for the duration of their stay. Children have been involved in the development of the outdoor space. They said that they now have another space in which to sit with their friends and relax.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified, experienced and passionate manager. Her passion for improving outcomes for children is infectious and permeates throughout the staff team. She leads a committed staff team that shares her values and is making great strides in improving the lives of the children that they work with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they feel ‘blessed’ to be a part of the team and take great pride in the work that they do. Furthermore, they said that they receive excellent support from the manager and deputy, and are consulted on all aspects of their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular one-to-one supervision, which gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify areas or opportunities for their development. In addition to this, staff have regular team meetings and daily handovers. This means that they can pass on relevant key information and provide continuity of care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff undertake mandatory training as part of their induction and this is refreshed regularly. Staff access a broad range of training courses to enhance their skills, knowledge and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose, which is kept under review, clearly sets out the home’s ethos, which is centred around the needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 5 Internal and external monitoring provide areas for development for the home. However, the monitoring has not identified the shortfalls in the quality of record- keeping, such as the gaps in children’s healthcare plans, physical intervention records and risk assessments. These shortfalls mean records are not completed to a consistently high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A key strength of the home is the partnership working with other professionals and the children’s families. Parents are very complimentary about the support they and their children receive, which has in many cases enabled families to stay together. A social worker said, ‘The staff are fantastic. They make the children feel valued and cared for and are positive adults in the children’s lives.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 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; 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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 3 April 2023

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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—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 3 April 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure internal and external monitoring are used effectively to identify shortfalls in record-keeping. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that records, such as risk assessments and documents relating to children’s health, are completed to a consistently high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 7

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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: SC040437 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, King William Street, Blackburn BB1 7DY

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC040437 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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