Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 1 SC033611 Registered provider: Blackpool 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 registered to provide a short-breaks service for up to seven children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2017.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC033611 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2022 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 13/12/2018 Full Outstanding 13/12/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, short breaks were being provided for 22 children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality individualised care that meets their assessed needs. The manager and staff enable children to have positive experiences and make measurable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff, and they consistently spend time with their key workers. Staff have the skills and confidence to support children with a wide range of needs. The manager and staff know the children well, which means that children are relaxed and happy when they visit.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have excellent relationships with children’s parents and families. Staff say that they can approach the manager and staff for advice. Parents do not feel judged by the staff, which means that they are able to form open and honest relationships. This means that children receive consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Careful consideration is given to the dynamics of children coming to stay. Children are grouped with other children who have similar interests and regularly stay at the same time. Children can form friendships, which builds their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to express their wishes, using their preferred method of communication. Staff have implemented different communication methods and take time to understand them. They develop plans that are accessible for children with different communication methods, which is inclusive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of exciting and engaging activities which enable them to follow their interests. They have the chance to try new things and take controlled risks as part of their development. Children enjoy talking about the adventures they have experienced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a pleasant and comfortable house that meets their needs. They have sufficient personal space, and their bedrooms are personalised for their stays. The house is well maintained and free of avoidable hazards. The garden has accessible play equipment, which means that all children can take part in outdoor activities.

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

Children are protected from harm. Staff are aware of children’s vulnerabilities and identified risks. They recognise when children may be at risk of harm. They know how to keep children safe and what they must do when they have concerns about a child’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 4 Independence is promoted in line with children’s age and ability, and children are set realistic achievable targets. Praise is offered and recorded when children do well, and their ‘star moments’ log is regularly updated. This tracks children’s development and progress and is used to inform future planning.

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

Staff are knowledgeable and understand children’s complex health needs. They confidently support a diverse range of health conditions. Medication is stored safely and given as appropriate. When errors have occurred, the manager has sought to strengthen policy to improve practice.

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

Children are encouraged to keep themselves safe and are considered in the safety planning in the home. This includes fire drills, using a sound-alike buzzer which helps children to recognise the noise of the fire alarm. This reduces distress and anxiety when a fire drill occurs.

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

Staff are recruited safely, and appropriate people care for the children. Where there are shortfalls in staffing numbers, consistent bank staff are used. Bank staff are offered the same training and supervision as permanent staff, which means that they are treated as a part of the team. The manager has implemented ways of capturing good practice to improve staff morale.

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

Staff understand that children may communicate their feelings through their behaviour, and they know how to support children when they are upset. One incident of physically holding a child is not recorded. Therefore, it is unclear if staff were debriefed.

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good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She has worked in the home for several years and knows the staff, children and their families very well. She is supported by an established and experienced team of staff, the majority of whom have been employed in the home for a long time.

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good

Staff, parents and professionals describe the manager as being a strong and approachable leader. She is passionate about the children and clearly wants the best for them. Staff report feeling supported by the manager.

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good

Supervision sessions have not always been carried out within the timescale outlined in the organisation’s policy. Reflective discussions during supervision, particularly around significant incidents, are not consistently recorded.

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good

Staff have access to appropriate training. This includes updates to mandatory training, plus training to meet the specific needs of the children who use the service. Access to records of staff training is restricted by the technology system, which means that senior members of staff cannot access all the team’s progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 5 Rationale and decision-making around children needing to access the emergency bed are not always clearly recorded. Children admitted under these conditions must continue to be subject to the conditions set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

The manager is responsive to arising issues and has implemented changes to progress best practice. There is limited monitoring in place to ensure that staff have read and are adhering to new procedures. This means that staff’s understanding of changes to the home is not yet tried and tested. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 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 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, monitor the effectiveness of the training provided to staff.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been restated. 9 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive supervision at the frequency outlined in the organisation’s own policy. In addition, ensure that supervision records accurately reflect the discussions that have taken place in relation to significant incidents. 9 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been restated.

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 9 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all incidents of physical intervention are recorded and that debriefs take place with children and staff.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and has been restated.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (2)(a)) 9 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 36 (2)(c)) 9 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that, in accordance with regulation 24, there is a written policy which describes how any closed-circuit television or other monitoring equipment used by the home will support the safeguarding and well- being of those living and working in the home. The home must obtain written consent to any monitoring or surveillance by the placing authority at the time of

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Recommendations

placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 9 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: SC033611 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 4, Blackpool FY1 1NA

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Inspectors

Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Caroline Bertram, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 11 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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