Children's home run by Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council in Wigan

Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 1 SC040982 Registered provider: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides short breaks for disabled children with complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 10 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Good 20/07/2021 Full Inadequate 16/10/2019 Full Good 07/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 3

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outstanding

Children enjoy wonderful short breaks at this home. Staff are enthusiastic and highly skilled in supporting disabled children. They provide each child with an exceptional standard of personalised care that meets their complex needs.

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outstanding

Each child’s stay is extremely well planned and organised. Managers make sure that staff have the skills and knowledge to be able to meet children’s needs effectively. They skilfully and carefully match the children who stay at the same time. They put a lot of thought into making sure that children get on with one another and receive the best possible support, so that they get the most out of staying at the home. The arrangements help children sustain existing friendships.

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outstanding

Managers plan children’s introductions to the home sensitively. They consider the child’s emotional well-being, family circumstances, ability to process information and deal with change and how they cope when they visit the home. The length of the introduction to the home is dictated by the child’s needs. This gives children opportunities to get used to the environment and to get to know the people who will be looking after them.

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outstanding

The home’s exceptionally high-quality care and professional practice are contributing to children’s development. Children make sustained progress in improving their health and emotional well-being, education, personal care, communication, social interactions, eating habits and family relationships. Staff make sure that the environment and activities meet each child’s sensory needs.

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outstanding

Staff have the expertise to listen to children’s feelings. They understand how children’s physical and behavioural cues indicate how they are feeling. Staff respond effectively to children’s wishes and feelings. They actively find out how children are feeling about staying at the home and make changes when children are unhappy.

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outstanding

The manager is introducing new communication tools to help staff explore with children the things that are important to them and how best to support them. The findings are influencing the plans for children. For example, managers make sure that a child who values quality attention from adults has plenty of one-to-one time with staff.

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outstanding

Staff’s use of well-informed support plans makes an exceptional difference to children’s lives. They support children to widen their experiences as part of their development. Children are developing their personal care and life skills. They are benefiting from spending time with children of their own age and doing things together. Children have opportunities to have new and enriching experiences and do things, including learning to swim and going to the cinema, which they have been unable to do with their families. Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 4 Managers and staff use creative ways to communicate with parents and share information about their child’s time at the home. The manager has adapted a software program designed for schools to help staff engage with parents effectively. They share images, photos, videos, updates and personalised messages with parents securely on a private feed. Parents can see their child’s experiences for

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outstanding

themselves. Some children enjoy using it too, putting photos and videos on the platform for their parents to see what they are doing.

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outstanding

Exceptional professional practice protects children from the risk of harm. Children, including the most vulnerable, feel safe and develop a strong sense of well-being. Children are comfortable staying at the home, and it is an important part of their lives.

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outstanding

Highly effective planning makes sure that staff understand children’s specific needs and recognise concerns about their welfare. They use consistent strategies to manage and minimise risks to children inside the home and out in the community.

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outstanding

Staff’s professional practice makes sure that children’s welfare and dignity are of paramount importance. Children are treated respectfully. Staff provide children with an excellent level of supervision that protects them from risk of harm, including from accidents or going missing from the home. Staff take suitable precautions to enable children to take risks and have new experiences as part of their development.

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outstanding

Staff carry out children’s intimate care safely and sensitively. They consider and respond appropriately to children’s developmental changes. Staff encourage and support children to become independent and do as much of their own personal care as possible. They adapt their practice to suit the wishes and specific needs of each child. For example, staff have reduced a child’s level of distress at bath time by encouraging them to take the lead with their own personal care.

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outstanding

Staff have the expertise and confidence to support children to express their wishes, regulate their emotions and reduce any unwanted behaviour. Staff manage difficult situations and behaviour safely. They take steps to reassure children and prevent the situation from escalating. They understand the impact of disability and trauma on children’s sense of safety. Staff recognise that children may feel frightened being away from their families. They adapt their practice to reduce children’s anxieties, especially when they first come to stay at the home.

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outstanding

Highly effective partnerships with parents, schools, health professionals and social workers support creative solutions to help children to overcome things that they find difficult or cause them distress. Plans to help children at night reduce children’s anxieties. Children have the reassurance of having a trusted adult nearby while they are asleep. These night-time plans are continually reviewed and adapted. The night- time support reduces gradually based on the needs of each child. One child, for example, now takes themselves to bed independently. Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 5 Staff recognise the signs that indicate that a child may be at risk of harm. They understand their responsibilities for protecting children. They act when they have concerns about a child and follow statutory safeguarding guidance.

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outstanding

Children stay in a safe environment. Managers and staff make sure that the accommodation and facilities meet children’s individual needs. The house is maintained to a very high standard to protect children from avoidable risks to their welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is an inspirational leader. The manager and deputy managers are an ambitious, confident, knowledgeable and highly effective leadership team. They have high expectations that children will benefit from enriching experiences that promote their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers place children’s wishes and feelings, individual needs and welfare at the centre of everything that happens at the home. They have created an open and positive environment where disabled children receive an incredibly high standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and staff build supportive relationships with children’s families. Parents are extremely confident and comfortable that their children are safe and cared for properly at the home. They value the support available, the opportunities for their children to have new experiences and the positive difference it makes to their children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are always looking at ways to improve children’s experiences. They use thorough and evaluative monitoring systems to understand the quality of care that children receive, and children’s experiences and outcomes. They build on children’s achievements to enhance their confidence, skills and resilience, and to prepare them for the next stage of their lives. Managers and staff act when they see that a child may be struggling. They collaborate closely with parents and other professionals to devise strategies to overcome barriers to children making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers provide the right culture, structure and guidance that enables staff to work cohesively as a team. They have created an environment for staff to provide children with an exceptional standard of care and protection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are cared for by enough staff with suitable experience and skills to safeguard them and meet their needs. The manager uses the staff resources flexibly to respond to children’s needs effectively. For example, the manager has increased the hours of night-time staff so that they can provide children with greater continuity of care in the morning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are highly motivated and extremely knowledgeable about the children in their care. Managers provide staff with excellent support and guidance. Staff use practice- Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 6 related supervision and team meetings to reflect critically on children’s progress and their own professional practice and development. Managers use team meetings productively to consider current practice issues, including the review into safeguarding children with disabilities in residential settings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers make sure that staff receive high-quality training tailored to the needs of the children they are supporting. Managers and staff are starting to use research- based practice to understand the impact of trauma on disabled children. Children’s plans and the arrangements for their care incorporate trauma-informed practice.

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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: SC040982 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC040982 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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