Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 1 SC036009 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this service. The service provides short breaks for up to six children with physical and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2010.

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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: SC036009 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2022 Full Good 22/09/2021 Full Outstanding 04/03/2020 Full Outstanding 05/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and enjoyable short breaks. Staff warmly welcome children into the service. They take the time to get to know the children and their needs well. When children start to visit the service, they have tea visits before staying overnight. Staff are attentive and responsive to children’s communication. They follow children’s preferred methods of communication. Staff interact with children positively, involving them in conversations and activities. As a result, children build relationships with staff and are comfortable during their short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy activities and spending time with their friends. Staff plan children’s stays to make sure that they stay at the same time as other children with similar interests. The service has extended the range of facilities and activities available for children. At weekends and during school holidays, staff plan a range of activities for children, for example going to the seaside and the circus. This helps children to have new experiences with their friends independently of their families and carers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff play a key role in supporting children with their health and managing lifelong conditions. Children’s care plans clearly detail the level of care and equipment that children need to meet their individual needs. Staff work with external health professionals and families to make sure that care is consistent. This supports children in maintaining their physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families and carers receive detailed communication about children’s stays. Families and carers that spoke to the inspector told them that they feel their children are well looked after by staff who know their children and their needs very well. This helps families and carers to feel reassured that their child is well cared for and to feel involved in their child’s short breaks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff involve children in monthly chats that are themed around key events and occasions. They also assist children to work towards goals and outcomes set outside of the service at school and at home. The manager has identified ways to improve the service through the better recording of children’s goals and outcomes moving forwards.

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

Children stay in an accessible and adapted environment that is suitable to meet their needs and reduces some of the potential risks to their safety. All children’s records now have an emergency evacuation plan, and staff regularly practice emergency evacuations with children. This makes sure that staff can support children to safely leave the building in an emergency.

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

All children’s devices that can access the internet have appropriate safeguards to make sure children cannot access inappropriate materials. All these measures better Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 4 protect children from potential risks to their safety in the environment and when using the internet.

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

Staff identify risks to children using individual risk assessments and risk management plans. Staff follow these to provide care that meets children’s needs and defuses potential incidents where children are upset and less able to manage their feelings positively. As a result, there are very few incidents, and there has been no use of physical interventions. Staff use positive approaches to manage behaviour rather than consequences.

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

Staff and the manager understand and conduct their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding well. For example, staff have played a vital role in safeguarding children, with consideration given to the whole family. They also collaborate effectively with other professionals as part of a team around children. This helps in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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

Although staff have received updated medication training and the number of medicine errors has reduced, further work is needed to make sure that all prescribed medicines are always administered. On two occasions, staff did not seek medical advice when a prescribed medication was not available for a child. This meant that opportunities to obtain medical advice and additional medication to reduce potential risk to a child’s health were missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced manager leads the home. The manager makes sure that staff have clear roles and responsibilities in the running of the service. This enables staff to develop their skills and knowledge. There are examples where staff have progressed into more senior roles in the service and developed their careers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager now involves relevant local professionals in the location risk assessment. This means that there is now a better awareness and management of the potential risks to children’s safety in the local area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in making sure that the home is properly resourced to meet children’s needs. Staff are vetted appropriately to check they are suitable to work with children. This helps to better protect children from the risks of unsuitable people providing their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, oversight systems and processes are effective in identifying areas of concern. However, there are some areas where systems and processes need to be strengthened to make sure that key documents are reviewed in a timely way. This includes the children’s guide, workforce plan and children’s records in relation to consent. These areas have not impacted negatively on children’s care. The manager completes reviews of the quality of care, and external monitoring takes place, which helps to identify areas for improvement. The manager adds these to the service’s continuous improvement plan. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 5 Staff receive training and supervision to enable them to have the knowledge and skills to care for children with complex needs. However, there are issues with the recording system used for staff supervision, which means it is difficult for managers to have sufficient oversight. Two staff have not completed the qualification needed

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

to make sure they have the skills and knowledge required within the relevant timescale. This means that further work is required to make sure that staff complete the qualifications needed in a timely way. Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff administer medication to children as prescribed. 31 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years 27 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 7 after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that the children’s guide is age- appropriate and provided in an accessible format for children who use the service. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)  The registered person should make sure that there is an up-to-date workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should make sure that the plans for children are updated to remain relevant to their individual needs and circumstances. In particular, consent forms should be signed by those who have parental responsibility. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 11.1)  The registered person should make sure that a record of supervision is kept for

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Recommendations

staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33 (4) (b). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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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: SC036009 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Honor Hamshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC036009 9 regulates and inspects 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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