Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 1 SC356868 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to five children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There are four children currently living at the home. At the time of the inspection, one child was staying away from the home with permission.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an acting manager in day-to-day charge of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Due to serious and widespread concerns identified at the assurance inspection on 8 March 2023, a case review was held. Ofsted issued a restriction notice and two compliance notices under section 22 of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to assess the progress made to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are helping the children to feel more at ease, and the atmosphere in the home is much calmer than at the previous visit. The children confirmed that the situation has improved in their home. One child felt ‘more listened to’ and said, ‘The home is a much better place to live.’

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This monitoring visit

Some refurbishment is taking place. However, some children were sleeping on mattresses, and their bathroom was unhygienic. This means that children are not consistently offered a good standard of care.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessment and behaviour management plans have been updated with clear actions to support children. However, staff are not consistently supporting children in line with their needs and plans. Staff are also unable to prevent some children from smoking in their bedrooms. During incidents, staff have been unable to de-escalate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 2 situations. On occasion, children have gained access to dangerous items and ended up in situations that placed them at risk.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have not consistently assured themselves that children are safe and that their welfare is promoted. Room searches have not consistently taken place when there have been concerns that warrant this action. Medical attention for one child due to concerns around substance misuse was not provided appropriately and timely. However, the acting manager is now more proactive in reminding staff to complete these welfare checks.

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This monitoring visit

When children go missing from the home, staff now report these incidents to the police and attempt to maintain telephone contact with the children. However, staff do not follow children or go out to search for them in line with their safety plan. One child who is staying away from the home is not seen consistently in line with their plan.

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls linked to safeguarding practice and leadership and management have improved but continue to be a concern. On one occasion, staff failed to inform the acting manager about an allegation made by a child. This means that there was a delay in following procedures. This can expose children to further risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The regulator has not been informed of several serious incidents in a timely way. This prevents Ofsted from ensuring that actions have been taken to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager is starting to raise practice issues with staff and implement new auditing systems. These changes are positive but are not yet fully embedded into practice.

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This monitoring visit

While there has been some progress, there have been further concerns and shortfalls that have led to the compliance notices being reissued. The restriction of accommodation notice remains in place. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/05/2019 Full Good 31/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 4

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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, The 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 29 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 5 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished, and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(f)(h)) 29 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (1)(b) (4)(b)(ii)(e)) 29 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 6 *These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Carol Jagger, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC356868 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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