Children's home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 1 Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority and provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a permanent registered manager, who is suitably experienced and qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/06/2021 Full Good 19/11/2019 Full Good 11/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. No children have moved on from the home since the last inspection. Children’s overall experiences and progress at the home have been mixed.

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improvement to be good

The manager recognises that it is no longer suitable for the two children to continue living together in the longer term. The needs and behaviours of one child affect the other child’s emotional well-being. This is being addressed in a planned way. As part of this plan, staff are supporting one child to increase her independent living skills in preparation for adulthood. As a result, she is learning how to budget and cook.

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improvement to be good

Children understand the day-to-day routines at the home. However, staff’s expectations of children to engage are low. As a result, there are times when children do not actively engage in the daily routines of the home. For example, engagement in education is sporadic and children do not often have meals or drinks with staff or each other.

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improvement to be good

The home environment continues to need improvement. In some areas, the carpets are very stained and there is a smashed window, which is taking several weeks to replace. The manager has escalated concern about the time it is taking to address this issue. As a result, the home lacks a homely feel. One child told the inspector that she would like it to feel like more like a family home. Children’s bedrooms are respected as their own private spaces.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what children’s interests are and use this knowledge to build relationships with them. For example, staff talk to children about their interests in reading or make-up and beauty. As a result, children have good relationships with most staff. While children show a preference to spending time in their bedrooms, they sometimes seek out staff’s company in the home. Children are comfortable and confident in talking to staff and will ask for transport and support, for example to go out clothes shopping. Children also choose to spend some time with each other in the home.

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improvement to be good

As children have experienced disruption to their school placements, they have interim arrangements in place. Staff have a good understanding of these arrangements and liaise with school staff to support children’s learning. Staff respond positively to children’s requests for help with their learning. The manager is proactive in challenging professionals to secure the educational resources children need and are entitled to. Staff have helped one child to attend a job interview. As a result, children’s education and employment are promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 4

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always able to de-escalate children’s behaviours. Some high-risk behavioural incidents have occurred. As a result, children do not always feel safe living at the home. Staff have been injured during behavioural incidents, which has led to staff changes at the home. As a result, consistency of care has been affected.

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improvement to be good

Behavioural incidents where staff have needed to physically intervene have occurred. The least restrictive measures are used and incidents are recorded in full. Since the last inspection, management overview of records is more comprehensive.

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improvement to be good

Staff have responded to a disclosure of self-harm. As an interim safeguarding measure, they have taken appropriate action to suspend self-administration of medication. However, the risk assessment around this is very unclear and contradictory. In addition, there are gaps in records of administration. A review of the health condition is overdue, and staff have not prioritised rebooking the appointment. As a result, staff do not fully understand the child’s health needs or manage her medication well.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities for each child. Staff involve children in developing and reviewing their own safety plans around issues such as substance misuse and community safety. As a result of this direct work, children are learning about keeping themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Children have clear plans in place around the social time they spend outside of the home. Children understand what is expected of them and staff follow measures to monitor their welfare. Despite this, children continue to go missing from care. Managers have worked successfully in partnership with other agencies to disrupt some local activity that posed a risk to children. As a result, missing-from-care incidents have reduced for one child.

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good

Since the last inspection, management oversight at the home has improved. However, staff do not always follow up the actions identified by the manager in her audit activity. For example, where the manager has identified that additional consultation is needed to capture the views, wishes and feelings of all children, staff have not actioned this. As a result, consultation with children is insufficient.

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good

When a child made a complaint, the manager talked to the child about this. However, this was not recorded as a complaint and the child did not receive a written outcome. Therefore, complaints are not fully recognised or recorded effectively.

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good

External scrutiny is not currently effective as visits and reports are not prioritised or timely. This is a missed opportunity for the development of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 5 The manager is a capable advocate for children. She works in partnership with other professionals. For example, she is currently working jointly to break down barriers to secure a specialist assessment for a child.

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good

Staff feel well supported by managers. All staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision. This provides opportunity for reflection on their practice.

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good

The organisation provides a comprehensive induction and training programme to staff. The manager has full oversight of the team’s training needs and ensures that staff complete training within the expected time frames. This equips staff with the knowledge and skills to provide good-quality care to children.

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good

Staff development is enhanced by the organisation’s clinical team. The clinical psychologist said that the manager and staff are receptive to strategies and advice offered. As a result of this input, staff understand the impact of children’s trauma on their needs and behaviours, and staff resilience has increased. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that repairs are made in a timely way and that furnishings are replaced when necessary to create a homely environment. 28 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 28 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 7 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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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

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that arrangements for the storage and administration of medication are clear in children’s plans. 28 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate. 28 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 8 The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. Visits may be unannounced, and reports must be submitted to the regulator in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 1259118 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City of Stoke-on-Trent, Swann House, Stoke-on- Trent, Staffordshire ST4 4SY

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Inspector

Alison Snell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 10 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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