Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 1 SC065067 Registered provider: Salford City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/07/2021 Full Inadequate 31/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting and positive relationships with staff. The manager and staff place the children’s welfare at the centre of their practice. They treat children with dignity and respect. Staff actively seek children’s views and wishes. They respond to these through regular key-work sessions and children’s meetings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy having access to a range of social and recreational opportunities, including activities in the local community. One child said that they have really enjoyed going go-karting with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work with placing authorities and families to promote positive and meaningful family time. These arrangements are in line with the agreed plans. Children are also supported to spend time with their friends. This means that they have age-appropriate social interactions, which enables them to build skills and strategies to form and maintain relationships. This means that children develop a sense of their own identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress with their education. The manager and staff advocate on behalf of children. This means that when issues arise, children continue to have their educational needs met. This supports educational outcomes until a suitable alternative provision is identified.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in seeking health advice when needed. They work in partnership with health professionals. This means that children have access to necessary health services. This meets children’s health and well-being needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff sensitively welcome children who are new to the home. Before coming to the home, clear plans are in place. The home has a good referral process to assess the needs of the children who already live in the home. This also assesses the impact on children who may be new to the home. The manager assesses the experience, training and skills of the staff to ensure that they can meet the child’s needs. This child-centred approach ensures that children are suitable to live together.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently moved on from the home. The manager and staff supported their move in a compassionate and nurturing manner. This was despite the complex and difficult circumstances surrounding the move for the child. The manager and staff remain in regular contact with the child to make sure that they maintain supportive relationships.

p.3

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

Risk assessments outline each child’s risks and plans to reduce risk. Staff frequently update these documents. This provides clear guidance to staff. This ensures consistent responses to children’s behaviours. Staff understand these documents Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 4 and put them into practice. However, staff do not always sign to confirm that they have read updated versions of the plans.

p.3

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

Staff follow clear and comprehensive plans when children go missing from care. Effective work with external professionals ensures well-coordinated responses when children go missing. Staff take the initiative to locate children and support them to return home.

p.4

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

Staff show professional curiosity about issues such as child exploitation. They share information with professionals involved in the child’s life. Staff ensure that appropriate action is taken to address these concerns.

p.4

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

Staff carry out direct work with children to support their understanding of how to keep themselves safe. This can be in response to significant events. Staff work with external professionals to educate children.

p.4

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

The manager has not notified Ofsted of all significant events. This affects external monitoring of children’s safety and welfare.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced manager and leadership team lead the home. They are passionate and have high expectations for all children to achieve. The staff are positive about the manager and describe a supportive environment.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work positively with external professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met. They work towards a common goal of positive outcomes for children. One social worker described the manager as ‘amazing’.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a consistent team of staff, which means that there is always staff on shift who know the children. Staff work together to provide consistency and stability for the children. Qualified staff continue with their professional development with mandatory training. There are some gaps in training on issues such as substance misuse and sexualised behaviour.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monthly team meetings take place and are well attended by the staff team. They provide opportunities for staff to share information and develop their practice. Staff receive supervision but this is not always practice related. This means that staff do not reflect on their feelings and their response to children’s behaviours and emotions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers update the home’s statement of purpose and send updated versions to Ofsted. However, the document includes incorrect information. This means that it is not a true reflection of the care the home provides.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most areas of the home are warm and welcoming. Children have chosen themes for their bedrooms, which are currently being decorated. Some areas of the home need Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 5 attention and modernisation. Also, children need their own key to their bedroom doors so that they can access their bedroom whenever they choose.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

During the inspection, there were some technical difficulties. This meant that not all electronic records were available. The manager ensured that the inspector could view the required documents. However, the registered person must make sure that electronic records can be easily accessed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (2)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are trained to meet the children’s individual needs. 19 June 2023

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.6

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

p.6

Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the matter; 19 June 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 7 the other persons, bodies, or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home. Everyone working at the home must understand their role and responsibilities. The registered person should have a system in place to ensure that they have a record that staff have read and understood children’s plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff supervision enables staff to reflect and act on how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. Supervision should also be practice related. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and that the house is a homely,

p.7

Recommendations

domestic environment while complying with relevant health and safety legislation. Children should have keys to their bedrooms, and the home should be maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept up to date. The statement of purpose is an important document in the process of care planning as it sets out the needs of the children the home is set up and equipped to provide care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.14)  The registered person should ensure that electronic records are accessible. Some records may be kept electronically providing that this information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

p.7

Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2) Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 8

p.7

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: SC065067 9

p.8

Unique reference number: SC06506

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

p.9

Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC065067 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10