Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 1 SC064858 Registered provider: Salford City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. The home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social, emotional and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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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: good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/04/2022 Full Good 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/04/2021 Full Inadequate 21/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. The manager and staff place the children’s welfare at the centre of their practice. One child said that if they have any worries, they can talk to staff and they will listen.

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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. This is in line with agreed plans and ensures that plans meet the children’s individual needs. This means that children can maintain relationships that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are attending school or an appropriate alternative educational provision. One child has recently sat their GCSEs. The manager and staff work well with the school and social worker. When there are any issues, for example with school attendance, staff ensure that there is a consistent response between professionals to meet the children’s educational needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs. One child was reluctant to engage with health professionals. The manager, staff and allocated nurse have worked together to find ways to overcome this barrier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently moved into the home. They were welcomed sensitively and with the best possible planning. The manager has an effective process to assess the compatibility of children. This looks at the needs of children who already live in the home and the impact for children who may be new to the home. This process also assesses the staff team to make sure that staff can meet the child’s needs. These systems ensure a child-centred approach to children moving into the home.

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

Plans are in place to reduce risks to children. Children help to create these plans. They are robust documents that set out clear guidance and strategies for staff. Staff understand these documents and put them into practice.

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

Clear and comprehensive plans are in place for staff to follow when children are missing. The staff team works well with the police and other professionals. This ensures well-coordinated responses when children go missing from the home. However, one missing from home report was not reviewed by the manager. This is a missed opportunity to identify learning.

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

Staff sometimes need to hold a child to keep them and others safe from harm. When it has been necessary to hold a child, the restraint has been reasonable and proportionate. Records are accurate with clear management oversight. Children are provided with support so that they understand why staff have had to hold them. Staff also have the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 4 Staff carry out relevant direct work with children. Topics include cannabis use and the risks of missing from home. These sessions address current areas of concern and prevent further exposure to risk. They also help children understand how to keep safe.

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

Staff ensure that consequences to children are reasonable. The records are well recorded, but not always evaluated for effectiveness. This fails to ensure that the manager understands if the use of consequences is fair and effective.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. The manager has ensured a timely and sensitive response to children’s complaints. This means that children feel listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a registered manager in post who has high expectations for the children. The staff are positive about the manager and describe a supportive environment. Staff describe the manager as readily available to provide advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are systems in place for the monitoring and review of the home. This means the manager can identify and address any issues of concern. The internal six- monthly report is not effective. It fails to identify clear and measurable actions to ensure continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies Ofsted of significant events that occur at the home. However, these notifications are not always sent in a satisfactory timescale. This affects external monitoring of children’s safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children enjoy care from an experienced, qualified and consistent staff team. The team has mandatory training. However, staff do not have the training to meet all the children’s individual needs. This includes asthma and trauma-based training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective, practice-related supervision. Monthly team meetings are well attended. Staff have gained insight from external agencies. This includes the Early Break team and the Complex Safeguarding team. These workshops support the staff in developing their understanding of the individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work as a team to provide consistency and stability to the children. Staff have clear responsibilities. This means that staff have a sense of shared ownership of the care they provide to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains the home environment to a high standard. The home meets the needs of the children and feels warm and welcoming. It is a nice place for children to spend time. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 5

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Statutory requirement

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 within the given timescales.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have training to meet children’s individual needs. In particular, staff must have training in trauma and asthma. 10 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and their effectiveness evaluated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. There should be clear and measurable actions included within the home’s development Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 6 plan and the quality-of-care review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the

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Recommendations

action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: SC064858 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Nicola Forrester, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 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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