Children's home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Staffordshire Moorlands

Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 1 SC008488 Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered for up to eight children, who may have a range of social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were six children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection : none Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2022 Full Good 06/12/2021 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 3

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inadequate

This inspection took place because of a serious safeguarding incident. Managers failed to ensure that two children were adequately supervised. This failure led to children suffering harm. Following the incident, one child moved out of the home. The incident has affected two children’s lives to a significant degree and did not enable them to have a positive experience of living in the home.

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inadequate

Children have individual education plans. Some children will be attending mainstream provision in the new school year. This is a big step forward for them. This will support children to make friendships.

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inadequate

Children are able to make choices about their care. For example, they can choose their activities and meals. Children have chosen how their rooms are decorated. They spoke about how much they liked their bedrooms.

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inadequate

The home is clean, although children’s bathrooms require improvement. The manager has a plan in place to support this. Staff have their own bathroom. Staff having separate bathrooms from children does not encourage a homely feel in the home.

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

Children do not receive the support they require from staff to keep them safe. Staffing ratios are not adhered to and not considered following serious incidents. During a significant incident, a new staff member was left alone in the community with two children. This unsafe care practice resulted in children suffering harm.

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

Children are not kept safe when using the internet. There are firewalls in place, however, staff do not take appropriate action to supervise children. This means children can access inappropriate content without any safeguards. This is poor practice and does not demonstrate that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed. However, induction programmes are not embedded in practice. New staff are not provided with sufficient support and are left to work alone without the guidance of an experienced staff member. This means that new staff are managing challenges for which they are not equipped.

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

There are a high number of physical holds used on children in the home. The rationale for a physical intervention being used is not always clear. Managers have not reviewed all incidents to ensure that the methods used are appropriate or to identify any patterns and trends in staff practice. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that care practices are appropriate and proportionate. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 4 Children’s risk assessments and risk management plans are not regularly read and signed by staff. It is not clear if staff understand these assessments or understand the strategies contained in the plans. Therefore, staff are unable to keep children safe and care practices are inconsistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager is unaware of the weaknesses in care practices in the home. This lack of awareness has led to children being harmed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Two deputy managers support the registered manager. The management team has failed to ensure safe and effective care for children. There have been no reviews or evaluation after incidents. Managers have not put in place measures to prevent further harm. These shortfalls continue to place children at risk of potential harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not have the training or knowledge to meet children’s individual needs. The manager has started to put in place training that will support staff’s knowledge. However, not all staff have attended this training and do not use it in their day-to- day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not ensured that there are sufficient, consistent and experienced staff working in the home. The plan for each shift does not consider staff experience and training. This has left children receiving care from staff who do not have the skills to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive consistent and reflective supervision. Supervision records do not show that staff reflect on their practice or understand the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

This inspection identified widespread safeguarding failures. As a result of this full inspection, Ofsted issued a restriction of accommodation notice. This means that no more children can move into the home. Compliance notices have been issued in respect of the protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 5

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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 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

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and 10 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 6 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff have received and understood specific training so that they can meet the needs of each child in the home, and that staff who care for children are given the knowledge and skills and have the experience to care for each child safely.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that lessons are learned from incidents to improve outcomes for children and prevent such incidents reoccurring.

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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; 10 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 7 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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities and the strategies they must follow to reduce these risks.

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Requirement Due date

Staff should understand children’s relationships with each other and ensure that children have the right level of supervision for their needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff understand the home’s child protection policies, including their own roles and responsibilities.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x)) 10 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 8 The registered person must ensure that staff are provided with detailed supervision and support to ensure they are aware of children’s behavioural and emotional needs and how to care for them safely alongside each other.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is welcoming and nurturing and that it conveys a homely and domestic rather than institutional impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home’s Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC008488 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Halliwell Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pearce House, 80 Cawdor Street, Eccles M30 0QF

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC008488 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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