Children's home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 1 SC039414 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to four children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 3 November 2003. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 8 February 2023.

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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 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: 7 December 2022

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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: SC039414 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/11/2021 Full Inadequate 15/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 3

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improvement to be good

Children have started to develop relationships with staff. However, some staff do not yet fully understand the trauma from children’s early life experiences and the impact this has on their behaviours. Children do not always feel valued and respected by staff. Staff have, at times, used blaming language towards the children. This limits the chances of children building trusting and secure relationships with the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are not always cleaned regularly, and children have been allowed to write on their walls and disrespect their personal space. Staff support children to sleep in accordance with their wishes, but there is no evidence of progress to change and improve children’s outcomes. For one child, this means they sleep on a mattress on the floor, and another child sleeps in an unconventional way that they are comfortable with.

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improvement to be good

Educational progress is slow, and attendance for some is very limited. Two children attend alternative education settings on a reduced timetable. One child was out of education for over a year before suitable educational arrangements were made. The lack of routine and structure during the day does not promote children’s engagement in education. Staff do not show they are determined or proactive at driving change, and as a result, children are not expected to get out of bed until the afternoon.

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improvement to be good

The practice of locking doors to communal areas in the home has improved, but it is still used by staff to try and reduce the number of incidents with children. The kitchen is still locked at night, and the living room is generally locked in response to an incident. There is no shared understanding of the rationale for this practice, as it differs between staff and children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to address their health and well-being. Staff do try hard to ensure children get access to the health support that they need. For one child there has been some recent progress with their emotional wellbeing. This is visible through improvements in their personal care and relationship with staff. However, this progress is yet to be embedded.

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improvement to be good

The children enjoy a range of activities supported by the staff. This includes accessing a local group for children exploring their sexuality. This enables children to build self-esteem, have positive memories of the time they spend with staff and make new friends.

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improvement to be good

Staff keep children’s families up to date about the day-to-day lives of the children. Key family members are included in decision-making about their children. This supports children to maintain and rebuild relationships with their family. For one Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 4 child, this has been pivotal in the progress made around personal hygiene and improving their sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always felt equipped to support children, and this has occasionally resulted in them using the police to manage children’s behaviour. As a result, children do not always feel sufficiently supported and helped by staff when they are in crisis. However, some relationships between staff and children are positive, particularly between the children and the manager. These relationships are used to support children to manage their feelings in a safe way.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff follow plans, and appropriate action is taken to make sure they are safe. They go in search of children, and return-home interviews by an independent person are routinely offered. However, staff have not always responded proactively to minimise the missing-from-home incidents. This has resulted in children leaving the home during the night and staff requiring assistance from the police to return them safely.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments have improved and now contain up-to-date information about children’s risks. However, they direct staff to use the police to manage behaviour. When the police are used to manage children’s risks, it does not always help children to feel supported. Some staff do respond to children in a way they value, but this is inconsistent within the home.

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improvement to be good

Permanent staff are employed following a thorough safer recruitment process. Checks on agency staff confirm they are suitable and safeguard children from unnecessary risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks that using the internet poses for children. They have received up-to-date training that will support them in developing strategies to ensure children’s safety while using technology. These include conversations with children and their families about how to stay safe.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to ensure that children do not hurt themselves or others. The focus of the intervention is to de-escalate the situation, and the intervention ends as soon as this is achieved. The manager has good oversight of incidents when physical intervention is used. Detailed and reflective conversations are held with staff and children afterwards, and when appropriate, reparation work is used to preserve relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is held in high regard by professionals, staff, and the children. The progress that the manager has made in driving the culture in the home has been consistently recognised by the professionals who work with the children. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 5 feel supported and are keen to engage in driving change, but progress has been slow.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and can articulate their needs and risks. She understands the children’s individual journeys and the impact of their life experiences. However, this level of insight is not fully embedded throughout the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager seeks feedback from the children, parents and professionals about the quality of care for children. This is enabling her to focus on the things that matter most for children. It has been positive in recognising the improvements that have been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision. This is valued by staff, who feel that this supports their development. Staff receive the relevant mandatory training to support them in their roles, although there are some gaps. Agency staff also have access to training to improve their understanding of children’s complex needs. This ensures that all staff have a shared understanding of how to respond to children. The system used for monitoring staff training is not effective and limits the manager’s oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings offer staff the opportunity to discuss and reflect on the needs of the children. External therapeutic input at a recent meeting highlighted the importance and potential impact of staff having a deeper understanding of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New members of staff have a detailed induction, and their competence is assessed throughout their probationary period. However, some sections of their induction have been signed off without sufficient evaluation from the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Incidents are reviewed by the management team, but the records lack analysis of the actions of staff. The manager is aware of this gap and is in the process of seeking appropriate clinical guidance. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 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

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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)) 1 September 2023

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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

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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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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; 1 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 7 de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi))

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(g)(i)) 1 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii)(iv)) 1 September 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s behaviour plans include directions for staff to follow when helping children cope with difficult emotions. These should be aligned to the children’s individual needs.’(‘Guide to the Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 8 Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should consider how to improve the quality of their recording to show how they have evaluated that a member of staff has achieved specific areas of their induction programme, to help ensure that all new starters have the same level of support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: SC039414 9

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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

Joanna Beal, Social Care Inspector Aaron Mcloughlin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039414 10 inspects 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

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