Children's home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 1 SC034012 Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in this home since November 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

As a result of significant shortfalls identified during a full inspection of the home on 17 May 2023, compliance notices were served under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 2 A monitoring visit took place on 26 July 2023 to consider action taken by the provider to comply with the steps in the notices. It was determined at a case review following the monitoring visit, that the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2023 Full Inadequate 31/08/2022 Full Good 16/02/2022 Full Good 16/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 4

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improvement to be good

Children are making progress. They are supported to develop trusting relationships with staff. One child said that staff ‘genuinely care’ and help them to ‘feel normal’. Children say that they enjoy living in the home and that they feel safe.

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improvement to be good

The home has sufficient space for the children living there. Communal areas have recently been redecorated to provide a more homely feel. Children’s artwork is displayed on the walls. Children can decorate their own bedrooms to reflect their interests. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children with their education. Staff have advocated to enrol a child on courses they are interested in to improve the child’s motivation to attend school. When children are not in school, staff support them to explore their options and gain employment.

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improvement to be good

Children are not enrolled in social clubs or groups and are not offered regular activities or outings with the staff team. This does not provide children with the opportunity to explore their interests. It also limits children’s opportunities to develop social skills or to spend safe and positive time with peers.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to take care of their health and hygiene. They take children to planned and emergency health appointments. Staff support children to choose monthly targets to help them to improve their self-care abilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. They also educate children on what positive relationships look like so that children can recognise when relationships may be unhealthy. This helps children to understand their family identity and to develop and maintain safe relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular direct work sessions with children which are planned based on individual children’s presenting needs. Staff continue to support and educate children until risks reduce. This enables children to learn how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Risks for children have reduced since they moved to this home. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans have been updated. However, these do not include specific strategies for staff to follow should an incident occur.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff make regular attempts to contact them and encourage them to return home. However, staff are not proactive in searching for Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 5 children and do not always provide necessary updates to other professionals. This does not ensure children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Serious incidents do not happen often in this home. When they do occur, staff respond appropriately and support children through these. However, the regulator is often not informed of significant incidents. This does not enable sufficient external oversight.

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improvement to be good

Staff have developed nurturing relationships with children. As a result, there have been no physical restraints and no allegations of harm. Children know how to make a complaint but have not felt the need to do so.

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improvement to be good

Positive working relationships have been developed between staff and other professionals. When speaking of the staff team, one professional said, ‘They’ve been brilliant.’

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improvement to be good

The home’s safe area risk assessment considers risks to children in the local area. However, risks to children in wider areas that are easily accessible have not been considered. This limits opportunities to keep children safe.

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good

Despite ongoing efforts by senior managers, there has been no registered manager in this home since November 2021. An interim manager has been in post since April 2023. She is not registered with Ofsted. She is supported by the wider management team. Staff say that support from their new manager has been ‘amazing’ and feel that the quality of practice and care is improving under the new leadership.

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good

The staff team has remained stable, which creates a consistent environment for the children living in the home. The manager has invested in the development of staff. Consequently, staff say they are provided with excellent training opportunities. Staff are positive about their roles and feel supported and valued by the management team.

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good

Staff working with the children are appropriately qualified. The manager provides regular supervision for staff and holds monthly team meetings. Staff say that these are useful sessions that provide a space to reflect on practice and consider the needs of the children.

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good

Management oversight of incidents is improving. The manager is working through a comprehensive action plan to improve the quality of care in the home. Records include the manager’s evaluation. However, the manager does not make clear efforts to establish potential triggers for children, to consider staff practice, or to determine patterns and trends. This reduces opportunities to improve practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 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 enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are provided with opportunities to take part in planned activities outside of the home and are supported to explore individual hobbies and interests. 1 November 2023

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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 1 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 7 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all safeguarding procedures are fully followed in every instance. All risk assessments should contain clear steps for staff to follow should an incident occur.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 1 November 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept of all incidents where children have been missing from home. These records should include management evaluation to consider what worked well and any gaps in staff’s skills or knowledge. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)  The registered person should consider all potential risks in the immediate and surrounding areas when considering whether the location of the home is appropriate for vulnerable children. Strategies should be included on how to mitigate potential risks to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 8

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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: SC034012 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Market Street, Hyde, Tameside SK14 1AL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Tammy Sutherland

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034012 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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