Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 1 SC033611 Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides short-term breaks for up to seven children. The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home provides care for children who may have physical disabilities and/or complex learning disabilities. The local authority owns and manages this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2017.

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: SC033611 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 13/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's experiences of short breaks are positive, and their breaks help them make progress. There are currently 26 children accessing the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attentive and skilled in understanding what children are expressing. As part of their routine, children follow targets that are set to help them increase their independence skills, such as making their beds, food preparation and making choices. These targets are regularly discussed and reviewed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff place an emphasis on good-quality planned introductions. The children complete a series of tea visits, and staff form close links with parents and specialist services. As a result, important information is shared from the beginning to promote good outcomes. Furthermore, there are effective plans for children moving on to adult services. The staff ensure that they liaise with staff in adult services before children move on. This is a key strength of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are reliant on staff to understand their needs. They are actively encouraged to express their views about their day-to-day choices using their own preferred communication method. One parent spoke about how the use of social stories had really improved their child’s understanding of hospital visits and the importance of personal hygiene.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s feedback and observations show that they enjoy their stays. Staff provide a wide range of activities following their individual preferences. Children have good opportunities to take part in new experiences, such as visits to see Santa and to attend pantomimes and nearby zoos. A parent said, ‘We value these experiences for [name of child] as she gets to try things that she is unable to do at home.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children do not live permanently at the home, staff regularly visit education settings and take part in children’s education meetings. This effective partnership working ensures that children receive a consistent approach. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] is helped by staff weekly with her homework to ensure she does not fall behind.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers have planned some refurbishment to the premises in the coming year. In the meantime, the inspector found that not all areas of the home are welcoming. Specifically, the bedrooms require some modernisation, and new furniture is required. Work is needed to improve the quality of the home so that children can stay in a welcoming environment.

p.3

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

Staff have a clear understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and the potential risks that they may be exposed to. The risk management plans do not reflect all children’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 4 risks and are not individualised to children’s specific needs. However, staff who were spoken to know how to respond safely to children’s individual vulnerabilities.

p.3

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

There are effective safeguarding arrangements in the home. There are safe care practices in place during times of personal care to ensure that all children are provided with privacy and dignity. Parents say that staff ensure that their children are well looked after and kept safe.

p.4

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

Incidents are low, and staff record any observations. These observations are fed into the children’s positive support plans and help all concerned. There is clear management oversight across all records. Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to the recording of debriefs, and staff have produced a pictorial guide to help support these discussions.

p.4

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

Children do not go missing from the home due to the high staffing levels. Staff know the children well and understand what action they would take if a child went missing.

p.4

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

Improvements in medication auditing and procedures mean that there are robust checks in place to ensure that all children receive the correct dose of medication. Medication is stored in a safe place, and records are detailed. When there are queries, staff ensure that these are followed up with parents or that they seek advice from all relevant healthcare professionals.

p.4

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

The manager has ensured that fire practices in the home are safe. Each child has a personal emergency evacuation plan that provides staff with details on the support a child requires in the event of a fire. Furthermore, there are a range of communication tools to help children understand the importance of fire, such as recorded devices, social stories and pictorial evacuation plans. All staff are suitably trained in fire safety, and children regularly take part in practice fire evacuations.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She was not present during the inspection. However, senior staff were available. Together, they work effectively alongside the manager, and they have developed a stable staff team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One child said, ‘My favourite thing about the home is the staff.’ Staff say the manager is supportive and helpful. They say they love working in the home and describe the team as a family. They are passionate, and professionals say they are dedicated. They understand children’s plans and make improvements through regular discussions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has produced a report about the quality of care at the home, which identifies the areas for development. However, this does not include direct feedback and opinions about the quality of care provided in the home from children, their family, stakeholders or staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 5 The staff have been able to grow and develop their practice because of the good- quality support and regular supervision that are provided. The manager ensures that the staff receive annual appraisals. Regular team meetings take place. These are well attended, and staff share information about the children. This supports consistency of practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a detailed induction. There is a range of mandatory training courses for staff, including specific training to meet the individual needs of the children. However, safeguarding training is not specific to children with disabilities. More specialised training would enhance the skills of staff in understanding the risks and vulnerabilities for disabled children. Furthermore, the manager should ensure that staff receive refresher training on autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to ensure they have up-to-date knowledge.. A recommendation has been made to support this area for development.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is positive feedback from families and professionals. A social worker said, ‘ it was great to see [name of child] have such positive relationships with staff.’ One parent said, ‘It is a lifeline for us.’ Another parent said,’There is brilliant communication; it is like an extended family where my child can make friends.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 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, 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that risk management plans contain all children’s known vulnerabilities and that these are individualised and provide staff with clear strategies to mitigate any risks. 4 February 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 4 February 2024

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment. Specifically, the bedrooms require some modernisation, and new furniture is required. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 7  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate resources to support their training needs. In particular, staff should receive safeguarding training that is specific to children with disabilities, and they should complete refresher training on autism and ADHD. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

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: SC033611 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 4, Blackpool FY1 1NA

p.8

Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 9 regulates and 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9