Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 1 SC403895 Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by the local authority. It offers care and accommodation for up to two children who have experienced childhood instability resulting in trauma and associated complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to Ofsted to be the registered manager of this home. She is already registered to manage another home within the organisation.

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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: 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: SC403895 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2021 Full Good 09/07/2019 Full Good 18/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 3

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, two children have moved on from the home, and two children have moved in.

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improvement to be good

Children move on from the home in line with their care plans. For example, one child moved on to live semi-independently, and the other child returned to the care of their family. Although these are good outcomes, it is unclear how staff supported the children with their moves and if they were fully prepared for their next steps.

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improvement to be good

The two children living at the home at the time of the inspection have recently moved in from another home in the organisation. Staff caring for them have also moved with them so there is consistency of care for the children. Although the move happened quickly, staff have helped the children to settle in by personalising their bedrooms and ensuring that they have brought items with them that are familiar to them. Both children say that they like living in their new home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress with education and learning is mixed. One child progressed to full-time education from a reduced timetable and was able to sit their GCSEs. However, staff do not support all children well to achieve good school attendance. Staff do not fully promote the importance of education, and when children are not in school, they do not support them to engage in educational activity throughout the day. As a result, children have missed learning opportunities and are not meeting expected academic goals in line with their plans.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not encouraging children effectively to meet their basic daily care needs, such as looking after their personal hygiene. Children lack routine and structure in their day. They spend most of their time away from the home and in the local area. For one child, this is when they should be engaging in educational activities.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child was struggling with their psychological well-being at night, which led them to seek medical attention. As a result, they were taken to hospital. Only one member of staff cares for the children during the night; this is the model of care the home uses. While there are contingency plans in place when children require additional support during the night, these plans were not followed. As a result, the child had to go on their own to the hospital at a time of need, which does not demonstrate good care.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to rebuild connections with their families. For one child, this resulted in them finding a parent who they were estranged from. This aspect of care is an area of strength, so much so that for two children, their care plans have been changed to support reunification with their families. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 4

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improvement to be good

One child is considered to be at risk of exploitation. Managers and staff have not worked effectively with the child to help them understand the risks they may face and how they can keep themselves safe when they are out in the community.

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improvement to be good

The manager recognises that the risks in relation to going missing from home and vulnerability to criminal exploitation have increased significantly for one child. She has shared this information with the appropriate professionals. However, the risk management strategies that have been identified and implemented are not effective as incidents continue to occur. While the manager and staff work closely with the local authority psychologists, together they are not reviewing and adapting their approaches to managing risk when those they have tried do not work.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff follow the missing person’s protocol to try to locate them and return them safely to the home. However, children do not have the opportunity to speak to someone independent of the home when they return, to understand more about why they went missing and what happened while they were away. The manager does not escalate her concerns about this to ensure that the children’s placing authority social workers follow statutory guidance and arrange for children to have return home interviews.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers respond appropriately when children make allegations. For example, they liaise with relevant professionals to share information and follow the advice given. Allegations are investigated. However, children do not always receive feedback about the outcome. This does not help children to understand what has happened in response to them raising a concern and does not help them to feel listened to.

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good

Since the previous inspection, there has been a change of manager as well as changes to the staff team. The current manager was appointed in December 2023, and she is awaiting her fit person’s interview with Ofsted.

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good

Two staff teams have come together to make one full staff team at this home. This has not been without its challenges. However, staff feel well supported by the manager. Staff are provided with a wide range of training and development opportunities that inform their practice and help them to understand children’s individual and diverse needs. However, staff do always put this learning into practice consistently, which limits the support and quality of care provided to children at times.

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good

When complaints have been made from nearby residents, it is not clear how these have been responded to and resolved. When neighbours have complained about the Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 5 children’s behaviour, managers and staff do not implement restorative practices. As a result, staff have always instilled appropriate boundaries and helped children develop an increased sense of personal and social responsibility.

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good

Despite children’s plans being reviewed regularly by managers and staff, they do not contain up-to-date information. This means the review of key documents is cursory and ineffective. Some statutory documentation is missing from children’s files. In addition, children’s medication records have not been completed correctly. These shortfalls show that some aspects of management monitoring and oversight are not good enough.

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good

Safe recruitment processes and practices are adhered to when recruiting new staff. All necessary checks are undertaken, which helps to ensure that only safe adults are employed to care for children.

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good

The recently appointed manager is focused on driving improvements and has some understanding of the home’s areas for development. She has plans to develop the newly merged team to improve the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are well supported to develop good daily routines and that they are well prepared by staff to move on from the home and for their next steps. 10 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

that staff— 10 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 7 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff supporting children to have good attendance at school and, when they are not in school, to engage in structured activities throughout the school day, and that everything possible is done to progress plans for children to return to school as quickly as possible.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(vii)

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are being supported to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe and that children are provided with an outcome of investigations into allegations that they make against staff. 29 February 2024

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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

promotes their welfare. 10 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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 understand to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager has effective oversight of the quality of care and that a copy of children’s statutory plans are on file and available for staff to follow. In addition, ensure that staffing arrangements at night are suitable to meet the needs of the children and that contingency plans for when additional support is needed are used.

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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: SC403895 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: City of Stoke-on-Trent, Swann House, Boothen Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 4SY.

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Inspector

Joanne Humphreys, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 10 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 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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