Children's home run by Oldham Children’s Social Care in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 1 SC387671 Registered provider: Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this children’s home. It is a short-break service for disabled children. It provides care for up to seven children who have a learning disability, a physical disability and/or a sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021, however, is not currently in day-to-day management. In her absence there is an interim manager who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good 12/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by nurturing and dedicated staff who know them well. This short break service delivers consistent care to each child that stays here. Meticulous planning for each stay adds considerably to children’s experiences, progress and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a well-planned and inclusive introduction to the short-break service. The manager involves the child, their families and the local authority social worker. Children can choose which bedroom they prefer to stay in and they build up time in the home at their own pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children love to visit and have lots of fun while here. This is achieved through the provision of a wide range of additional experiences, some of which could not be achieved elsewhere. This provides disabled children with opportunities to develop their independence and meet other children in a safe environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ratios are carefully managed to ensure that children who require constant supervision always have this. Additional night-time monitoring is made available to children who need this during their stays. However, the use of audio and visual monitoring in children’s bedrooms has not been robustly assessed, therefore it is unclear why it is in use. This places limitations on children’s privacy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Support to families is impressive. The service goes above and beyond to help those that are experiencing crisis. Staff offer professional advice and guidance to parents who need it, both during a child’s stay and once they have returned home. Families are invited to coffee mornings and celebration days. A parent said, ‘They do a great job and offer a lifeline to children and families.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, supported by the adults who care for them. For example, children are encouraged to use symbols and speech sounds, in line with their relevant plans. As a result, children continue to make progress in their communication and language skills. Staff recognise that children communicate through their behaviour and are attuned to changes that could indicate upset or distress for each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Specialist help is sourced when needed, including consultation with speech and language, and occupational therapists. This promotes good health for disabled children and promotes their independence wherever possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This service provides families with a vital opportunity to rest from their caring responsibilities. Feedback from those who access the service is overwhelmingly positive. Families shared that the service becomes part of their family, describing it as their lifeline. Parents stress that without the service, they would feel unable to Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 4 cope, with one saying, ‘I am devastated that at the age of eighteen, my child can no longer have this care, I would let her stay forever if I could.’

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

Children are safe and are very happy visiting the home. They show this through their smiles and constant interaction with staff. Children display their affection towards staff through their behaviour and communication. Staff know and understand children very well. Consequently, they are able to respond sensitively and naturally, providing the comfort and play that children seek. Staff instinctively display genuine care and affection to children while sensitively maintaining professional boundaries.

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

Restrictions are in place at the children’s home, including fobbed doors, to prevent children from leaving and encountering potential harm. These measures are based on comprehensive assessments of each child’s unique needs and are carefully documented. However, these assessments are not frequently reviewed to consider their continued relevance and effectiveness in ensuring the safety of the children.

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

Significant events are low in number and always well managed. There are detailed records of all incidents and the actions taken. Staff are trained and skilled in de- escalation, meaning that physical interventions are rarely used. However, on the one occasion a restraint had to be used, the manager did not review the incident records, therefore, this reduced the opportunity for reflection and future learning.

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

Staff complete a broad range of good-quality training in safeguarding matters. There is good communication with safeguarding partners in the local authority. Managers are aware of the additional safeguarding vulnerabilities for disabled children and what those inherent risk factors may look like. Staff understand the importance of an open safeguarding culture and as a result know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that they may have.

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

Children with complex health and care needs are well cared for. These are accurately identified and evaluated within their assessment and care plans. There is an effective system for safely administering children’s medication. Staff regularly liaise with health professionals to ensure that children’s lifelong conditions are managed in a safe and effective way.

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

Recent training for staff has focused on supporting them with specific aspects of their roles. A staff member who completed the training said that this was very helpful and helped to increase their understanding of what is expected of them in their role. This training is part of the response to shortfalls that have been identified in the previous inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is not currently in day-to-day management. In her absence there is an interim manager, and two deputy managers who are overseeing the Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 5 running of the home. Managers are ambitious for the children in their care and have become powerful advocates for disabled children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

In this short break service, there are effective relationships with parents so that they feel confident leaving their children for their stay. Parents feel involved in the running of the service and consider it a part of their wider family. Staff are always accessible and keep parents informed about their children’s stay each week through phone calls, text messages, photos and summary reports. Staff collate beautiful memory albums for children to share with their families once their stays come to an end.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has created a culture of positivity. Children access the service for many years throughout their childhood, and staff often work here for long periods of time. The impact of this provision on children is far reaching and impacts positively on their wider family life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff receive supervision to reflect on their practice with children. However, it is not always timely in line with policy and procedure. Staff said that they feel well supported by the manager and that they have the opportunity to discuss their professional development. However, the manager has not included the views of children or key individuals. This limits the manager’s understanding of children’s experiences and the ability of leaders to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers actively welcome external audits of the home, including those conducted by the independent person. They continuously review these audits to identify opportunities for improvement and implement necessary changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about managers offering support with both work matters and those that are more personal. There is an ‘open door policy’ with managers who are welcoming of staff feedback and ideas. There have been very few departures from the staff team and many have worked here for years. This has contributed to high morale and dedication throughout the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers follow up and escalate concerns if responses from agencies are not satisfactory. This helps to ensure that children receive the right support and their needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 6

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Statutory requirement

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 privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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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

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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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 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that audio and visual monitoring in children’s bedrooms are not used unless carefully assessed alongside any specific safeguarding risks.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to, the use of the fobbed door system, when in use, there should be agreement with the placing authority, and detailed in the child’s relevant plans and kept under regular review.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 30 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that records of restraint are thoroughly reviewed to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59).  The registered person must ensure appraisals for staff include the views of other professionals who have worked with staff over the year, and the views of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5).  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, receive supervision of their practice in line with the timescales in the workforce development plan. Records of supervision should be completed in a timely manner and enable staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children

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Recommendations

assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 14 and 15, paragraph 13.2).

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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: SC387671 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Oldham Council, Civic Centre, Oldham OL1 1UT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Whitbread

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC387671 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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