Children's Home run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 1 SC066747

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Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority and provides care for up to five children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. In addition to supporting children already in care, the home acts as a bridging placement to allow children to achieve permanence in a foster family, with their birth family or, for older young people, in the community.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is qualified and experienced and has been registered with Ofsted since May 2021.

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Inspection date: 4 March 2024

Date of last inspection: 31 October 2023

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Inspection date: 4 March 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 4 March 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s experiences of moving into and from this home are positive. Children’s moves are planned, and children are supported well by staff. This helps them to settle quickly. Staff have begun to collate photos and create memory boxes for some of the children living in the home. This will help children to have a record of their experiences.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are encouraged and supported by staff to attend education. While educational progress for children is currently varied, the registered manager challenges delays in provision or in the assessment of children’s educational needs. This helps children to engage and to have educational aspirations.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is warm and welcoming for children. Staff acknowledge children’s individual needs by creating areas where they feel safe and able to express themselves. Staff maintain the home well and take pride in their contributions, such as cooking or fire safety awareness. This helps to ensure that the home is a safe and nurturing environment for children to live in.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager listens to children’s experiences about living in the home and responds accordingly. Children express themselves well, and the ‘You Said We Did’ sheets demonstrate, for the most part, a timely response to their requests. This helps children to feel emotionally invested in the home and to feel heard by staff.

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Findings from the inspection

The children have recently started to spend more quality time in the home. This includes returning home as requested in the evening or increasing the amount of time children spend in communal areas of the home. Children enjoy the activities they do together with staff, and this helps them to develop trusting relationships with staff.

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Findings from the inspection

Although there has been improvement since the last inspection, children’s relationships with each other and staff are still not always positive. Staff are completing work with children to help them understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Children’s care plans and risk assessments are updated after an incident and inform staff of how to manage children’s behaviour. Staff have attended trauma-informed practice training and benefit from consultations with psychologists and the speech and language therapist based in the home. This training and guidance are not yet sufficiently embedded into practice. Staff do not always follow children’s plans. They are therefore not always successful in anticipating confrontation or de-escalating children’s behaviour. This has resulted in a child and staff experiencing threats or potentially violent behaviour.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are managing children’s behaviour more effectively overall. This reduces instances of staff requesting police support and, subsequently, the potential for Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 3 children to be criminalised. Staff have received refresher training in the use of physical intervention to keep children or others safe. When staff physically hold children, it is appropriate and proportionate. The registered manager considers the child’s circumstances in her management oversight. However, the records do not clearly show that she has spoken to the user of the measure or the child to ascertain that the records are correct and whether the child wishes to make a complaint.

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Findings from the inspection

Children report that they feel safe living in this home. Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks, including when a child is moving into the home. When staff are concerned about a child, they liaise efficiently with police and other professionals involved with the child to understand if they are at risk of harm. The registered manager follows safeguarding procedures if there are allegations or concerns about a child who is missing from the home. This multi-agency involvement helps to safeguard children.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager and staff report improvements to the running of the home since the last inspection. The requirements made at the last inspection have mostly been suitably addressed. The registered manager maintains regular oversight of the home and the care provided to children. This supports the continuing development of the staff and promotes best outcomes for children.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff team is more stable since the last inspection. Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. Staff report that their shifts are better structured, which provides children with clear routines and expectations. Professionals speak highly of the home. A mentor linked one child’s progress to the consistency of care they receive from staff and the emotional warmth provided by the registered manager. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 5

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and 19 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 6 that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(xi)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to the registered manager recording, following conversations with staff and children, that the record is accurate and establishing if the child wishes to make a complaint. 6 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

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Inspector

Joanna Warburton, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC066747 8 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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