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

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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 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 in the organisation and that home was judged good at its last inspection in September 2023 .

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 23 January 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2021 Full Good 09/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not help children to develop good daily routines, and this is not being addressed well by managers. For example, children are often allowed to stay in bed during the school day, which affects their engagement with learning. In addition, one child is not supported effectively by staff to look after their personal hygiene, and this has deteriorated. Managers and staff do not review and change their approach and strategies to promote healthy daily routines for children. This does not help children to make progress and does not promote their welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. Another child has recently moved on because staff were unable to safely manage the risks presented and the impact these risks and behaviours had on both children. Although the child’s move was not in line with their care plan, they were supported to have a positive ending with staff members and the other child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child’s school attendance has declined. Managers and staff have not effectively liaised with teachers at the child’s school to try and understand why this is and bring about positive change. There has been some progress made to obtain home tutoring for the other child, who has not been in an education provision for a significant period. However, there is no structured timetable in place yet. Children are not being fully supported to reach their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have access to local health services, but one child is not attending health appointments as they once did. Staff do not promote the importance of attending these appointments nor do they encourage the child well enough to do so. Staff supported another child to attend regular appointments for an injury they sustained, and this is now healing well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children develop some positive relationships with staff and the home’s manager. However, staff do not use these relationships to help children participate in activities or to think about how they could manage the time they spend with their friends. As a result, children spend lots of time away from the home and with peers who may not be a positive influence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some aspects of the home environment are homely and welcoming. Others are less so. Children have caused some damage to the property, and this is in the process of being repaired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff help children to spend time with family members who are important to them. They work well with others to ensure that this is managed safely and positively for all. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 4

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

Staffing arrangements at night have not safeguarded children and others. Significant incidents have happened late at night and during the early hours of the morning, when there is one member of staff caring for either two children or one child who presents with significant risks and vulnerabilities. Incidents include children leaving the home without staff knowing and taking the home’s vehicle, which the staff did not notice until the following day. Children have also threatened to assault staff and have done so on occasion. While action was taken by senior managers during the inspection to strengthen staffing arrangements at night, they did not do this soon enough. As a result, children and others were left at risk of harm.

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

Missing-from-home incidents have increased. When children go missing from home at night, agreed protocols cannot always be followed because only one member of staff is working in the home after 10pm. Staff are sometimes unable to follow children or search the local areas because the staff member is needed to care for another child or to be at the home in case the child returns. There is a reliance on the police, which is not always appropriate. Having insufficient staff on duty to manage known risks does not promote children’s safety.

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

A child was injured twice while missing from home, with one incident requiring the child to be admitted to hospital. As a result of the night-time staffing arrangements, the child was supported by an unfamiliar person during their time in hospital.

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

A child expressed suicidal tendencies in a video. This was brought to staff’s attention by another child. Although a risk assessment was created, staff did not explore this concern sufficiently with the child and there was no additional monitoring of the child’s well-being immediately afterwards.

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

When children are found to have unsafe and inappropriate items, such as a Stanley knife or alcohol, staff do not always follow up on these concerns. As a result, staff do not work with children consistently and effectively to help them to understand risks and how they can keep themselves safe.

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

Managers and staff share information with relevant professionals and work with others to understand risk. However, managers do not act promptly and effectively to manage the risks identified.

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

Restrictive practices are implemented by staff to manage children’s behaviour. For example, cutlery and the toaster are locked away. These measures are not risk assessed nor are they kept under review. Managers and staff have not recognised that this is a disproportionate response to supporting children. In addition, it does not help children learn how to manage their behaviour more appropriately. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has some understanding of the shortfalls and is currently working to introduce a new monitoring system to ensure that she has better oversight of the home so improvements can be made. However, she has not had the time and capacity to deliver these in a timely way. This has limited the development of the home and has impacted on children’s welfare, experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not addressed the requirements raised at the last inspection. As a result, shortfalls in education, care, safety and leadership remain. Managers have been ineffective in prioritising, challenging and making improvements and this has not supported children’s welfare, progress and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight of the management of the home by the responsible individual has not been strong enough. As a result, shortfalls in risk management and staffing have not been addressed thoroughly and promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff feel well supported by the manager and have some understanding of children’s risks and needs. They provide children with some encouragement and are committed to looking after them. However, this does not go far enough .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although staff have received mandatory training and training specific to children’s individual needs, they do not always implement their learning. Consequently, they do not always take the required action to help and protect children well. Insufficient staffing in the home has also negatively impacted on their ability to deliver good-quality care 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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children are well supported to develop good daily routines. In addition, staff should review the effectiveness of strategies to support children to maintain good personal hygiene routines and to promote a healthy lifestyle.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 30 June 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— 30 June 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. In addition, the registered person must do everything possible to progress plans for children to return to school as quickly as possible. This includes liaising with relevant professionals to escalate concerns when children’s education reviews are not arranged and conducted.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(b)) 27 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 8 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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)(d)(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 when shortfalls are identified, prompt action is taken. In addition, ensure that staffing arrangements at night are suitable to meet the needs of the children and that effective contingency plans are in place and implemented when additional support is needed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 27 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable, or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the behaviour management strategy of locking items away, as such measures must be proportionate to the risk and any such measure must be kept under review. 27 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403895 9

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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 10

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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 11 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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