Children's Home run by Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Tameside

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 1 SC357979

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Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 17 May 2024.

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Inspection date: 29 May 2024

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2023

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Inspection date: 29 May 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: SC357979 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 The day-to-day management arrangements are not adequate.  There are insufficient staff to care for children.  Children do not receive care that is personalised to meet their individual needs.  Children’s moves into and on from the home are not adequately planned.

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Findings from the inspection

Significant changes in the leadership and management team and staffing of the home have negatively impacted on children’s experiences and progress.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living in the home. The home did not have a registered manager, responsible individual or a staff team, as the previous manager, responsible individual and several members of staff have left the authority. Other staff have been relocated to work in other homes run by the authority. The home does not currently have sufficient staff to safely care for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s moves into and on from the home are not adequately planned or child- centred. Two children who were living at the home were moved out to other homes run by the local authority. Another child then moved into the home. Children did not fully know where they were moving to or when and their views were not captured or understood by leaders or managers. This does not enable children to feel valued, listened to or consulted about their plans.

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Findings from the inspection

One child has recently moved on from the home. The child experienced inconsistent care from staff who did not know them or the home well. The home had been staffed solely by a team of agency care workers, with limited oversight by leaders and managers. This did not ensure that children received adequate care from staff who were able to meet their needs.

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Findings from the inspection

The child was not attending formal education. Staff did not have the skills to encourage the child to engage with their tutor, who attended the home for sessions each week, or provide opportunities to supplement the child’s learning. This significantly reduced opportunities for the child to achieve their academic potential.

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Findings from the inspection

Up-to-date risk plans were completed when the child moved into the home. These were detailed and outlined the appropriate strategies to use to help the child to manage their behaviours. However, agency staff could not access the authority’s recording system and were unable to update the child’s plans. Consequently, the child’s risk management plans did not include their current and emerging risks or Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 3 steps for staff to follow to keep the child safe. A requirement in relation to this was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Findings from the inspection

The child spent significant periods of time missing from the home. Staff were proactive in trying to locate the child. The head of service liaised with other professionals to ensure that there was a multi-agency approach to maintaining contact with the child and encouraging their safe return. However, opportunities to carry out direct work with the child or identify any learning on their return were missed.

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Findings from the inspection

Shortfalls in the leadership and management arrangements in the home mean that management oversight of the care provided to children is poor. Records are not well maintained and opportunities to identify learning and to improve practice in the home have been missed. This is something that the head of service is taking action to address.

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Findings from the inspection

Delays in incidents being reported to Ofsted as required by regulation reduced the regulator’s oversight of practice in the home. A requirement in relation to this was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Findings from the inspection

At the assurance inspection, the provider confirmed their intention to close the home temporarily. Following a case review held after the inspection, Ofsted imposed a variation of the home’s conditions of registration, requiring the provider to give Ofsted three months’ notice of their intention to care for children.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/06/2019 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 4

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to move into or out of the home in a positive manner and that all staff understand the expectations of how children must be cared for in the home. 25 July 2024

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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 25 July 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 5 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the actions for staff to take are individual to the child. Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all risk assessments contain clear steps for staff to follow should an incident arise.

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Requirement Due date

This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 25 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This was a requirement at the last inspection and is restated. 25 July 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 6 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is a staff team in place to deliver consistent care to children. 25 July 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

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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; 25 July 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 7 maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff are able to advocate on behalf of children who are not in education full time, by appropriately challenging and escalating concerns with the placing authority and virtual school.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 25 July 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tameside One, Market Place, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 6BH

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC357979 9 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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