Children's Home, Residential special school run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 1 SC458115 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

This home is run by a local authority and provides care for up to 19 children with learning disabilities. The accommodation and service are divided into long-term care and short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, six children were living at the home and no children were receiving short breaks.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2013. There has been no registered manager since July 2023.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted undertook a full inspection on 10 and 11 April 2024. There were significant shortfalls found relating to children’s safety and the management and leadership of the home. Ofsted judged the home inadequate and issued two compliance notices under Regulations 12 and 13 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. This visit was carried out to monitor the home’s progress in meeting the compliance notices issued at the last inspection. The requirements and recommendation made at the last inspection are outside of the scope of this monitoring visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Not all children living at the home have a diagnosed learning disability, so the home is operating outside of their conditions of registration and statement of purpose. However, it is not in the child’s best interests to move out of the home currently.

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This monitoring visit

One of the children now lives in a separate part of the home on their own. This provides the child space away from the other children who live at the home. This is helping all the children to manage their feelings and behaviours better. The child that now has some distance between them and the other children maintains their Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 2 social connections with other children at gymnastics classes and through the local youth club.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments have been updated and now reflect the known and anticipated risks to children’s and others safety. They include strategies for staff to follow to try to reduce risks. Children’s comprehensive behaviour management plans are written in consultation with child and adolescent mental health professionals. They provide details of children’s baseline behaviours, their known triggers, what escalation and crisis look like and how staff should respond. Therefore, the compliance notice in relation to regulation 12 has been met.

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This monitoring visit

Staff receive support through supervision, team meetings and additional training. This, alongside additional support from senior leaders is helping to equip the staff with the knowledge and skills to meet the children’s needs and to help reduce their risks. Open discussions about whistleblowing, reporting concerns and contacting the police for support are helping staff to feel confident and safe.

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This monitoring visit

Records relating to children’s medication have been reviewed and updated. There are clearer guidelines for staff relating to the administration of some medications but there are still some gaps. Leaders and managers sought medical advice during the inspection about medicine that is no longer needed.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are now recognising and reporting incidents better. This supports managers and senior leaders to have improved oversight of the day-to-day care in the home. Managers identify lessons learned and make changes to reduce the risk of incidents recurring. However, the actions taken following incidents are not always clearly recorded and not all professionals involved are informed. The records also lack key information about who has been informed and what conversations with children, if any, following incidents have taken place.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders are now more visible and approachable. Staff feel able to talk to senior leaders about any concerns and feel listened to. The staff are confident in raising concerns and understand the whistleblowing procedure. The staff reported that there is now much more transparency at all levels, which they appreciate and respect. As a result, the compliance notice relating to regulation 13 is met.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/04/2024 Full Inadequate 21/11/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 3

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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, 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 with the given timescales.

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff should ensure that records following incidents are clear and provide an accurate account of the actions taken. They should also ensure social workers are updated about any incidents and that children are spoken to to seek their views. 31 July 2024

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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

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)(c)(i)(iii)) 4 August 2024

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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 4 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 4 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii))

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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 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 4 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 4 August 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 5 if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(c)) 4 August 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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 12 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 6 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated from the previous inspection. 24 May 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the home at least once per year. This review should include identification of any risks and strategies for managing these. In particular, the registered person should consult with relevant people and take their views into account. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 7

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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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

Honor Hamshaw, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458115 8 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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