Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 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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This monitoring visit

The children’s home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection on 16 and 17 April 2024. There were serious and widespread failures that meant children were not protected or their welfare was not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children were poor, and they were not making progress. Following the inspection, several requirements were made, and a compliance notice was issued under Regulation 13, The leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring visit was conducted to review the compliance notice and review the requirements in which the dates were due. Other requirements made at the last inspection are outside of the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector identified that two required steps in the compliance notice under Regulation 13 have not been met. Therefore, this notice was reissued.

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This monitoring visit

One child continues to live in the home. The manager has decided to increase staffing levels to support the child. This practice has supported the child to engage more with staff, and as a result, missing-from-home incidents have been reduced for a short period of time. Additional staff means that when the child does go missing from home, more thorough safeguarding practices are implemented to locate and Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403895 2 encourage the child back home. As a result, the child has regular contact with staff, and the child has not been injured while missing from the home. New clear protocols support staff to understand the process to follow in the event of a child missing from the home. However, leaders and managers have not reviewed the arrangements at night for two children, considering the risks identified from the previous inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have had discussions with the child to help their understanding of risks and how to keep themselves safe. Staff now explore the views and feelings of the child following incidents in more depth. Recordings are more robust and more therapeutically written.

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This monitoring visit

There has been minor progress around supporting the child’s daily routines, such as personal hygiene and education. However, the staff team is not consistent with approaches to support children’s personal hygiene. The manager has sought additional days of education for the child, and attendance has improved slightly since the last inspection. However, the education review is still not within statutory timescales. The manager has not effectively raised this with the professionals responsible for it.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has implemented an intensive training programme for the staff team. This includes training sessions and workshops to improve daily practices and further improve staff knowledge and skills in their roles. In addition, the manager has created a new monitoring system that will support her in the oversight of the home. This includes an additional level of oversight from the responsible individual once a week. This is still new and not yet fully embedded. However, the responsible individual now has supportive and effective oversight of missing-from-home incidents and has identified a plan to address some shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Restrictive practices remain, such as locking away cutlery and snacks. These measures have not been 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 - monitoring visit: SC403895 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Inadequate 23/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403895 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 with the given timescales.

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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

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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. 30 June 2024

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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— 7 July 2024 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403895 5 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; and

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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 reissued.

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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 measures must be kept under review.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is repeated. 7 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403895 6

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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: SC403895 7

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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, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

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Inspector

Joanne Humphreys, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC403895 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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