Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 1 SC467796

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 7 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/11/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 16/11/2021 Full Good 09/10/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by nurturing and dedicated staff who know them well. Since the last inspection, one child moved into the home in a well-planned way. The manager and placing authority worked together to ensure that the child’s wishes were considered in identifying the best support for them. This child said, ‘I like [name of home]. I want to stay because there are lots of areas where I can play, I have fun, and I like my new school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from imaginative, sensory based activities that engage and stimulate them. Staff are resourceful and creative. They actively seek opportunities for children to engage in important childhood activities, such as reading stories, playing games and sensory play. Additionally, staff have created photo books that capture important experiences, such as birthday celebrations, going on holiday and learning new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are dedicated to promoting children’s independence by focusing on self-care and healthy snack preparation. By integrating these goals into individual plans, the children make significant progress, this includes improved communication, making choices and learning about feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s objectives in their plans are regularly reviewed, along with celebrations of accomplishments involving parents and social workers. This boost’s the children’s self-esteem and independence, fostering a positive and nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. The manager advocates for children and supports increased time spent with loved ones. In addition, staff support children to spend time with friends when it is appropriate to do so. This ensures that children maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in education on a full-time basis and make lots of progress. Their attendance is always excellent. The staff and managers work very closely with education colleagues. Because of this, staff and managers understand the areas to help children work on and strengthen, and they give children the support they need to make excellent progress.

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

Staff understand each child’s unique methods of communication, supported by individual communication passports. They are attuned to the children’s communication styles. One non-verbal child will point and lead staff to items of choice. Staff are sensitive to the child’s facial cues and gestures, using these to help the child make choices in their daily life. Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 4 Staff have a thorough knowledge of the risks in the children’s lives. Detailed strategies are in place to support children to keep themselves and others safe. The strategies are tailored to meet the needs of individual children. This approach reduces the risks in children’s lives and helps them when they are struggling with their emotions.

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

Children are supported with their emotional well-being. Clear plans help to guide staff in how to care for children when they feel upset, worried or anxious. Staff are able to quickly identify when something is not right for a child.

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

Staff only hold children as a last resort to keep everyone safe. Staff have received appropriate training. However, children and staff are not routinely offered debriefs following physical incidents. This can prevent understanding the reasons for the behaviour and hinder learning to prevent reoccurrence.

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

Incidents are robustly recorded by staff to document the support offered to children during and after self-injury. Staff and managers review the incident reports, helping them reflect, learn and identify themes to keep children safe. However, staff are not routinely completing body maps, which limits the ability to identify the origin of any bruises at a later date.

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

Staff work collaboratively with other professionals, parents and family members to understand children’s complex needs. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children. Staff communicate well with relevant professionals to provide an all-round approach to children’s care.

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

Restrictions are in place including high staffing ratios and locks on the front and back doors to prevent children from leaving and encountering potential harm. These measures are based on comprehensive assessments of each child’s unique needs and are carefully documented.

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

Staff understand the importance of meeting children’s health needs. There is a well- managed system for administering and recording medications in a safe and controlled way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is registered, experienced and supported by a deputy manager and a knowledgeable staff team who understand the children well. They model good practice, communicate effectively with families and professionals, and advocate strongly for children. One social worker said, ‘The manager and staff spent weeks getting to know [name of child], supporting their needs and ensuring a flawless move into the home. This is remarkable for a child who finds change challenging.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are used as a forum for learning. The manager is not afraid to challenge and address staff practice. This helps staff reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement. While permanent staff receive regular, reflective supervision to Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 5 support future developments, staff supporting from the provider’s school have not received supervision, limiting reflective discussions about their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained in safeguarding children. However, on one occasion, a bruise seen on a child was recorded without informing the manager at the earliest opportunity. Managers responded promptly, as this bruise was linked to an earlier incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a committed and enthusiastic staff team. Staff are either suitably qualified or enrolled on the relevant training. Staff are trained and receive ongoing training, this includes bespoke training to meet the children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager shares information with other people who are important in the children’s lives. One social worker said, ‘The manager is great, her top priority is the children [and] she keeps me informed about [name of child’s] progress and areas the staff are supporting them with. [Name of child] has made so much progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement. They have implemented systems to improve their oversight through regular auditing and evaluation. This is improving practice in several areas and means that staff provide better care for children. The manager has met the requirement made at the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that —

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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

In particular, managers must ensure that children and staff are spoken to following a significant incident and that this takes place in a timely way. This should be carried out by someone who was not involved in the incident. This discussion should be recorded and considered as part of the manager’s evaluation. 20 July 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records of any incidents of self-injury include a completed body map. This will help identify the origin of any bruises at a later date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.14).  The registered person should ensure that staff skills for safeguarding include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk. This specifically relates to staff using professional curiosity when noting bruising to a child. Staff should seek assurance and find out where the marks have come from arsing any concerns with the registered manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10).  The registered person should ensure that all staff, receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their development and the needs of the

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 7 children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2).

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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: SC467796 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Birtenshaw Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC467796 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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