Children's home run by Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 1 SC035954 Registered provider: Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority and provides short breaks for up to six children who may have physical disabilities and/or complex learning disabilities. In addition, the home provides care on a permanent basis for up to six children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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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: 13 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, nine children were present in the home. Six children live in the residential area of the home, and children also access the service through a series of short breaks or extended stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children were observed to have warm and sensitive relationships. Staff are skilled in guiding and reassuring children. This helps children to feel cared for and understood. Staff understand that children need to be nurtured to feel happy and safe. This nurturing care helps children to flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences in the home. They participate in a range of enjoyable activities, such as having days out at the local sea life centre, going on trips to the cinema, shopping and going to parks. Recently, one child has enjoyed a birthday party with his friends who live in the home. The manager has recently reintroduced the use of memory books. This helps to provide children with good memories of their time spent in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is presented to a good standard. Since the last inspection, improvements have been made and the communal areas are much brighter. Children’s bedrooms are well presented. The sensory rooms are key locked. The manager took immediate action to address this during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are child friendly and capture all important and relevant information. Additionally, achievements and rewards in the home are celebrated. Children are making progress with their independence and social skills. For example, one child is now using the toilet independently, and another child can now wash and dress himself.

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

Safeguarding practice is effective, and the use of one-to-one staff support significantly minimises the risk of harm. Staff receive safeguarding training that is specific to children’s disabilities. Additionally, staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs, vulnerabilities and the potential risks they may be exposed to. Staff understand how to report and respond to any safeguarding concerns. However, not all staff fully understand the role of the local authority designated officer. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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

Medication storage systems are safe. However, some children require medication to be given with food to hide it. In such cases, parents provide written consent to the covert administration of the medication by staff. Occasionally, this requires staff to crush the medication. However, Leaders and managers have not sourced information from a medical practitioner about the potential consequences of crushing some forms of medication. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 4 There are appropriate staffing ratios to support children’s complex needs. Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing. Staff know what action to take should this occur.

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

Physical intervention techniques are used as a last resort. Since the last inspection, the recording of incidents and debriefs has improved. Creative ways, such as the use of smiley faces and observations, have been implemented to enable children take part in a debrief following a restraint. This ensures that children are helped to express their emotions.

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

Leaders and managers respond effectively when children make allegations. They ensure that actions are taken to protect the child in line with the home’s policies and procedures. The management team has worked to improve recording systems and follow up actions to ensure that they are recorded clearly.

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

Staff are suitably trained in fire awareness, and children regularly take part in fire drills. These drills are tailored for each child. However, the registered person should ensure that all children have a personal emergency evacuation plan that provides staff with details of the support they require in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She is supported well by the responsible individual and two deputies. They are child focused and knowledgeable about the children’s complex needs. Managers advocate well for the children and work effectively with professionals raising concerns through multi-agency meetings. This improves the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff keep detailed individual plans for the children. Despite regular reviews and updates, some information remains confusing because historical details are kept alongside current updates. However, the staff team is fully aware of all the children’s needs and actively works to support them in line with the routines agreed on in the plans. Managers understand shortfalls in record-keeping and work to remove out-of-date information to improve the quality of plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well organised, and staff say they can see a much wider management presence in the home. Staff say that the manager is approachable and that the management team is supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to some staff vacancies and sickness, the manager has needed to use agency staff. However, the manager ensures that these are a consistent core group of staff who are required to read the children’s plans before starting their shift.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has carried out a review of the home and developed a monitoring tool. The manager has also made good use of external monitoring systems to improve the recording systems and actions to follow. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 5 Staff are provided with a range of training that is specific and relevant to the children’s needs. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to support children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have redesigned the format for supervision. As a result, supervision records hold more detail. The records include a reflective discussion between managers and staff about the children in their care and the quality of practice in the home. Staff say that team meetings are a good source of information-sharing. However, team meetings are not taking place regularly. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from parents and professionals is positive. They say that children are settled and well cared for. One professional said, ‘A strength of the service is the long-standing staff, and this means that they know the children well.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met all the previous requirements and recommendations that were raised at the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 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 registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that medical advice is sought to understand any potential consequences of crushing medication. 2 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children’s records contain accurate information. Furthermore, if there is ‘when required’ protocol in place for the use of medication, information must be reflected in any incidents in line with the organisation’s own procedures. 2 August 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are aware of the role of the local authority designated officer in line with their policy on protecting children from abuse and neglect. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.19) Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 7  The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained. This means that team meetings should take place regularly to share information effectively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC035954 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Education Department, Hamilton Building, Conway Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 4FD

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035954 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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