Children's Home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 1 Registered provider: Halliwell Homes

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private home is registered to provide care for up to eight children. The home has an attached registered school.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post, who assumed the position in February 2023. The manager is registered with Ofsted and has obtained a relevant management qualification. The manager was present throughout the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Seven children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. During the inspection, the inspectors spoke to all of the children and observed their interactions with staff.

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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

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: 2592943 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2022 Full Inadequate 13/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the assurance visit in March 2024, two new children have come to live in the home. The children had well-planned moves that included meeting staff on a number of occasions. As a result, children have quickly settled and established good relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a welcoming place for children to spend time and has a family atmosphere. Children’s belongings fill the home, and their photos and achievements are on display. Books and games are easily accessible and soft furnishings help to create a nurturing environment. Children personalise their bedrooms, which reflect their interests and tastes, such as football, gaming and fashion. This allows children to take a sense of pride in their home and promotes their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive high-quality care that makes them feel valued and secure. Staff have built strong relationships with children and are therapeutic and nurturing in their interactions. Social workers are extremely positive about the care their children receive. They talk about children becoming ‘more confident and more outgoing’ and say that they see ‘nurturing throughout the staff team’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the clinical team discuss children’s progress in regular meetings. They jointly track children’s progress in key areas such as education, social skills and relationships with peers. Clinicians support staff with strategies to manage children’s emotions and their complex behaviours, such as strategies to calm children and help them to sleep. This joined-up approach is extremely effective and highlights the positive progress children make from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements are in place that support children to maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them. On occasions, staff have worked with parents and children to re-establish their relationship. Staff then ensure that time spent together is a safe and positive experience. Parents say they ‘can’t praise staff highly enough’ and ‘staff are great… they really support the relationship’. This helps children to build and maintain lifelong social networks that they can take with them as they progress into adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a variety of activities which improve their self-esteem and confidence. For example, children enjoy ice skating, trips to the park and trampolining. One child is a gifted cheer leader and aspires to try out for the England team. Children are encouraged to write a ‘bucket list’ of activities. Each time a child completes an activity they sign and date it as complete. Participating in hobbies and interests builds positive memories for children and adds to children’s life story. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 4

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

Staff talk knowledgeably about children’s complex behaviours and how they support children to manage their emotions. They complete detailed individual risk management plans that support them in their understanding of how to keep children safe. Risks are clearly identified, and assessments are updated to reflect new information or changes in children’s circumstances.

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

Staff physically intervene when children become unsettled and show behaviours that place themselves or others at risk of harm. Staff understand the reasons behind such behaviour and provide good support to children afterwards. This helps children to move on from the incident. Managers and clinicians provide scrutiny of all incidents and measures of control to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate, and that children’s behaviours are fully understood.

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

Staff encourage children to be kind and tolerant to others. Children respond well to reward systems that are used by staff to motivate children to develop socially acceptable behaviours. Staff talk with children individually and as a group about respecting themselves and respecting other people. Any unkind behaviour between children is quickly dealt with. Staff use restorative practice and model positive relationships to enable the children to learn the impact of such behaviours on themselves and others. However, staff do not always keep a record of the support they give to children who have been affected by other children’s unkind behaviour.

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

When there are concerns about staff practice, managers ensure that thorough investigations take place. They work closely with social workers when appropriate, and they conduct lessons learned reviews with staff. When needed, they implement plans to improve staff practice.

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

Processes are in place to ensure that children are kept safe online. Staff talk knowledgeably about how they support children to use online devices safely. Additionally, managers have ensured that there are the necessary age-related restrictions on all devices. Staff complete ongoing work with children about the dangers presented online which is educational and informative. Staff are vigilant about online risks. On the rare occasion that an incident occurs which compromises children’s online safety, staff act quickly. They amend safeguarding strategies and complete targeted work to increase children’s learning.

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

The home is a safe place for children to live. Regular health and safety checks and fire checks ensure that the children live in a safe environment. There are clear guidelines for the safe storage and administration of medication. Staff have received in-depth training and follow-up support to ensure that they are competent. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the team, supported by two deputy managers. They are a dedicated team, and they keep children at the heart of all they do. They are committed to, and ambitious for, the children and ensure that this ethos spreads through the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are embedded into practice. This ensures that they have a good oversight of the home and take action to address issues as they arise. The manager has good knowledge of children’s starting points and what they have accomplished. She is clear about the progress children are making and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. She is enthusiastic in her efforts to be a trusted person for children. This makes her a good role model for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including the placing social workers and education departments. This helps the manager to have a coordinated approach so that the children’s needs are met. Social workers are extremely positive about the care their children receive. They say that communication from managers and staff about incidents, as well as positive updates about activities and progress the children make, is excellent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last full inspection, 10 staff have left and 11 have joined the home. Managers understand the impact this instability can have on children and staff. They have commissioned bespoke face-to-face training led by the clinical team to enable staff to work effectively as a team. This has enabled the team to stabilise and provide consistent care for children. Staff say that morale is high and that the home is very professionally managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training to make sure that they have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the child they look after. There are systems in place to make sure that training is regularly updated or refreshed. New staff undergo a thorough induction programme, which includes face-to-face training in attachment theory and therapeutic parenting. Staff say that this in-depth training prepares them for the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff receive regular supervision. This means that they are being provided with regular opportunities to receive feedback on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that children are protected by the organisation’s recruitment practices. Staff are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed. These procedures promote the safety of the child by preventing unsuitable adults from working with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2592943 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pearce House, 80 Cawdor Street, Eccles M30 0QF

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Inspectors

Karen Gillingwater, Social Care Inspector Carl Wilton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 8 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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