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Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 1 SC454484 Registered provider: Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 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 local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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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: SC454484 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/07/2022 Full Inadequate 02/11/2021 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from relaxed and trusting relationships with staff, including the newer staff. Staff know the children and their individual needs well, and children appear happy in staff’s company .

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain good health. Children attend their routine appointments, and staff ensure that they have access to specialist health services when required. Staff find creative ways to introduce children to a healthy diet and encourage them to try new things. Staff take action to ensure that children have access to specialist medical support to provide them with information and education and opportunities to talk about any worries or concerns they may have about their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are actively sought. Children engage with members of the Children in Care Council who visit the home. They provide support and advocacy, and they have shared similar care experiences. This also gives children the opportunity to share their views with others who are independent of the home and have a good understanding of their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that are based on their individual likes and dislikes. For example, they attend boxing clubs and go horse riding. One child also participates in the Children in Care Council activities. This gives children the opportunity to explore their interests and socialise with those who enjoy the same things.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a good standard. It is spacious and well decorated, with comfortable furnishings. Children have bedrooms that staff help them to personalise. They also have other areas of the home where they can spend quiet time alone, play games together or watch television.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not attending school regularly. Staff report having a morning routine of waking the children in readiness for school, although this is not consistently captured in the child’s records. When children do not have an education placement, staff successfully advocate for children to secure appropriate provision. When children are not in school, staff encourage them to participate in activities that offer educational value.

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

Staff manage the risks to children in a consistent way and take effective action to reduce risk. This is because risk assessment and care planning documents have been improved. These now include each child’s concerns, behaviours and triggers and give clear strategies for staff to follow.

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

Staff follow the home’s missing-from-care procedures and protocol. Therefore, they know how to respond when children go missing. This includes looking for the child in Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 4 locations known to them and in particular close liaison with professionals and family alike. This contributes to the child’s safe return home.

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

Staff understand each child’s experiences and provide consistent positive reinforcement when they behave and manage their emotions well. Staff are trained and skilled in de- escalation techniques, which helps them to intervene and offer early help to children when they are angry or upset. Children are supported through sensitive and meaningful conversations to help them to understand their feelings and how these can affect how they behave.

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

Staff are proactive in talking to children about their worries and concerns. For one child, the best way of doing this has been through using a video sharing platform. This helped the child to understand the dangers of alcohol and make more informed choices. These discussions are not always consistent, and the frequency of direct work is not in line with the provider’s statement of purpose.

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

The careful recruitment of staff helps to keep children safe. Checks are carried out and references are verified before staff begin working with children. The service manager has full oversight of the recruitment process and is confident that those starting to work with the children have the necessary skills and attributes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is no manager appointed for the home. The service manager is acting as interim manager while recruitment is ongoing. She is enthusiastic and ambitious about improving the performance of staff and the quality of care provided to all children. The service manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths, and a plan is in place to make improvements. Staff talk positively about the changes the service manager has made and how these have affected the culture and practice of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place monthly and each member of staff receives an appraisal. The sessions provide staff with a reflective and nurturing environment to talk about their role. Where improvements are identified, they form part of the supervision action plan, and this feeds into their appraisal. The service manager can keep track of staff’s development needs and has oversight of the difference they make for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff take part in regular team meetings. This offers the opportunity for the service manager to keep staff up to date with new information, including reminders about practice and tasks that need to be completed. The minutes of these meetings demonstrate discussions relating to improving outcomes for children, such as new ways to encourage children’s school attendance. This shows a focus on improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The working relationship between staff and professionals is good. Feedback from professionals is complimentary about the care provided to the children. Communication is noted as a key strength in ensuring consistent and good-quality care for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 5 Records of the children’s day-to-day lives lack detail, and it is difficult to obtain a clear picture of their life. This means that children may not be able to look back on an accurate record of the time they spent living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 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 provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 1 August 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff recognise that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: SC454484 7

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Children’s home details

Registered Provider : Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westgate Plaza, Westgate, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2RD

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC454484 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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