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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 1 SC369840 Registered provider: Stoke on Trent City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority and offers care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified manager in post, who was registered in February 2023.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2023 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Good 20/11/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 3

p.2

improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are happy and get on well with staff. One child told the inspector that they enjoy visiting castles, going to the park and playing football with staff. Another child said that they feel more settled than they have for a long time in this home and described it as being ‘one of the best homes’ they have lived in.

p.3

improvement to be good

When children move on from the home, they are well supported and have a positive experience. Children benefit from well-planned moves into the home. For one child, staff spent time with them before they moved in, taking them on days out and getting to know them. This helped the child to feel more comfortable and to become familiar with staff before their move. However, assessments carried out to decide if the staff can meet the child’s needs before they move into the home are not thorough. Risks associated with them returning to the local area are not well considered.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s progress with education is mixed. One child is now achieving 100% attendance and making good progress. Another child is not on roll at school and receives no formal education. While the manager and staff are working with professionals to address this, the child’s daily routine is not preparing them for a return to education. Staff carry out some informal learning with the child. However, records do not reflect how well the child engages with this work or what is achieved.

p.3

improvement to be good

One child, who has a health condition, is well supported by staff who are sensitive to their condition. Staff help this child to manage their health with well-established routines, which has reduced the negative impact this condition has. Another child has been engaging with support for their emotional health. They are also receiving help from staff to take their medication regularly and to establish a good sleep routine. Despite this progress, the child has not engaged with several health appointments, including their annual health assessment. No work has been carried out with the child to understand their reluctance to attend appointments, and some of their health needs remain unmet. Additionally, the child is not yet registered with a dentist. The child’s health records are confusing, and the outcome of one health matter has not been recorded.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is not well maintained. A leak in the hall has been poorly repaired, paintwork needs attending to, and the carpets are threadbare in places. One child said that the bathroom looks dirty, even when it has been cleaned. There are plans to improve the garden. At the time of inspection, it was not well maintained. Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Children feel safe and risks are reducing. One child, who has a significant history of going missing from home, including being missing overnight, has not gone missing from home as often and has not been missing overnight since living at the home. When the child has ran away or refused to return to the home, staff have taken swift action to help them to return home.

p.4

improvement to be good

One child has received support for their emotional health, and incidents of self-harm are sensitively managed by staff. The child told the inspector that they feel less anxious since living at the home. During a period of low mood for the child, the manager increased staffing at night to provide extra support during that time.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children benefit from clear boundaries. Incidents resulting in the need for restraint have reduced. Staff speak with children after incidents of restraint. This helps children to understand how they feel and try to learn from what happened.

p.4

improvement to be good

One child made an allegation following an incident of restraint. The manager and staff took immediate action to ensure that all relevant professionals were informed, and the staff concerned did not work with children while processes were followed. However, the child was questioned about the incident outside of managing allegations procedures and outside of the advice of the local authority designated officer. This poor practice had not been identified through management oversight of the incident.

p.4

improvement to be good

Positive reinforcement and consequences are applied inconsistently by staff. There is a lack of review and analysis regarding how effective measures are. As a result, it is difficult to see what impact they have on promoting positive behaviour or discouraging negative behaviour from children. Additionally, one record of restraint details that a child’s games console was removed. However, there is no recorded consequence for this incident. This raises concern that consequences have not always been recorded, which further reduces the ability to sufficiently analyse how and when consequences are used.

p.4

improvement to be good

Bedroom searches have taken place as part of a safety plan for a child. Records do not always say if the child was informed or present when checks take place, and, if not, include an explanation about why not. Some records also state that direct work will be carried out following a search. However, there is no corresponding piece of work to show that this has taken place.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a qualified and experienced manager. Staff feedback is wholly positive about the support they receive from the manager, the responsible individual and the wider service. The staff team is stable, with no external recruitment since the last inspection. The staff are positive about the children, the support they give one another and the work they do. One child told the inspector that they would like to have more Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 5 female members of staff. This is something the manager and responsible individual are seeking to address.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Professional feedback is positive. One social worker told the inspector that there has been notable progress for the child they support since they came to live at the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Records are poorly organised and some are confusing. While some information is duplicated in several places, some information is not recorded. The systems for maintaining management oversight are poor. External monitoring has not always been effective. The analysis in the home’s quality of care report does not help to clearly identify the impact of the quality of care on children’s progress and experiences.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A requirement from the last inspection has not been met. However, this has had no impact on the quality of care or safety of the children currently living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff understand how to manage allegations in line with policy and procedure, including speaking to children when an allegation has been made. 22 August 2024

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a review of the systems for making and maintaining records in the home is carried out. 22 September 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 22 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.6

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)(viii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.7

Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

p.7

Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs;

p.7

Requirement Due date

and that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(iii)(b)) 22 August 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home. (Regulation 16 (4))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 22 August 2024

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with a clean and well- maintained environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that the process for imposing consequences and rewards is reviewed to ensure consistency, including how they are recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 46 and 47, paragraphs 9.38 and 9.39) Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 8  The registered person should ensure that records of searches of children’s bedrooms are clear and state whether children have been informed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that the gender mix in the home is considered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54,

p.7

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: SC369840 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Floor 2, Stoke on Trent ST4 1HH

p.9

Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, Ofsted Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 10 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10