Children's Home run by Brooks & Brooks Recruitment Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 1 Registered provider: Brooks and Brooks Recruitment Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated and provides care for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024 and is registered to manage another one of the provider’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward following several safeguarding notifications received by Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, the registered manager was absent from the home. During the inspection, the inspector spoke with the child who was living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Care planning for a child moving into the home has not always been effective. Initial risk assessments do not consider strategies to manage the child’s known risks and if staff can meet the child’s needs. As a result, one child’s placement ended abruptly. The provider has since reviewed how it plans for and supports a child with complex needs.

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improvement to be good

The child has not yet accessed formal education. There have been significant delays in securing a school placement. A school placement was secured, but the child’s mental health took priority and so they were unable to attend. The child’s social worker said that the staff team has been proactive in keeping the child occupied during school time, for example through using courses online.

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improvement to be good

The child has positive and trusting relationships with staff who understand their needs and complexities. This has helped the child to feel more settled and secure. The child benefits from weekly sessions with the provider’s therapist. This helps the child to talk about past trauma and to improve their emotional well-being. There is evidence of progress for the child, who historically has refused to engage with health professionals in relation to mental health concerns.

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improvement to be good

The child feels listened to and that their views, wishes and feelings are considered. Their voice is evidenced in their care and behaviour management plans. The child is consulted about family time, which is being taken at the child’s own pace. Staff advocate on behalf of the child to ensure that family time is appropriate and supports the child’s emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

The child is kept occupied with a range of recreational activities which are based on their interests. They are supported to engage in regular physical exercise, such as walks in the park, trampolining and zip line courses. These activities are included the child’s weekly planners, alongside work to build on the child’s independence skills, to help to prepare them for adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Medication arrangements are not always safe. A spare asthma inhaler has not been accounted for and there is no record of it having been brought into the home. In addition, used antihistamines are stored in the medication cabinet, without a record of who they belong to or when they have been administered. This means that the Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 4 monitoring systems to ensure that medication is safely stored, accounted for and recorded are ineffective.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers ensure that allegations procedures are followed. Safeguarding professionals are notified of any concerns shared without delay. Leaders and managers escalate concerns raised by the child with their placing authority and the local authority designated officer (LADO). However, they have failed to notify Ofsted of the referral to the LADO and the concerns associated.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that information is consistent in the child’s missing-from- home risk management plans. This means that staff are not provided with clear guidance to keep the child safe. However, overall, staff take appropriate action when the child is missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

When consequences are given to the child, they are used proportionately. However, leaders and managers do not consistently review the effectiveness of the consequence. In addition, when the child has had personal belongings, such as their mobile phone, removed because of their behaviour, there are no clear records to evidence if the child has received their items back within the timescales recorded.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the deprivation of liberty order (DLO) in place for the child. There is a clear and up-to-date safety plan in place, which details the responsibilities and the measures to keep the child safe. Staff use effective de-escalation strategies in line with the child’s behaviour plans to help the child to reduce their level of risk and incidents of self-injury. Staff benefit from additional in-house workshops with the therapist to support the work they do with children. The staff team has dealt with several serious incidents and has provided the child with intense crisis support.

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improvement to be good

Direct work with the child is detailed and purposeful. The sessions address areas identified in the child’s risk assessments to help minimise risks. This specifically relates to developing the child’s knowledge around personal safety in the community, e-safety, understanding their DLO and the measures in place to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff sometimes hold the child to keep the child safe. Physical intervention techniques are used proportionately. Some recent improvements have been made to the records, following recording issues. Leaders and managers recognise that these improvements should continue to ensure that restraint records are consistently reviewed.

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

Senior managers and a manager from another home are currently overseeing the home and supporting the staff team during the manager’s absence. The operations manager has recently put in place a monthly audit to address areas to be developed and to provide regular monitoring of the home.

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

There continues to be a high number of agency staff being used in the home. However, there has been a slight reduction since the last inspection. Leaders and managers ensure Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 5 that agency staff work with core staff. New staff have been recruited for the home and will join the team once they have undergone the recruitment checks.

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

The management of complaints is not always effective. Managers have not always ensured that written responses are provided in relation to the outcomes of a complaint. On one occasion, a concern raised by the police was not followed up. This means that the provider has failed to follow its own complaints policy.

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

Training arrangements ensure that staff are competent to meet children’s needs and to understand their role. However, practice-related supervision sessions are not consistently carried out with all staff in a timely manner, in line with the home’s supervision policy. Recently, the deputy manager has started a plan to bring staff supervision sessions and probationary reviews up to date. Consequently, staff are now starting to feel more supported and secure in their roles.

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

Leaders and managers use team meetings to share information and to provide the staff team with guidance and support from the in-house therapist. In recent weeks, leaders and managers have used the meetings to highlight areas of improvement required to staff practice and paperwork.

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

The manager’s quality of care report does not clearly evaluate the impact of the service on the child’s experiences. It does not include feedback from children and staff and there is no plan of action to improve the quality of care. The report is produced by the deputy manager and there is no evidence of oversight by the manager.

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

The independent visitor provides a detailed monthly evaluation of the quality of care provided to the child and sets appropriate recommendations to support improvement and development. However, they do not regularly obtain feedback from the child, staff and other key people to provide additional scrutiny to the assessment of the quality of care provided to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 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. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, effective monitoring systems are required to ensure that medication is safely stored, accounted for and recorded. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, asset out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Requirement 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk assessments should include specific strategies to mitigate risks associated with children’s behaviour to determine their suitability to live in the home. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii))

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children’s risk plans and protocols relating to missing from home include consistent information in relation to their current plans. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive regular practice-related supervision in line with the provider’s policy. 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 4 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 8 When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality-of-care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality-of-care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (5)) 4 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. The home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. Specifically, staff should be creative in finding ways to keep the child’s bedroom, bathroom areas and general home feeling warm and homely. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the staff act as effective advocates for or on behalf of a child who may be experiencing difficulties with education or training matters, including, but not limited to, attainment, admissions, attendance or Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 9 behaviour, as a good parent would do. Specifically, leaders and managers should act to ensure that there are no further delays to the child accessing formal education.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.12)

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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: 2711581 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brooks and Brooks Recruitment

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hilton Jones Limited, Hollinwood Business Centre, Albert Street, Oldham OL8 3QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Junior Brandford

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2711581 11 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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