Children's home run by Manchester City Council in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 1 SC063683 Registered provider: Manchester City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for four children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2018.

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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: 5 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2023 Full Good 01/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/06/2021 Full Good 25/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed nurturing relationships with children and understand their needs well. As a result, children feel supported and can identify trusted adults in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is regularly reviewed by staff, which ensures that they are fully aware of any current areas in which children may need additional support. Children say that they feel cared for by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences when moving into the home. The registered manager and staff consider the needs of all children before a new child moves into the home. Staff can identify potential challenges in the relationships between children and have ensured that appropriate safeguards are in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to promote children’s individual identities and ensure that their cultural needs are understood and respected. When one child from a different cultural background to the other children moved into the home, staff supported them, at their request, to cook dishes and explored the different approaches to cooking. This enabled the child to share their culture with others in the home and to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When barriers to children attending education are identified, the registered manager works effectively with professionals to find an appropriate solution to ensure that children are receiving education. As a result, children are accessing bespoke education, in mainstream settings or with tutoring at home, that reflects their individual needs. The registered manager has advocated strongly for a child who moved into the home without an education plan to identify an appropriate provision that provides effective support to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met. There are clear plans in place with guidance for staff to follow for one child who has specific health needs. Staff support children to attend regular routine and specialist health appointments. When children have chosen not to attend, staff have provided encouragement and clear advice around the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children’s time with their family and friends and facilitate this to ensure it is safe and supportive.

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

Risk assessments are in place that are current and consider a wide range of risks to children. Consequently, staff have a good understanding of the risks faced by children and the actions identified to support them.

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

Staff respond quickly when children go missing from the home and make consistent attempts to locate children to ensure their safety. Staff work closely with children to try Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 4 to understand the reasons why they may choose to go missing from the home and identify solutions to reduce these incidents.

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

Incidents are well managed by the staff team, in a consistent manner. Children are supported with follow-up work by staff to review any incidents and identify any additional areas of support.

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

Staff know the children well and can de-escalate situations effectively. As a result, incidents rarely occur that require staff to physically hold children. When children have been held by staff, this has been necessary to avoid the child causing harm to others or themselves.

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

Children understand how to make a complaint. When children have raised issues in the home, the management team has completed appropriate investigations, and children have been kept updated. There is a clear record of action taken and all appropriate professionals are informed. Consequently, children feel that their views are considered and valued.

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

Staff are keen to develop their understanding of children’s behaviours and use therapeutically-informed approaches to support them. Staff are in regular consultation with specialist support teams to further enhance their knowledge of children’s individual needs.

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

Some staff records do not reflect the positive support provided to children. Hand-written records are not always legible and do not always provide a full and detailed overview of incidents or events. The registered manager has identified this as an area for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager who is assisted by two deputy managers. The registered manager knows the children well and leads by example. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel well supported by the management team. Regular team meetings take place which ensure that staff are kept fully up to date with children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend a range of face-to-face and online training that is reviewed regularly by the registered manager. This ensures that the staff have the skills to provide consistent care to children. Training that is specific to the individual needs of the children living in the home is prioritised, including training around forced marriage, gang culture and youth violence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a well-planned induction to the home and regular reviews of staff practice by senior workers are effective. The registered manager promotes staff development and encourages staff to develop their skills and attain qualifications that further enhance their care practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 5 Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision that provides them with opportunities to discuss and reflect on their care of children in the home. Both group and individual supervision sessions provide alternative perspectives on the care provided and show collaborative working within the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is actively recruiting staff to ensure that there is a full staff team to meet the needs of the children. On occasions, non-permanent staff have worked in the home. The registered manager has a clear induction pack for any non-permanent staff members that is regularly updated. This ensures that all staff working in the home have up-to-date information on children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘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: SC063683 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Manchester City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall Extension, Manchester M2 5DB

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Inspectors

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063683 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 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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