Children's Home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 1 SC040733 Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by the local authority and provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2023 Full Good 31/08/2022 Full Good 03/05/2022 Full Inadequate 01/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home. One child was spoken to by the inspector. Two children have left since the last inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care from a team of staff who know them well. The stability in the team means that children have the chance to develop positive and trusting relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s communication needs are well understood. Staff are guided by the children and the home’s therapist to establish child-focused ways of communicating with children that capture their wishes and feelings. In addition, consultations with children frequently take place to ensure that children have opportunities to contribute to day-to-day decisions about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s academic needs are taken seriously. Leaders and managers work closely with education professionals to help children access the right education provision. When children are reluctant to attend school, staff speak to them about the importance of education. Leaders and managers ensure that temporary arrangements for children to learn in other ways, such as home tuition and educational trips, are in place until suitable provisions are identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with people who they care about. Leaders, managers and staff work jointly with professionals to ensure that safety plans are in place to help children enjoy time with their family in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home was nicely decorated for Christmas and the children’s bedrooms personalised. However, areas of improvement that are needed in the home that were identified at the last inspection have not been addressed. In addition, the bedroom of one child was messy and some of the bedroom furniture in need of replacement due to it being worn out. The communal areas need redecoration, and some furnishings need to be either repaired or replaced, specifically in the dining area and downstairs toilet. The manager advised that work to renovate and decorate the home is due to start in January 2025.

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

Safeguarding practice is good. Children’s associated risks are well documented in safety plans that direct and support staff to manage these risks. Inter-agency working routinely takes place to ensure that there is a holistic approach to risk management. In addition, discussions with staff and the review of incidents demonstrate that children’s risks are well understood and responded to appropriately.

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

There is an effective response when children go missing. Staff carry out extensive searches to locate children. This includes regular communication with safeguarding Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 4 professionals, such as the police, to ensure that all resources are used to find children. In addition, leaders and managers work proactively with partners to consider strategies that reduce the number of incidents occurring. Consequently, there has been a reduction in missing-from-home incidents.

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

Allegations of abuse are handled quickly and fairly, in accordance with statutory guidance. Children’s social workers are notified to ensure that children have the right support during the investigation process. Referrals are made to professionals to allow for independent oversight. However, leaders and managers have not always ensured that the outcomes of investigations are shared with children, to reassure them that they are being listened to.

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

Direct work sessions educate children on how to keep safe. Staff understand that children’s adverse experiences can influence their behaviour. Because of this, behaviour management strategies are informed by therapeutic input from the home’s therapist, to ensure that staff respond sensitively to children.

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

Restraint practice is only used to protect children from harm. Children have the opportunity discuss and reflect on incidents with someone who was not part of the incident. Furthermore, the manager ensures that incidents are reviewed to assess whether action taken by staff is reasonable and proportionate. In the interest of fairness and transparency, when complaints about staff conduct during a restraint arise, these are independently reviewed by safeguarding partners.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She is child centred, committed to the children and knows them well. She is described by staff as being a supportive manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is effective support for staff. Staff have practice-related supervision and training that helps them to develop skills and knowledge to support children appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place often. They are child centred and used by the manager to share expectations about staff practice and ensure that staff understand their individual and collective role and responsibilities around caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review and act on children’s known risks in the community. They prioritise children’s welfare by ensuring that they appropriately challenge partners when their response to such risk compromises children’s well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have various systems to monitor the quality of care that children receive. This includes ensuring that incidents are thoroughly reviewed by the manager. However, the workforce development plan does not accurately reflect the skills and knowledge of the staff team. Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 5

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the home requires attention to ensure that it is of an appropriate standard for the children to live in, such as redecoration, repairing or replacing carpets and modernising communal bathrooms, replacing furniture in children’s bedrooms, and ensuring that damage is repaired in a timely manner. This is specifically in relation to doors, walls and damage in the ground floor toilet and the dining area.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 15 January 2025

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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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that when children complain, they are made aware of the outcome of any investigation that takes place. 15 January 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the workforce development plan includes all relevant information as set out in paragraph 10.8 of the regulations. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC040733 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 5DA

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Inspectors

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Renee Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC040733 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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