Children's home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 1 Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent 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

This local authority home is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At time of the inspection, no children were living in the home. The child who recently left was spoken with during the inspection.

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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: 1259118 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/06/2021 Full Good 19/11/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s needs and the support they require. They receive support and guidance from a psychologist. This expertise helps to enhance the skills of staff and the care and protection that children receive. Therapeutic support plans are updated and reviewed as children’s needs change. This means that children receive individualised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to understand their health needs. Staff supported one child to attend specialist health appointments. This helped the child to learn about changes in their physical health. Staff obtain specialist advice when this is required. This ensures children’s health needs are supported effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop thoughtful plans for children to move into the home. They work together with families and professionals to understand children’s needs. This enables detailed support plans to be developed. Children are supported to visit the home and to meet all the staff. This helps children to feel comfortable with staff before they move in. During the inspection, one child visited the home as part of their moving-in plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have planned moves out of the home. One child has moved to live with foster carers and another child to live in supported accommodation. Staff support children to be involved in planning their moves, which keeps them at the centre of all decision- making. Staff continue to support children when they have left. This creates a supportive network for children in the long term.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable. The communal areas are relaxing and have been redecorated. There is a dining table in the kitchen for children and staff to eat together. When children move in, their bedrooms are designed to reflect their individual needs. The garden is neatly grassed, with a patio and sensory flowerbeds. The manager recognises that consistent routines to maintain the physical environment of the home is an area of development.

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

Staff develop positive relationships with children. Staff support children to share their lived experiences. This helps children to understand risks and for any further support to be identified. External professionals say that staff are respectful and nurturing in their care. This approach ensures that children feel cared for and valued by staff.

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

Children have comprehensive support and risk plans. These are prepared and updated following consultation with the psychologist and any changes in children’s circumstances. This ensures children are supported when their needs change. One child had specific health needs which required the staff team to receive training to understand how to Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 4 support the child. The manager arranged for all staff to receive the required training. This helped the child to receive the appropriate support.

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

When children go missing, staff work together with the police to safely locate children. They follow the support and risk plans effectively. They support children to reflect on the reasons why they went missing and to understand the risks. The manager arranges multi-agency meetings to review missing incidents and whether children need additional support. This consistent approach has resulted in no missing episodes for 11 months. This means children are safer.

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

The manager arranges regular training for staff to ensure that they have the required skills to use physical intervention appropriately. Staff use safe physical interventions that help children to understand the reasons for the intervention and respect their dignity. The manager reviews all interventions to ensure that these are safe and proportionate, and that children’s views are heard.

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

Children know how to make complaints. The manager completes a detailed review of any complaint. Children are informed of the outcome of complaints, which helps them to feel safe. When required, staff receive further training and support. Leaders and managers recognised during the inspection that further reflection is required to consider how complaints regarding staff conduct are managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff are experienced and dedicated in their care of children. They share a vision to create a nurturing home that consistently uses therapeutic care to support children and to keep them safe. External professionals speak highly about the support children receive from staff. The manager and staff are motivated to maintain their support for children when they leave. This helps children to feel valued and provides them with consistent support as they move forward in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the importance of safe recruitment. There are clear monitoring systems to review staff recruitment. When children are moving in, leaders and managers consult with staff to explore the support children need. This ensures that staffing is appropriate to support children. This collaborative approach helps staff to feel valued and keeps children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported in their development with good-quality supervision meetings and training. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders and managers. Team meetings and consultations with the psychologist equip staff with the skills to safely care for children. The manager actively reviews staff development and arranges bespoke training to meet the needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and review systems have improved since the last inspection. The manager has developed an audit that enables a detailed understanding of children’s care Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 5 and staff practice. This is helping the manager to understand the areas that require further development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must reflect on how complaints regarding staff conduct are reviewed to ensure the safety of children. 14 February 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that everyone working at the home understands their roles and responsibilities when the manager is absent from the home. This specifically relates to the routines for maintaining the physical environment of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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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: 1259118 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1259118 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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Inspector

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