Children's home run by Staffordshire County Council in Stafford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 1 SC375911 Registered provider: Staffordshire County 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 managed children’s home provides short-break care for up to four children. This home may provide care for children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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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: SC375911 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2023 Full Good 11/02/2020 Full Outstanding 28/02/2019 Full Outstanding 08/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, the home supports 18 children and their families. Each child has a tailored package to meet their needs, which include overnight stays and outreach sessions. During this inspection, three children were receiving an outreach service. The inspector spoke to all three children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully considers new referrals for children. The manager takes considerable time to understand each child’s vulnerabilities and risks and how these might affect the children already using the service. Staff visit the children’s family homes to gather parents’ views and visit children at school as part of the introduction process. Children are also invited to visit the home and meet the staff team. This proactive approach helps children to settle in quickly, ensures their stability and safety, and minimises any unnecessary disruption to their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children build excellent relationships with the staff. Staff foster nurturing relationships with the children. Children hug and cuddle staff and staff respond with kindness, creating a sense of emotional safety and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff effectively communicate with children using children’s preferred method of communication. These methods include picture exchange, gestures and body language and Makaton. Communication boards placed throughout the centre further help children to express themselves, ensuring that children feel heard and understood. One social worker said, ‘The staff understand [Name of child’s] communication needs really well; they know his communication routines.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have the best possible experiences during their stay by tailoring activities to each child’s individual preference. Staff know the children exceptionally well, including their likes and dislikes, and create bespoke activity planners for them. Children take part in a range of indoor and adventurous outdoor activities, such as water play, bowling and day trips to see animals. These experiences not only allow children to have fun and spend quality time with their friends, but also help to build their confidence, develop their social skills, and encourage their creativity and curiosity in a supportive environment. One parent said, ‘They do lovely activities and take [Name of child] out and about to different places; he has good experiences.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress with their independence skills. Staff support children to prepare and cook simple snacks and food. Staff patiently help children to cook their evening meal, providing hand-over-hand support as children chop vegetables, grate cheese and stir in sauce. This helps children to develop essential life skills, build confidence and gain a sense of responsibility. It also enhances their finer motor skills, teaches them about teamwork and promotes independence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 4 The home is a large building, which has a welcoming and homely atmosphere. It features several child-centred areas, including a sensory room, that are easily accessible, allowing children to have fun and feel comfortable. A wide range of toys and games are available for play. The spacious garden is well equipped for active, imaginative and water play. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] is really happy there. I love the place; it is

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

homely, clean, cosy and very stimulating.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Memory books are created for each child to ensure that children have photos and mementoes of their achievements.

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

The managers and staff understand the risks posed to and from children. There are clear risk management plans, which are reviewed regularly. They provide clear guidance for staff and information about how to protect children.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations or complaints. There have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. All children have clear plans for staff to follow if such incidents occur.

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

Staff regularly engage children in conversations to understand their wishes and feelings. They also use these discussions as opportunities to educate children about staying safe. For example, children took part in a workshop on bullying and what unkind behaviour is. This helps children to stay safe by raising their awarness of harmful behaviours, teaching them how to recognise and respond to such situations and encouraging open communication with trusted adults.

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

Staff use a positive approach to support children’s behaviour, focusing on rewards rather than consequences. Children are praised daily and rewarded with choosing a gift from the reward box. This approach helps children by reinforcing positive behaviour, boosting their self-esteem and encouraging them to make good choices. Staff create a supportive environment where children feel valued and motivated to behave.

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

The manager and staff ensure the safety of the home through regular auditing. For example, fire alarms, children’s safe beds, hoists and the security doors are regularly checked. Checks are conducted by both the manager and external specialist organisations to guarantee that all equipment is safe for children to use. This keeps everyone safe by identifying and addressing potential hazards, maintaining high safety standards and ensuring that all equipment functions correctly, to prevent accidents and injuries.

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

There are sufficient safer recruitment checks in place to ensure that adults have been suitably vetted before commencing employment.

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

There have been two physical interventions since the last inspection. Following the use of physical intervention, children are not spoken to or given the chance to talk about what has happened. This is a missed opportunity for children to express their feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 5 Additionally, staff are not consistently spoken to following an incident. This absence of oversight and evaluation means that managers fail to identify whether restraint practices are proportionate, safe or effective, and hinders opportunities for staff to learn .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious and has a vision for the home. She takes pride in the work that she and her staff team deliver for the children. The manager advocates well for the children and ensures that they are supported to make progress in their lives. The manager works hard to build trusting relationships with the children, which provide them with a sense of security and belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they like working in the home. They get on well and support each other. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive from the manager. This practice supports a happy and healthy staff culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular training to make sure that they have the skills and competencies necessary to meet the diverse needs of the children who use this service. There are systems in place to make sure that training is regularly updated or refreshed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff receive regular supervision or annual appraisal. This limits their opportunities to build skills and knowledge and prevents effective planning for their ongoing development. This oversight weakens the overall effectiveness of the home in providing quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not always check the identity of visitors. This does not safeguard children because it allows individuals to remain in the home unchecked, potentially putting children at risk. Verifying identification immediately is essential to ensure that only authorised and trustworthy individuals have access to the children and premises.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring has been ineffective in identifying shortfalls. There are significant gaps in recording practices. For example, relevant information is missing from a number of important documents, which include fire drill information and children’s case records. This lack of oversight has the potential to negatively impact the quality of care for children, leaving their needs unmet and compromising their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with parents and external agencies is excellent. The manager and staff have developed strong relationships with all external professionals. One social worker said, ‘Staff here are knowledgeable and supportive, communication is really good, fantastic service; we need more centres likes these.’ Another child’s parent said, ‘It’s a brilliant centre. In terms of improvement, I cannot see how they can do anymore.’ A common thread in the feedback was staff’s commitment to the children, the homely atmosphere and the good progress that children make. Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 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

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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff and children involved in physical interventions are spoken to within timescales and that this is recorded. 28 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 7 (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of clear recording.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain a robust safeguarding culture. This includes ensuring that all visitors’ identification is thoroughly checked before granting them access to the centre. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.8)  The registered person should ensure that their internal monitoring systems are effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal to ensure that they are supported in their roles, their performance is reviewed, and their professional development needs are identified and addressed, improving the quality of care provided to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 3.2)

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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: SC375911 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Staffordshire Place, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 2DH

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC375911 9 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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