Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 1 SC408369 Registered provider: Stoke on Trent City Council 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 two children who experience social and emotional difficulties because of early childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home. Two children have lived in the home during this inspection period. One of the children who moved from the home was spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted June 2020. The manager is also registered for another children’s home in the local authority.

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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: 26 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: SC408369 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2023 Full Good 24/05/2022 Full Good 22/06/2021 Full Good 03/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, four children have moved into the home and six children have moved out. Two children moved to other homes in the local authority due to staffing issues, three children moved out in line with their local authority care plan, and one child moved out for safeguarding reasons.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a planned way and receive visits from staff before moving in. Children’s needs and risks are carefully considered against the skill set of staff, children already living in the home and internal resources, such as clinical support. This helps children to feel less anxious and ensures that they are provided with individualised support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children who move from the home do so in a carefully considered way. Staff and managers are committed to ensuring that children move to the most suitable homes where their needs can be best met. Staff and managers challenge professionals and escalate their concerns with the relevant professionals when there are delays to children’s plans or if plans are not in children’s best interests. Children visit their new homes and are involved in decisions about their care. This approach to care planning supports children to feel valued, which contributes to their sense of self and their well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health is promoted by committed staff. Staff register children with primary services, and specialist help is made available according to children’s individual needs. Children are educated on the importance of good physical, emotional and mental well- being. This has contributed to maintaining and improving children’s health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have made progress with their education and learning from their starting points. Staff have discussions with children to explore barriers to education and advocate effectively on children’s behalf to ensure that they have the right education placements. Children who are waiting for suitable provisions, or remain resistant to attending education, receive support from staff with home learning and other educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with people who are important to them are promoted effectively by staff. Staff work proactively and positively with family members and social workers to support meaningful and safe contact between children and their families. One child said that seeing their sibling is the most important thing to them and staff ensure that this happens. This supports children’s sense of identity and helps them to make progress.

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

Overall, safeguarding practices are effective. Staff know the children well, mitigate risk for them and keep them safe. Detailed plans are regularly updated and provide clear Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 4 guidance for staff to follow if children are in crisis. Safety plans are implemented with children’s input. This approach supports children to understand and take responsibility for their own safety and ensures that they are safeguarded.

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

Staff and managers develop positive relationships with children. This has contributed to staff supporting children to understand and manage their emotions positively. A child said that their relationship with staff has helped them to feel settled and make good decisions. One professional said:

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

‘Staff supported [name of child] to understand their emotions and to self-regulate using different techniques. By the time they left the home, their self-awareness had improved, self-care skills had also improved as well as interpersonal skills.’

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

Children’s positive behaviour is promoted using praise and rewards. Staff manage unwanted behaviour by using consequences which are restorative. This helps children to take responsibility and learn from their behaviour.

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

Staff use physical intervention only when necessary to protect children from hurting themselves and others. De-escalation techniques are tailored to children’s individual needs. Managers provide children and staff with opportunities to reflect after incidents. When managers identify concerns with practice, these are addressed promptly. This practice ensures that any concerns with children or staff are acted on quickly and children feel safe living in their home.

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

When children go missing from home, staff act quickly to locate them as set out in their risk management plans. Staff share plans with the police and benefit from sharing information about risks such as child exploitation in the local area. The manager utilises a multi-agency approach effectively to review and manage risks to children. This proactive approach ensures that staff can respond quickly and effectively when children are at risk in the community.

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

Staff educate children about the risks they are exposed to when using the internet. Appropriate safety measures are in place to prevent children accessing inappropriate content online. As a result, children use the internet safely and no concerns have been identified with children being online.

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

Staff and managers ensure that the home environment is safe and free of hazards. Repairs are addressed promptly, and the safety of the home is regularly reviewed to ensure that it complies with wider policies and legislations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and child-centred manager leads the home. The manager has high aspirations for children and staff and remains resilient despite difficulties with staffing numbers. The home has experienced significant challenges due to staff sickness and staff leaving the organisation. The issues with staffing the home have significantly affected continuity of care for children. Consequently, leaders and managers have Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 5 decided to move two children to other homes in the organisation with a suitably skilled and consistent team of staff who can support their individual needs. Managers are actively recruiting to retain the staffing required to accommodate children and ensure that there is continuity of care. The home’s development plan clearly sets out the provider’s plan to recruit and retain staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Members of staff have commented on the challenges with staffing issues and how these affect staff morale. On the whole, staff have felt supported by managers during this time. Professionals are also extremely positive about the commitment of the staff and managers to children despite the staffing challenges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have the relevant training required to appropriately support children’s individual needs and ensure that they are safe. Regular consultations with the organisation’s clinical lead are used effectively in supporting staff with the skills to support children. This allows staff to understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours and provide a nurturing environment for the children. This support has helped staff to provide individualised care for children that is underpinned by the home’s therapeutic model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses a range of monitoring and reviewing systems which are effective in maintaining oversight of the home. External monitoring of the home by the home’s independent person is used effectively to identify areas for improvement. There have been some delays with the regulator receiving reports. It was identified during the inspection that this is a result of an administration process instead of a management shortfall. This was rectified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders ensure that arrangements for recruitment are robust. This helps with ensuring that children are cared for by staff who are safe and appropriate to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 6

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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: SC408369 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC408369 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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