Barton Moss Secure Care Centre

Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 1 Barton Moss Secure Care Centre 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 secure children’s home

This secure children’s home is operated by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The home can care for up to 27 children aged between 10 and 18 years. All places available at the home are commissioned on a contractual basis by the Youth Custody Service. The admission of any child aged under 13 years under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services in this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site, in dedicated facilities.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2023. There were 20 children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

Children’s education and learning good Children’s health 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 secure children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2024 Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2024 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Good 03/08/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with the children in a short space of time. Staff promote structure and boundaries in the children’s daily routine. This contributes to their goals of attending education, sleeping soundly, and living harmoniously. One child said, ‘It feels like home here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support some children to take part in purposeful activities outside of the home. These activities enhance children’s practical skills and allows them to contribute meaningfully to the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff oversee children’s complaints thoughtfully and address concerns effectively. They keep children informed through regular newsletters, updating them on upcoming events and staff changes. This communication helps create a sense of stability and predictability, contributing to the children’s security in their environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s communication and sensory needs are understood, and adaptations are made to ensure children feel valued and included. For example, staff produced a pictorial version of a child’s court order to help them to understand the processes. Furthermore, staff recognise and respect each child ‘s culture and they celebrate religious diversity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that staff help them to feel settled when they first arrive at the home, and describe staff as ‘really nice and helpful.’ When children move from the home to the community or adult estate, plans are thorough, and they prioritise children’s needs and wishes. The interventions and case management team make significant efforts to build relationships with establishments receiving children. This ensures smooth transitions.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Managers and staff make effective use of information from a wide range of assessments to identify children’s educational starting points when they arrive at the home. They use this information effectively to plan and deliver the curriculum and put in place appropriate learning support. For example, staff support children very well to improve their verbal communication skills.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Education staff provide children with an environment that is welcoming and supportive. Many of the children in the home have experienced significant trauma in the past. Staff make considerable efforts to meet children’s personal, social, and emotional needs. As a result, most children, many of whom have struggled to engage in their previous schools, participate very well. They attend lessons regularly, behave very well in class, and show respect towards teachers and visitors. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 5 Leaders and managers plan the curriculums well so that children study a wide range of academic and vocational subjects that support their personal development and their career aspirations, such as science, creative and design technology, and cookery skills. Most teachers teach the curriculum very well. Children develop their skills and knowledge through a range of well-planned and interesting activities.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Teachers manage learning in the classroom well and adapt the particularly useful resources to meet the needs of children of different abilities and ages. Consequently, children can focus on their studies. Teachers and learning assistants work together well but do not always plan the specific support children need in lessons to meet their needs.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Teachers provide children with constructive oral feedback on their work. In subjects such as science, design and technology children flourish and confidently produce work of a high standard. However, in English and mathematics, staff do not consistently provide children with useful feedback. This means children may not understand what they have done well, what progress they have made and what steps they need to take to improve further.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Leaders do not ensure that teachers in mathematics plan the curriculum so it is based on what children know and can do at the start of studies. As a result, their curriculum is not ambitious enough. Children do not make the progress that they are capable of in mathematics.

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Children’s education and learning: good

The head of education provides comprehensive and inspiring leadership. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in education. They have resolved the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. For example, leaders have supported staff to make improvements to how they set targets for children, so these are more focussed on how they can develop their skills.

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Children’s education and learning: good

Children receive effective careers advice and guidance from education staff. They attend individual career interviews with advisors to help them to make informed and realistic decisions about their next steps in education, training, and employment after moving on from the home. As a result, children are prepared for their transition.

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Children’s health: good

When children arrive at the home, they undergo a variety of health assessments to identify any immediate health needs, including physical and mental health concerns and potential substance misuse. On occasions when the health team are not available, residential staff follow processes in place to ensure that children’s urgent health needs are documented. This ensures that immediate health needs are addressed promptly.

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Children’s health: good

Children’s physical and emotional health is well supported through a coordinated and personalised approach. A variety of therapists in the home provide timely help to children and ensure staff receive skilled advice. This means that children get the all- round support they need when they need it. Furthermore, children also benefit from Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 6 having assessments to establish neuro-diverse needs. This collaborative approach ensures comprehensive care for each child.

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Children’s health: good

Health professionals review incidents and see children when children have been physically restrained, incidents of single separation or managed away. This ensures children are and feel supported. Health staff are not on-site at weekends but are informed every Monday about any incidents. In a few cases, they have not always seen these children. When health staff are not available, residential staff provide appropriate support to children. Staff are also first aid trained and would seek advice from NHS services if required.

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Children’s health: good

The medication policy is generally followed, with medication stored correctly and low incidence errors. However, the intended administration of medication with one child, did not align with the policy.

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Children’s health: good

Health staff are integral to the leadership team, and regular senior meetings provide a platform to discuss health-related issues. A health needs analysis has been conducted to pinpoint areas for improvement in health services. Additionally, systems are in place to ensure good practice, including the management of controlled drugs.

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

There are small numbers of physical interventions, managed away and single separation incidents. This is because staff know the children well and can mitigate any escalation in unwanted behaviours through verbal redirection. Staff promote mediation with the children, and support them to reflect on their behaviours. This often repairs the children’s relationships and helps them to move on.

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

Staff always practice single separation and managed away appropriately and to keep children and others safe. However, management oversight is not always effective and, on occasions recording errors have been missed.

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

Children’s room search records provide a clear rationale for its use. The professional curiosity of some staff has led to some significant finds. This helps to keep children safe and protected from harm.

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

Staff know the children’s risks, and follow the assessments that are in place. Staff know what is required to help to keep children safe and this is evident in their practice.

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

Managers take effective action when safeguarding incidents occur. They ensure that any incidents of concern are reported swiftly to the designated officer. This means incidents are dealt with in a timely manner. The manager takes the necessary action to improve staff practice. This helps to further safeguard the children. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 7

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager successfully balances strategic leadership with the daily management of the home. She delegates clearly defined responsibilities to the management team, fostering consistency and shared accountability. This collaborative approach ensures the home runs smoothly, with all staff working together to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The senior leadership team is a visual presence in and around the home. Managers and staff know the children well. Their involvement with the children promotes a relaxed and settled atmosphere.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic for children’s voices to be heard and advocate they for them when they need to. Managers actively challenge other services when actions and decisions are not in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional development of the staff team is encouraged by managers, and some staff have been promoted. Staff are eager to learn and spoke about how good their training is. One staff said, ‘The health team are always delivering training, and it is individual to each child.’ This informs the development of staff’s skills, which allows them to better meet children’s ever-changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Health and education attend regular staff team meetings. This allows for reflective discussions on children’s needs and emerging issues. The collaboration across all disciplines ensures effective integration, promoting consistency in practice and care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses and of the service, and has a development plan in place to move the home forward. Audits of the home are mainly good; however, on some occasions they have not identified records that are not child friendly. Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 8

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Recommendations

 Children subject to restraint procedures are seen as soon as possible and in line with the timescales identified by the secure setting’s procedures. (Health care standards for children and young people in secure settings 2023; paragraph 6.7.3, page 40)  The registered person must ensure that staff follow all sections of the medication policy when administering children their medication. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that the feedback that children receive in English and mathematics is clear so that children know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve the quality of their work. Furthermore, managers should ensure that mathematics teachers plan learning, so it is based on individual children’s starting points, so they make the progress of which they are capable. (‘Guide to The

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 26, paragraph 5.2)  The registered person should ensure that learning support in lessons meets the needs of learners who need extra help. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations including, the quality standards,’ page 28, paragraph 5.13)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records are written in a way that is helpful for them and non-blaming. (‘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 secure children’s home: SC040500 9

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Secure children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Tash Williams, Social Care Inspector Carolyne Brownsea, His Majesty’s Inspector, Further Education and Skills David Roberts, Children’s Services Inspector, Care Quality Commission Inspection report for secure children’s home: SC040500 10 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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