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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 1 SC369825 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

This home is run by a local authority. It is registered to care for up to two children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 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

Date of last inspection: 5 December 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: SC369825 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2023 Full Good 17/05/2022 Full Good 05/10/2021 Full Good 26/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has experienced a number of changes since the last inspection, with two children moving in and two children moving out. At the time of inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences are positive, and they are making good progress. Children say they like the adults who care for them and that they feel listened to and well supported. One child said about the manager, ‘He listens, and he gets things done.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience consistent care from dedicated staff. Staff speak about children with warmth and affection. They remain sensitive to children’s identities, developmental needs and family history. This supports the development of shared, trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s education. One child experienced delays in accessing education after arriving at the home, and the manager escalated this matter with relevant external professionals. Both children now have access to suitable education that meets their needs. Staff and the manager communicate well with education professionals, and this aids children’s engagement and learning. Children understand the expectations staff have of them for education and have excellent attendance. As a result of staff support and advocacy, both children have made progress in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to build and maintain relationships with people who are important to them. A child’s parent said how well the staff had supported them, resulting in family time increasing and reunification plans for the child progressing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with exceptional support to prepare them for independence. Plans for independence begin as children move into the home. They are individual, flexible and purposeful and consider the children’s strengths and vulnerabilities. For a child nearing adulthood, staff are exploring ways of strengthening lifelong links to support them to maintain relationships with adults who want the best for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to hobbies and activities. Staff have introduced fishing as a hobby, and both children have responded well to this. There are photos displayed throughout the home of the children and staff fishing. Children have competed in fishing competitions, and one child has won a medal, demonstrating the enjoyment and achievement they gain from this new hobby.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a therapeutic approach from staff. This is an area of strength. The approach is clear in the children’s plans and risk assessments, and this helps to embed the approach in the care provided for children. Staff work creatively to capture children’s views, wishes and feelings well. Children know how to raise concerns, and they engage Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 4 well with one-to-one sessions. As a result, children feel valued, and they grow in confidence.

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

The manager and staff respond well to children who go missing from the home. They review plans in line with the children’s circumstances, age and stage of development. Staff involve children in meetings, discussions and plans, and this helps them understand risk and develop strategies to keep themselves safe. Staff also work hard to support children to take age-appropriate risks. As a result, missing-from-home incidents have reduced.

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

Children and staff benefit from the support of a clinical team that engages children in meaningful discussions about understanding and managing risks. When appropriate, additional staff training with the clinical team is arranged. The manager and staff ensure good practice is shared. As a result, children moving on from the home have access to a support network that understands their risks and vulnerabilities.

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

Children benefit from staff undertaking good-quality direct work with them. This helps them manage their feelings and behaviours. Children can reflect and share with staff what the staff can do to help them. Open discussions support children to reflect on real- life scenarios and decisions that may place themselves and others at risk. This helps children to build their resilience and become active decision-makers in the future.

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

Children’s health needs are well supported. Staff are trained in first aid and have protocols in place to support each child’s individual health needs. Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure children have access to the services they need. This includes specialist substance misuse support services. When children are unwilling to access this support, staff seek consultation from specialist professionals to offer one-to- one support in-house.

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

Since the last inspection, concerns have been raised regarding the local authority’s recruitment systems. Senior leaders worked swiftly to address these and have disseminated learning to managers. This has led to improvements in their systems to ensure staff are recruited safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and is supported by a dedicated staff team. Staff speak highly of the manager. Supervision sessions are regular and of good quality, and staff receive regular training that is relevant to the children’s individual needs. This supports staff development and leads to child-focused practice that is safe and consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both the responsible individual and the manager have a shared vision, with children at the heart of practice. Both are open to challenge and learning. This supports a reflective staff team that has high expectations for children. There are currently plans to Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 5 strengthen overnight staffing arrangements after managers identified this as an area for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are positive in their feedback. They say multi-agency working is effective and that staff are strong advocates for the children. Professionals also recognise the positive support children receive when moving on from the home. The registered manager ensures that team meetings are informative and child focused. They include a good level of discussion about children’s needs, and this discussion is enhanced by the inclusion of the clinical team. This helps staff think about children’s needs from different perspectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a range of systems to oversee the children’s quality of care. These have improved since the previous inspection. Oversight of staff practice is clear, and when needed, this leads to challenge, discussion and shared learning. The manager uses reports from the independent visitor and peer audits to review and improve practice. However, the visitor’s reports have not always been shared with the regulator in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most of the staff are qualified and have a good level of experience. This means they have a good level of knowledge in relation to their roles. This helps to ensure that they provide good-quality care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 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 registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 31 March 2025

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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: SC369825 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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Inspectors

Mandy Wake, Social Care Inspector Nateisha Cardoza-Evans, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC369825 8 regulates and inspects to 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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