Children's Home run by Shropshire Council in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 1 SC382730 Registered provider: Shropshire Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers short breaks for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities. It is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is currently absent from the home. An interim acting manager has been appointed. They have submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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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: SC382730 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2023 Full Good 22/08/2022 Full Good 02/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were enjoying a short break at the home. Since the previous inspection, 55 children have received a planned short break and 29 children have received immediate short breaks. Six children have stayed beyond the maximum 17 days allowed for short break stays. However, these delays have been child- led decisions to ensure children experience a single positive move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the children are invited for their first short-break stay, there are no expectations placed on them. Some may choose to stay overnight from the start. Some will stay for the day or evening and then want to go home. Carers sensitively support and facilitate this until the children are confident to stay for the full duration of their short break. The children who already stay overnight are actively involved in welcoming the new children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s nurturing ethos supports the children to make excellent progress in many areas of their lives and develop lifelong skills and interests that build their self-esteem and sense of identity. Carers attend planning and review meetings relevant to the children. They celebrate the children’s overall progress, as well as their progress in meeting identified targets. Targets are monitored during the children’s stays and are used to plan activities and key-work discussions. Children’s successes and achievements are shared with professionals and families. This oversight and focus support the children’s strides towards meeting personal goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are central to the running of the home. Carers consult the children in all aspects of their care and support the children to take increasing control of decisions that affect them. All children participate in a welcome meeting each time they visit for a short break, and they have daily discussions and provide feedback at the end of each stay. This enables the managers and carers to revisit with the children expectations of kindness and respect towards others while on a short-break stay, while also monitoring the children’s emotions and exploring their anxieties. The manager responds to any observations made by the children about their experience of staying at the home. These discussions also encourage the children to participate in planning their stays by choosing bedrooms, activities and meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers are experienced at balancing planned activities with activities chosen by the children. These might include arts and crafts, imaginary play, computer games, baking or playing in the garden. Carers also support the children to go out into the local community. This might be a walk to the local park, a trip to the cinema or to the shops to spend pocket money. Some of these trips and activities enable the children to have social opportunities with friends that they are not able to experience at home or school. Carers have been to watch children play football for their team, taken a child who feared heights to climb a local hill to celebrate them overcoming their fear and supported a child to attend a regular work-experience placement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 4 Children grow in confidence and self-esteem. Some develop skills that increase their independence. Others are able to communicate their needs or socialise with other

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children with whom they can share interests, hobbies and enjoy social time. They form long-lasting, resilient friendships. They have fun learning a wide range of new skills and grow in confidence. Carers know the children well and are flexible and adaptable in how they respond to children. Parents and professionals praise the carers’ ability to create a safe and nurturing environment where children can be themselves and flourish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and carers work in close partnership with parents and external agencies to ensure that any education and health services the children access at home are continued while they are receiving a short-break service. For example, carers provide transport for them to attend education facilities and support the children with their health and well- being by encouraging them to eat healthy meals and take regular exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have individualised ‘My journey’ books with photos and comments charting their time at the home. However, sometimes these books have not been given to children when they have moved on from the short-break service. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on and celebrate positive memories and achievements and wish the children well as they move away from the service.

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

Managers and carers always promote the safety and well-being of the children. They have a clear understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures through induction, training, team meetings and supervisions. They understand the children’s vulnerabilities and the importance of having safeguarding measures in place to reduce the likelihood of incidents. As a result, they take appropriate action if the children are at risk of harm.

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

Managers and carers ensure that they carefully match the children who stay on each visit. When possible, they arrange for the children to frequently stay with the same friends. This process clearly identifies risks, and focuses on increasing the children’s opportunities to share, socialise with others and join in activities alongside their peers.

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

Managers are clear with professionals, parents and carers when planned short breaks are cancelled. This is to enable carers to meet the needs of those children who require immediate short breaks. This does not result in a reduction in the number of stays for the children who receive short breaks throughout the year.

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

Managers ensure that the children are safeguarded. When necessary, they make prompt referrals to appropriate partnership agencies. Any review identifies and actions any lessons learned. Carers help those children who require additional support to make informed decisions to keep themselves safe. They use a range of materials, including watching documentaries. This enables them to discuss and explore subjects such as online safety.

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

The carers sensitively support the children to live together. They encourage the children to discuss the impact that their behaviours can have on each other. Carers understand Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 5 the reasons behind children’s behaviours. They use this understanding effectively to help the children to resolve incidents. As a result, the number of incidents, physical interventions and missing-from-home episodes is low.

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

Carers follow the principles of restorative practice. They manage inappropriate behaviour through natural consequences, which helps the children to take responsibility and learn from their behaviour. Good routines and well-considered boundaries help the children to discuss their feelings and celebrate successes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has an acting manager and a deputy manager. The acting manager worked at the home as a deputy before taking on the acting manager role. They both place the children at the heart of their practice, and they promote a child-focused culture. They have an open-door policy to ensure that they are available to the children and carers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is a strong advocate for the children. She is confident in challenging other professionals when she believes that they are not acting in the children’s interests or fulfilling their responsibilities to the children. Managers and carers work in partnership with other professionals and with families to ensure that the children are reaching their full potential, are happy and are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers continue to review practice and drive up standards for the children. For example, the short-break policy has been reviewed and restated to carers and partnership agencies. Children’s targets are now being renewed, monitored and reviewed through planned activities and key-working sessions. Managers continue to reflect and consider how to develop these and other initiatives further through consultations with partner agencies, in carer meetings and team days and in ongoing service development plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The team of carers is stable and very skilled and knowledgeable. Carers benefit from regular team meetings, supervisions, appraisals and training. The acting manager continues to ensure carers’ knowledge and expertise meets the needs of the children. In addition to mandatory training and additional training, she organises sessions in team meetings and team days linked to new research, children new to the home and the emerging needs of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers use a range of internal and external auditing systems. However, these do not systematically capture the views and opinions of the children, their parents and placing authorities and the actions taken as a result to improve the service and experiences for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that regulation 45 reports monitors, reviews and evaluates the feedback and opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)  The registered person should ensure that regulation 44 reports gather and evaluate the views of children, their parents, relatives and staff working at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that as well as longer-term support for children to move on from the home effectively (regulation 6(2)(b)(vi)), the home has an important role in supporting each child leaving the home in the period immediately before their departure. The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for

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Recommendations

leaving both practically and emotionally. This specifically relates to ensuring that every child leaves the home with a record which celebrates their achievements and memories. ( ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: SC382730 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND

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Inspector

Dawn Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC382730 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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