Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 1 SC028905 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 home provides care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences. The home’s manager recently took on the role and is planning to apply to register. They are currently working towards their level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations were considered alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this home on 26 February 2025 to carry out an assurance inspection. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2023 Full Good 15/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 3

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improvement to be good

There is one child living in the home. They were present and spoken to during the inspection. A high number of staff support the child to keep them safe. This includes a team of agency staff. There is also a large team of professionals involved in supporting the child’s care planning. The child has been living in the home for 10 months.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, managers have made some improvements to the care that the child receives. These improvements have led to a reduction in serious incidents involving the child. However, some safeguarding arrangements and management systems continue to require improvement. Consequently, shortfalls in these systems have continued to have some impact on the child’s safety and overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The home environment has been adapted to meet the child’s needs. There are several restrictions required to safeguard the child. The manager and professional network keep these under review. As a result, restrictions are slowly reducing. The child’s bedroom is now more comfortable and is personalised to their own taste. However, while damage to the environment is quickly repaired, the cleanliness of the home is not always maintained.

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improvement to be good

A resolute and caring staff team provides the child with a stable and secure home. They are highly committed, know the child well and are proud of the child’s accomplishments since they have been living in the home. As a result of the nurturing support from staff, despite challenges, the child is continuing to make some progress in areas of their development.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and staff place a high priority on the child’s education. Staff work closely with education professionals to ensure that the child has access to education that meets their needs. A teacher said that staff and school staff work well together and that ‘communication is good’.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to have good physical and mental health. They encourage the child to attend routine health appointments and will seek specialist support when required. Managers work collaboratively with professionals to ensure that the child has access to support services for their emotional well-being. Also, managers have sought external support for staff. This has aided staff to gain a better understanding of the child and how to better meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to enjoy a wide range of activities. Staff plan activities with the child and they are tailored to the child’s interests. For example, the child has participated in horse riding, pamper nights, football and arts and crafts. They also regularly attend a Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 4 local community group. These activities help to develop the child’s self-esteem, confidence, and enhance their experiences of living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to spend time with their family and friends. This ensures that the child continues to build relationships and attachments with those people who are significant to them. The child’s parent said, ‘I am happy with family time, which has been consistently good. I feel that staff that attend have a great relationship with [name of child].’

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff and leaders take appropriate action when safeguarding concerns arise. Physical intervention is used as a last resort to support the child when in crisis. However, on one occasion, leaders did not respond appropriately to an incident. This is because they did not identify that the restraint technique used by staff was inappropriate and not proportionate. This lack of knowledge and understanding had the potential to leave the child vulnerable to harm.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention records vary in quality. They are not always recorded in line with the regulations. For example, reflection with the child is not always completed by someone independent of the incident. Staff are not always spoken to in a timely manner, and it is not always clear what steps staff have taken before physical intervention is used. These shortfalls and omissions can impact on the quality of the manager’s review of incidents.

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improvement to be good

Leaders ensure that the child’s trigger, safety and risk management plans are regularly reviewed and updated. However, information in plans is inconsistent, which can lead to confusion for staff and unpredictable responses. In addition, there is lack of clear guidance on physical intervention for staff. The manager is taking action to address the shortfalls around restraint practice and recording.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always take effective action to manage self-harm risks. For example, on one occasion, staff were aware that the child had used an item to injure themselves. However, it is not clear what action staff took to remove the item and mitigate risk. The child then concealed the item to reuse later. This lack of action compromised the child’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls identified above, the child’s risks and vulnerabilities are reducing. There is a strong multi-agency team in place to support the child. The team meets regularly to review the child’s care plans and risks, and it works together to keep the child safe. As a result, the child is learning to manage their emotions and is becoming safer. Incidents in the home are decreasing. There have been no incidents of missing from home, and staffing ratios and restrictions are reducing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 5 Leaders take prompt action when there are allegations or complaints. The manager ensures that information is shared swiftly with professionals. This ensures that action is taken to protect the child from harm. Consequently, the child feels reassured and confident to raise any concerns, as they know staff will take them seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes in the leadership and management of the home. The deputy manager has recently stepped into the manager’s role. She is caring, committed and wants the child to do well. She encourages the staff team to share this ethos. Since the new manager has been in post, she has started to make changes and management oversight is improving. However, systems are not yet embedded and require improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager’s monitoring systems for the home are not always effective. While the manager has a good working knowledge of the home and the child, their monitoring does not consistently identify shortfalls in the child’s records and staff restraint practice. However, leaders and managers are reflective. They have started to address some of the shortfalls and are committed to driving forward change to improve the quality of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders have not ensured that all staff and verified external professionals are able to access the child’s records effectively. This can impact on the staff’s ability to access the required information and the quality of external scrutiny.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

While the manager ensures that staff have training to meet the child’s needs, senior leaders have not ensured that the manager has the relevant training required to support her to complete her role. For example, the manager does not have training in the physical intervention model or management investigations. This has affected her ability to have effective oversight, and some incidents of poor staff practice have been missed. Leaders and the manager acknowledge this and have since booked training to enhance the manager’s knowledge and improve their oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Previous leaders in the home have not ensured that staff always receive supervision in line with the home’s policies. One member of staff did not have supervision for three months, and another staff member has only received one supervision since January. These shortfalls do not support staff development or help them to feel valued. However, the new manager has ensured that all permanent staff have received a recent supervision and has started to complete agency staff supervisions. This supports the manager to have greater oversight and promote consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say that they feel well supported by the new manager and are positive about the changes that she is making. There have been weekly reflective discussions with a clinician, monthly team around the child meetings and the manager has introduced reflective discussions after incidents. This ensures that staff have opportunities to discuss Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 6 incidents, reflect on their practice and make amendments where required to enable them to better meet the child’s needs

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback from external professionals was positive. They say that communication is good, staff keep the child safe and are happy with the progress the child is making. All professionals were optimistic about the changes that the new manager has made and how this is improving the care that the child receives. The child’s social worker said, ‘Since [name of manager] has been in post the management of the home has improved. Any concern or issues are dealt with promptly and appropriately. Joined-up working has improved. The manager is a great advocate for [name of child] and staff. She will challenge others. She is very restorative.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that all children’s written plans and risk assessments contain all identified strategies to enable consistent practice to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

children’s behaviour management plans contain clear guidance on the steps that staff are to take when using physical intervention, to ensure that least-restrictive holds are used; and 13 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 8 staff take effective action when they are aware that children have items that they can cause harm to themselves with, to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that staff use least- restrictive interventions to keep children safe. They must effectively review all physical intervention incidents to ensure that, when used, the intervention is reasonable, proportionate and justified. 13 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 11 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 9 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that monitoring systems are effective in identifying shortfalls in staff practice. In addition, the manager must ensure that they attend training to support them to have knowledge and skills to have effective oversight of staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

Managers should ensure that they have systems in place to address and take action to meet repeated requirements raised.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all records of restraint are recorded consistently in accordance with the regulation. The manager should ensure that staff are spoken to following any physical intervention in a timely manner. 11 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 10 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision in accordance with the frequency stated in the home’s policies and procedures. 11 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the children’s needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that all areas of the home are clean and are maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they actively support independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should ensure that the home’s records are easily accessible for staff, independent visitors and Ofsted inspectors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: SC028905 11

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Laura Norcop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC028905 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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