Children's Home, Residential special school run by Sheffield City Council in Sheffield

Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 1 SC458115 Registered provider: Sheffield City Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to seven children who may experience social and emotional difficulties, and who may have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The main building provides accommodation for up to six children. In addition, there is a separate building close to the home that provides accommodation for one child.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 30 July 2023. There is a manager in post who is still to make an application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This inspection was brought forward in order to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted. At the time of the inspection, six children were living at this home.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/04/2024 Full Inadequate 21/11/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Leaders, managers and staff are not working effectively as a team. This has impacted on the quality of care provided to children and the overall experiences of the children. Children are making progress but have mixed experiences of living at the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

The day-to-day experiences for children are mixed. Most of the children are subject to restrictions imposed by a court order, which means that they need support from staff to spend time in the community. Some children enjoy positive routines. They attend school, and they are provided with lots of activities in line with their hobbies and interests. However, for one child, due to an increase in risks due to their behaviour, further restrictions have been put in place. This further limits the time they are supported to spend time in the community. This has the potential to make the child feel isolated and has not been kept under review, despite a reduction in incidents.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s wishes and feelings are not always captured, and when they have been, it is not clear what action has been taken to respond. Staff have conversations with the children in line with their individual needs. However, the quality of this work is inconsistent and is sometimes reactive rather than planned and proactive. Children are not helped to understand the home’s complaint procedure, and the home does not have a complaint form accessible to the children who live at the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Most of the children enjoy going to school. They have good attendance, and they are making progress. Two children are not accessing a formal education resource because they do not have a school place. Staff understand the barriers to children’s education, and they are working collaboratively with education professionals to ensure that a suitable provision is identified for these children.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are helped to develop independence skills in line with their individual needs and abilities. There is an importance placed on multi-agency working to ensure that children have the right support as they approach adulthood and prepare to move out of the home. When children are to move from the home, they are supported to move in a planned and positive way. Transition planning is child centred, which helps to reduce anxieties for children who find change difficult to manage.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are understood, and where children have additional health needs, they are accessing the right support. Staff understand the barriers for some children accessing healthcare, and they take an innovative and proactive approach to helping children to access health appointments. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff did not respond in a child-centred way when a child made a disclosure about their past experiences and the harm they suffered. The shortfalls in practice were not fully investigated, which means that they have not been addressed.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff mainly respond well when children are struggling. However, some records show that staff have not always used their relationships with children to prevent incidents from escalating. There has been a serious incident involving one child where a member of staff suffered a significant injury requiring medical attention. Safeguards were implemented after this incident, and leaders and managers have put support in place for staff. However, staff report feeling concerned about their safety and unsupported.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children become upset, they struggle to manage the difficult emotions they are feeling. When these become unsafe, staff hold the children to prevent them from hurting themselves or others. Records provide clarity about how intervention was necessary and proportionate to protect the child. However, staff and the children involved are not always provided with the opportunity to talk about the incident, which is a missed opportunity for learning and reflection.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children’s individual risk assessments are detailed. They identify all known risks to the child, and they provide staff with clear guidance to follow. Children do not go missing. Should this happen, there are detailed plans in place, and staff are clear about their responsibilities to children.

p.4

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

There has been no registered manager in post since July 2023. There has been a manager in post who had day-to-day oversight of the home, but they have now left the service. The current manager has been in post since April 2025, and there is a plan for them to register with Ofsted. These changes have had an impact on the leadership and management of the home and on the stability of the staff team.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers do not have full oversight of this home. The systems in place to review and monitor the quality of care and staff development are not always effective. Gaps in children’s records and shortfalls in staff practice and conduct have not always been fully investigated and addressed. There is evidence in records to indicate that staff do not always follow direction from leaders and managers. It is unclear what actions have been taken because recording in supervision notes is incomplete.

p.4

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

Staff do not always receive regular supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose, and they have not received annual appraisal of their performance. Managers said that some staff will refuse planned supervisions and some staff report that they are not provided with supervision and support. It was difficult to understand what has happened because recording and audit trail is poor. There is evidence in records that leaders and managers have offered staff support and that external services are involved Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 5 to offer support. However, it is not clear why this support has not always been utilised by staff, given they report feeling unsupported.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers have not always ensured that the relevant checks have been completed in line with safer recruitment. This relates to one staff employed to work on a casual basis.

p.5

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

Staff are provided with a range of training specific to the needs of the children who live at this home. Staff training is up to date, and this is kept under review by the manager. However, two staff have not completed the relevant qualification within regulatory timescales.

p.5

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

There has been one complaint made by a child. The complaint has not been fully investigated, which means that the child has not been provided with feedback. The potential shortfalls in staff practice raised in the complaint have not been addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

p.6

Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document; 4 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 7 ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

p.6

Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iiii)(vii)(b)(ii)(c)(d)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)) 4 August 2025

p.7

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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 4 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 8 demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

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)(b)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.8

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

p.8

Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

p.8

Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

p.8

Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

p.8

Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

p.8

Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 4 August 2025

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 4 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 9 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

p.9

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: SC458115 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Pinstone Street, Sheffield S1 2HH

p.10

Inspectors

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Angela Ross, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC458115 11 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.

p.10

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspectors

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

p.11