Children's Home run by Warrington Borough Council in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 1 Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority home which is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties. Admissions are made on both a planned and emergency basis. Children coming to live at the home are aged between 12 and 17 years. The home uses the No Wrong Door model, as part of the Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme. Children are provided with short-term care while their needs are assessed, and plans are made for their future permanence.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 24/01/2024 Full Good 27/07/2022 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were six children living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences living in the home. Children share positive relationships with staff members. This supports children to feel safe and make good progress. One child spoke positively about the staff and said: ‘I trust and respect them.’ One child said: ‘It feels like my home.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well, which helps children to experience safe and consistent care. Staff work closely with children’s family and support children to maintain and strengthen relationships with family members. Due to the home’s model of care, some staff already know the children and families through outreach work.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning practice is effective for children. Leaders and managers complete a robust assessment of each child’s needs before they move into the home. They also consider the needs of the other children living in the home. Staff support children to move into the home in a positive way, even in emergency situations. This helps children to understand what is happening and feel reassured about what to expect. Staff speak to children about their longer-term plans and support children to move on from the home in a planned way.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time with children to actively seek and listen to their views, ensuring that their voices are heard and valued. Children personalise their bedrooms to their taste. This helps each child to have a strong sense of belonging. Staff have purchased arts and crafts and baking items to allow children to engage in activities they enjoy at home. Children have access to a gym in the home and can also access the local gym and leisure facilities. Children have opportunities to engage in new activities and have enjoyed go-karting and attending the local golf driving range.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop structure and routines, centred around engaging positively in education. The manager and staff work with education professionals to ensure that each individual child can access education appropriate to their assessed needs. This supports children to make good academic progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to complete age-appropriate independence tasks in preparation for their futures. Staff support children to learn how to cook, clean, budget and use public transport independently. This improves children’s resilience and confidence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Children are registered with local health services and staff make referrals to other services, such as mental health and substance misuse agencies, to support children’s needs. Children and staff receive timely support and Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 4 advice from a designated speech and language therapist and psychologist as part of the model of care.

p.3

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is good. Managers and staff know the children’s vulnerabilities well and have a good understanding of their needs and risks. Risk management plans are detailed and individualised. They are reviewed regularly and provide staff with clear strategies to follow. Children say they feel safe living in the home and have a sense of well-being.

p.4

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

Staff take appropriate action when children are missing from the home and actively search for them. Staff and social workers speak to children when they return from being missing from the home. However, children do not consistently have the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This is a missed opportunity to gather information about the incident and for the child to share any concerns.

p.4

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

If there are concerns that children are under the influence of substances, staff access medical advice and complete appropriate observations of children. Room searches are completed to ensure that children are not in possession of items that may impact their safety. Staff inform and involve children in the room searches and complete an accurate record of the search.

p.4

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

Medication is stored safely and regular audits are carried out. There have been some medication errors, which have been fully investigated by managers. When these have occurred, the manager has ensured that staff have been retrained and completed medication competencies.

p.4

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

Multi-agency working provides robust safety planning for children. Staff work closely with children’s social workers and contextual safeguarding teams within the authority and share information effectively. Managers and staff also work with wider professionals, including the police and health professionals, to promote children’s safety and welfare.

p.4

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

Staff support children’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Staff are creative and use appropriate online resources to educate children on issues that may impact them. Staff discuss important topics with children, including bullying, dangers of substance misuse, exploitation and how to stay safe in the local community.

p.4

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

Children understand what to do if they need to raise any concerns. An allegation was made which was appropriately investigated by the manager. Staff are clear on whistle- blowing procedures to keep children safe.

p.4

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

Children’s relationships with staff and the use of effective behaviour support plans mean that children’s behaviour is managed well. Staff speak to children with openness and honesty and children feel respected and valued. Staff are able to de-escalate situations effectively, and there have been no incidents of a child needing to be held since the last Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 5 inspection. Positive behaviour is encouraged through rewards and incentives. Consequences are used when appropriate and the manager has good oversight of these to ensure the measures are effective.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child centred and wants all children to have a positive experience of living in the home. The manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager and a suitable responsible individual.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed in a competent, effective and professional manner. Recording is clear, accessible and organised. There are detailed records in place which highlight children’s experiences and progress. The manager has effective oversight of incidents and uses this to develop staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by an established and experienced staff team. The home uses sessional workers who are familiar to the children to cover shifts to ensure that children have consistency of care by staff they know well. The home has recently recruited three new staff members to fill current vacancies in the staff team. Agency staff are used, and the manager ensures that appropriate checks and training are in place before staff work in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are positive about the care that children receive. An independent reviewing officer for several children who currently live in the home said: ‘Children feel listened to, and develop their identity and self-worth,’ and ‘The kids love it here, they want to stay.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff working in the home feel valued and listened to. They enjoy working in the home. One staff member said: ‘I love it here, and love working with the children.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of training in line with children’s needs. However, records of staff training are not kept up to date to ensure that there is an accurate record. A high number of staff are qualified, and newer staff are enrolled on an appropriate qualification in relation to working in residential childcare. Staff receive regular high- quality supervision and team meetings. Staff are provided with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers’ monitoring and oversight of the home are not consistently effective. A failure to ensure daily checks of one child’s bedroom led to a deterioration in its condition. Immediate action was taken to rectify this issue during this inspection. Furthermore, the manager’s review of the quality of care report does not contain the views of children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person conducts monthly visits to the home and produces detailed reports. However, they do not consistently gain feedback from children about the quality of care provided. This is a missed opportunity for children to share their views, raise concerns or highlight any areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 6 Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 7

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.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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must have effective monitoring and review systems in place to monitor the maintenance of children’s bedrooms.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the feedback and opinions of children are included in the review of the quality of care report, and ensure that the independent person gains the views of the children as part of the independent visits. 31 October 2025

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30) Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 8

p.7

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: 2626053 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Council office (1 Time Square), 1 Time Square, Warrington WA1 2NT

p.9

Inspectors

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2626053 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.

p.9

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 .

p.10

Inspectors

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10