Children's home run by Birtenshaw in Bolton

Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 1 SC467796 Registered provider: Birtenshaw

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were three children living at the home. Two children spent time with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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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: SC467796 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 16/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have lived at the home together for over 12 months and are settled. Staff know the children well and they have a good understanding of each child’s needs. Staff are child centred and speak enthusiastically about the progress each child has made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children’s communication needs. They support children in developing their communication skills verbally, using Makaton and the Picture Exchange Communication System. This enables children to share their wishes and express how they are feeling. This ensures that children participate fully in decisions about their day- to-day lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children actively participate in activities in the home and out in the community. They are given choices, and their interests are considered. The children have recently been on a caravan holiday, which they enjoyed. One child was able to sing in front of other campers on stage, which shows they have built on their confidence and the progress they have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school and college regularly. Staff work closely with teachers and have developed good working relationships. Staff complement the children’s learning by supporting them with their communication development and providing learning opportunities in the home. This provides a consistent approach between care and education staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of the complex health needs of the children. They work with health professionals to ensure that these needs are met. Staff support children to manage lifelong health conditions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time well. They have built close working relationships with family members to ensure that children regularly see the people who are important to them. Staff regularly inform parents of their child’s achievements and the progress they are making. This supports parents to feel fully involved in their child’s daily life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built trusting relationships with staff. Staff sensitively support children to start learning essential life skills. They start with small tasks around the home, such as helping to prepare meals and attending to their self-care. This develops children’s independence and means that they are less reliant on support from adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is child friendly, bright and welcoming. There are age-appropriate toys and sensory equipment available. Staff encourage children to use these regularly in play, which helps regulate children’s sensory needs. Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 4

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

Children’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff practice and children are safe in the home. Staff understand each child’s needs and the support that they require to be safe. High staffing levels ensure the safety of children, both in the home and when out in the community.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s emotions and the way they express them. This allows them to quickly identify when children are unhappy, and they can communicate with them so that the child’s concerns are addressed.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are clear and give guidance to staff about how to manage and minimise risks. Due to the children’s complex health needs, staff have systems in place to regularly monitor children when they are asleep. The manager works with specialist health professionals to ensure that this is appropriately risk assessed and is the least intrusive practice in keeping children safe.

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

Through the positive relationships staff have developed with the children, they can recognise when children’s emotions are heightened. Staff use distraction techniques to enable children to return to their usual relaxed emotional state. Staff have regular discussions with the children around their emotions and how these affect their well- being. Children are developing their understanding of these emotions and are more able to communicate at an early stage when they are happy or sad.

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

When physical intervention is used, this is necessary and proportionate to keep the children and others safe. There is clear recording and management oversight of each incident. The manager ensures that children and staff are spoken to after incidents, to identify any learning opportunities to prevent similar incidents reoccurring.

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

When an allegation was raised against a staff member, appropriate action was taken to keep the child safe. The manager notified the local authority designated officer. However, on this occasion, there was a delay in notifying the regulator of the incident within the appropriate timescale.

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

Staff safely administer medication to children. All staff who administer medication have received the appropriate training. There is clear management oversight, including weekly and monthly medication audits. This ensures that children receive the medication prescribed to meet their health needs. ,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced, child-focused and aspirational registered manager leads the home. She has a good understanding of the children’s needs. A deputy manager, who is equally committed, supports the manager in her role. This ensures that children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 5 There are robust monitoring and review systems in place which give leaders and managers clear oversight of the day-to-day practice at the home. The quality-of-care review is detailed and includes feedback from the children, parents and professionals. However, it does not include feedback from staff, which is essential in assessing the care being provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed to meet the needs of the children. There is now a consistent team in place, which provides stability and continuity of care for children. Staff are child centred, enthusiastic and dedicated and they share the same aspirations for children as the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and consider areas for further development. Staff value these sessions and feel supported by the management team. However, annual appraisals are not completed within the appropriate time frame and are not reflective in nature.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training programme in place for staff, and they have completed all of the company’s mandatory training courses. Staff have said they value this training. However, the training complete on Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders, does not provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively support vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. These meetings give the staff team the opportunity to come together to share information, their experiences and knowledge. This helps to provide consistency for the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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

and ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have received training on DoL orders, so they have the required knowledge and understanding to meet the needs of the children. 1 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive their annual appraisal within the appropriate time frame and that appraisals give staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice. 1 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified to Ofsted within 24 hours. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should ensure that the quality of care review includes feedback from staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC467796 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Birtenshaw, Darwen Road, Bromley Cross, Bolton BL7 9AB

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC467796 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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