Children's Home run by Blackpool Borough Council in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 1 SC033611 Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short-term breaks for up to seven children who may have social and emotional difficulties, physical disabilities, learning disabilities or sensory impairment.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2017.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Twenty-one children are currently accessing the short-breaks provision

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

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 19/12/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 02/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The short-break service provides good-quality care for children who have complex needs and disabilities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from well-planned stays where they are suitably matched with other children, taking into consideration their individualised needs. Children are introduced to the service through a series of tea visits. This ensures that children gain confidence in a new environment and build relationships with staff. One parent said, ‘The visits were well managed, and we had the opportunity to look around beforehand. We found this a welcoming experience.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and well furnished. Since the last inspection, the main lounge has been decorated and feels warm and homely. Children have fun when they stay in the home. There is a large variety of books, toys and games for the children to enjoy during their stays. Staff join in with the activities that children enjoy in the home and the local community. Children are encouraged to make choices about how they want to spend their time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff who are committed to providing enjoyable short stays at the home. They form a dedicated and long-standing staff team with a wealth of expertise, and as a result, they have sound knowledge of the children’s complex needs. Staff are creative in using a variety of resources to help children understand anti-bullying programmes and how to stay safe online.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s preferred methods of communication are well understood, and staff use a range of aids to support children’s individual needs, making effective use of body language, gestures and children’s vocalisations to understand how they are feeling.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families are grateful for the support offered to them by managers and staff. Parents commented on how they can relax when their child stays at the home because they know their child will be well taken care of. One parent said, ‘[Name of child] has made lots of friends, and staff always check things out with me with regards to any changes to his plan.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff ensure that the children have a wide range of experiences, such as swimming and visits to the local parks and zoos. These memories are recorded in canvas wall art on display throughout the home.

p.3

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is effective. All staff are in the process of completing training specific to children with disabilities. This ensures that staff have Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 4 the required knowledge to keep children safe. Furthermore, staff understand all children’s risks and know what action to take should a child protection concern arise.

p.3

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

Children benefit from a high level of supervision. This helps to keep them safe during their stay. Parents report confidence in the team’s ability to safeguard their child.

p.4

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

Staff understand children well and rarely have to hold them to keep them safe. When they do hold children, this is done as a last resort. There has only been one restraint since the last inspection. However, the manager did not ensure that the staff debrief was undertaken in a timely way. A recommendation has been made to address this.

p.4

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

Staff understand the importance of meeting children’s health needs. There is a well- managed system for administering and recording medications in a safe and controlled way. Following a recent medication error, the manager carried out a full investigation, and changes were made to the auditing systems, including the daily handover records, to strengthen them.

p.4

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

The manager has ensured that fire practices in the home are safe. Each child has a personal emergency evacuation plan that provides staff with details on the support a child requires in the event of a fire. All staff are suitably trained in fire safety, and children regularly take part in fire evacuations. Additionally, there are child-friendly pictorial plans around the home to inform children of what they need to do in the event of a fire.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is currently absent from the home. However, the interim manager is being well supported by leaders. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel the management team is approachable and supportive. They say they all work well together and know each other’s strengths.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings take place. These are well attended, and staff share information about children and their progress. Staff work collaboratively to provide consistency and stability, demonstrating a sense of shared ownership about their practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have an excellent understanding of all the children and the progress they are making. However, the records for children are not consistently signed by the author or contain management oversight in line with regulation.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff receive an annual appraisal of their performance and have regular supervision. The appraisal could be strengthened by capturing and considering the views of professionals and children. Additionally, the records of supervision would benefit from being more reflective and detailed. A recommendation has been made to address this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 5 The manager produces regular reports about the quality of care at the home. However, this does not include direct feedback or opinions from children, their families, stakeholders or staff about the quality of care provided in the home. Furthermore, there is no suitable action plan in place, and the report was not submitted to the regulator in a timely way. This does not provide an opportunity to capture feedback to improve the quality of care provided and a plan of how this will be achieved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with suitable training that is relevant to the needs of the children. The manager understands the importance of training and development within her team. All staff have completed relevant safeguarding training and recently undertook training in pathological demand avoidance and supporting children with sexualised behaviours. This helps staff have the skills to meet children’s individual needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals was positive. They say there is good communication, and the children enjoy their stays. One professional said, ‘The children say staying at the home is like a big sleepover with friends.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children’s daily plans, positive handling plans, moving and handling plans and personal evacuation plans are signed and dated by the author and contain management oversight. 19 December

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality-of-care review”) at least once every 6 months.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities, and the quality of care they receive in it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 19 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff debriefs following restraints are undertaken in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that a detailed account is recorded on all staff supervisions and that these are reflective in nature as good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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: SC033611 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blackpool Borough Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 4, Blackpool FY1 1NA

p.8

Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033611 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9