Children's home run by Salford City Council in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 1 SC064858 Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. The home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. Inspectors spoke to all three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC064858 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Good 11/07/2023 Full Good 25/04/2022 Full Good 27/07/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points. Children are happy living in the home. They have positive relationships with staff. Staff speak with affection and pride about the children they care for. Children share how they are feeling during regular and well-planned ‘my time’ sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to enjoy time with family members and other people who are important to them. Staff arrange activities which brings children together with their families. The manager finds creative ways to improve the time children spend with their families, to make this more meaningful for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff have worked with health professionals for routine appointments to be held at the home to overcome one child’s anxieties. Staff help children to make positive choices about healthy lifestyles. One child has been supported to stop vaping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children have made some progress with their education. When there have been challenges, staff work with children, their placing authority and the virtual school to improve attendance. One child successfully completed a course with a local radio station and, with lots of encouragement, independently hosted their own show. Some children still require support with their routines and structure during education time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in a range of leisure activities in the community, in line with their own interests and hobbies. They also spend time relaxing in the home, cooking or playing board games. Together with staff, they have planned their summer holidays, including travelling abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves in and out of the home are well planned. The manager builds a relationship with children before they move into the home, and carefully considers the needs of the other children living in the home before a child moves in. One child has moved out of the home since the last full inspection. This move was planned and completed at the child’s pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to build their independence skills. One child has started to spend brief periods of time alone in the home. This has been agreed with the child and their social worker. Ongoing work is required to support the child to share their views, wishes and feelings about this increased independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been beautifully renovated and decorated. Children have been involved in the changes to the house and shared their preferences on how the space is used. Children’s pictures and certificates of their achievements are displayed around the home and each child’s bedroom has been decorated to reflect their individuality. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 4

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

Children feel safe and are generally settled. They rarely go missing from home. There are clear protocols in place for staff to follow should they do so. Staff are persistent in their efforts to locate children and support them when they return home. Staff also carry out regular welfare checks when children are out of the home and agree safe words should they need immediate support.

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

Children know how to raise concerns. They rarely complain but when they do, the manager takes their concerns seriously and responds to them promptly. This includes reassuring the child and explaining what will happen next. All professionals are informed of the concerns and are invited to share their views.

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

Staff know the children well and understand their behaviours. They use effective diversion and de-escalation techniques and because of this, incidents have significantly reduced. Children are supported by a nurturing team and clinical professionals, who encourage them to talk about their feelings to help them regulate their emotions.

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

Staff encourage positive behaviours. They reward and celebrate children’s achievements, helping to develop self-esteem and good character. When consequences have been necessary, managers oversee them to make sure they are proportionate and restorative.

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

Children’s risk management plans do not always contain clear and up-to-date strategies for how to manage individual behaviour. However, staff do understand children’s risks and have purposeful conversations with them about their safety and wellbeing.

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

The manager is experienced and she understands children’s individual needs. She is proud of the progress they are making and wants them to experience a variety of social activities. However, the manager did not fully consider the impact and the views, wishes and feelings of all children about one planned celebration event in the home.

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

When a child raised concerns about a member of staff, the manager failed to notify the relevant professionals, including a child’s social worker. This meant there was no opportunity for the child to speak to someone independently about their concerns. Additionally, there was not a clear risk management plan in place for how allegations would be managed in future.

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

There is a stable and consistent team of staff who are child focused. Staff say leaders and managers are supportive, approachable and inspire them to improve. Staff are experienced and feel proud to work in the home. All staff receive regular supervision, which is practice related. Children are cared for by staff who know them well.

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

Team meetings are held regularly, are well attended and staff understand their value. The manager uses research-based practice in meetings to support staff development. A Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 5 clinical psychologist attends to support staff in complex matters affecting the children, such as neurodiversity, family relationships and loss.

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

All staff are qualified or working towards a relevant childcare qualification. This ensures that staff keep their skills and knowledge up to date and are competent in looking after children. There are records in place to ensure that staff training is up to date. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 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(s) 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 promotes their welfare.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that any activities in the home fully consider professional boundaries and the views, wishes and feelings of all children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there is a clear risk management plan in place for how allegations are managed for one of the children. 26 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 26 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 7 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must notify the child’s social worker, local authority designated officer and Ofsted when a child makes an allegation.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff help to prepare children for increased education attendance by providing clear routines, structure and opportunities for informal learning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff support children to be aware of and manage their own safety, both inside and outside the home, to the extent that any good parent would. Specifically, support the child to share their views, wishes and feelings about increased independence time in the home on their own. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure children’s risk management plans clearly define children’s specific risks and include up-to-date risk management strategies and relate to the children living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: SC064858 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Salford City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Salford City Council, City Treasurer, Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton M27 5AW

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Inspectors

Samantha Cooper, Social Care Inspector Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064858 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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