Children's home run by Wigan Council in Wigan

Inspection report for children's home: SC040266 1 SC040266 Registered provider: Wigan Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home. 2 children spoke to the inspector.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2024

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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: SC040266 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2024 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Good 08/06/2021 Full Inadequate 12/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC040266 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. Staff supported them to develop their independence in line with their individual needs. Their move was well planned and carried out at a pace that suited them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. One child attends individual tutoring sessions following a significant period of not engaging in education. Staff advocate for children when they experience anxiety about the classroom environment and ensure that there are appropriate plans in place to meet their individual needs. Another child achieved functional skills qualifications last year. However, more recently there is limited routine and structure in place to support their informal learning and preparation for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate for children to spend time with people who are important to them. Although this can be challenging, staff work with professionals to ensure that this can be done safely and in accordance with children’s views, wishes and feelings. As a result, children have started to spend time with family members who they have not seen for some time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to engage in a range of activities in and outside of the home. Staff incorporate the children’s interests and hobbies to help build relationships and promote engagement in shared activities. For example, one child has started to spend more time outdoors going dog walking with staff, and staff spend time with another child discussing music and teaching them new skills. This is helping nurture positive relationships between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, parts of the home have been redecorated. These areas are now more homely, and children are spending more time together in them. However, parts of the home are impersonal with fire safety signs, clinical lighting, and doors which children refer to as ‘like prison doors.’ There are plans in place to improve the appearance of the doors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is living in an area of the home which contains its own bedroom, en-suite bathroom, kitchenette, and a small seating area. This provides the child with opportunities to develop their independence skills and prepare for adult life.

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

The manager gives careful consideration to the children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s plans are reviewed regularly to consider whether any additional support is required to keep children safe. Risks for children are declining or low. Inspection report for children's home: SC040266 4 Staff know the children well and use effective de-escalation skills to support them to reg- ulate their emotions. This has led to a significant reduction in behaviour that is difficult to manage. Children’s plans reflect the therapeutic strategies that staff use to support and manage children’s behaviour.

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

Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Staff respond calmy and sensitively to incidents of self-harm which helps children keep safe. The manager and staff seek guidance from external professionals to help prevent incidents of self-harm. Two children are now engaging with specialist services despite previous limited engagement.

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

There have been no incidents of children going missing from home since the last inspection. There are clear plans in place for children to return home safely if they are out in the community with friends. This helps children feel less need to leave the home without permission.

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

Staff recording of incidents is mostly clear and detailed. However, one incident record is not written in a child friendly way and does not detail how the trauma informed model was used to support the child. Furthermore, the incident record lacks thorough manager evaluation that addresses shortfalls in staff practice, including comments made by a child about a member of staff. This does not ensure that staff reflect on their actions and learn from them to improve the care they provide to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A qualified and experienced manager leads the home. He is supported by a suitably experienced deputy manager. Both managers have a good understanding of the children and are committed to providing them with high levels of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision to support them carrying out their roles. Staff say that they feel supported by managers and have been provided with developmental opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. Staff feel involved in the children’s lives and enjoy supporting them to make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager arranges team development events when staff have opportunities to reflect on their values and how they will be embedded into their practice. The manager uses research to develop staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s individual needs and update relevant policies and procedures. For example, he has updated policies to include reference to artificial intelligence and child exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers take complaints seriously and address them in a timely way. They are committed to ensuring that staff are treated fairly and with respect. However, practice issues raised about staff, have impacted children at times, including unprofessional comments. This does not support or model a culture of positive relationships between staff and children. Inspection report for children's home: SC040266 5

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Recommendations

 Children must be listened to and enabled to report any allegations at the earliest opportunity. Staff should report any allegation of abuse immediately to a senior manager within the home. Any allegation of harm or abuse must be addressed in line with the home's child protection policy. In addition, exploration of this, should be clearly recorded in children’s plans. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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Recommendations

 Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. The development of professional, stable, and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education, the registered person and staff should support and engage the child in suitable structured activities, with a focus on preparing for independence and adulthood. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The responsible person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children. The children's home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations; however, in doing so, the home should seek, as far as possible, to maintain a domestic environment rather than 'institutional' impression. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC040266 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan WN1 1YN

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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC040266 7 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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