Children's Home run by Progressive Futures Care Limited in Knowsley

Unique reference number SC431931 Inspector Chris Scully Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Progressive Futures Care Limited Registered person address Unit 13 Victoria House, North Mersey Business Centre Woodward Road LIVERPOOL L33 7UY Responsible individual Zoe Maria Wilkinson Registered manager Angela Marie Hennigan Date of last inspection 06/01/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 07/05/2014

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Previous inspection not judged Enforcement action since last inspection none

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Overall effectiveness adequate

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management adequate

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides a safe, supportive environment. Young people are protected from harm because appropriate mechanisms are in place to keep them safe. Young people say, 'I am happy and relaxed and I feel safe here.' Staff are aware of the home’s safeguarding procedures which are implemented well. The home is well maintained with the exception of the bathroom floor.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people’s views are respected. They are involved in discussions and decision- making about their care and support. Young people say,' I feel safe here because the staff like me and like looking after me.' Young people's needs are appropriately met through personalised care planning. This means that young people make good progress across most aspects of their welfare and development.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is appropriately managed by a qualified and experienced Registered Manager. However, there are some issues with regards to lines of accountability and the opportunity for the Registered Manager to have regular supervision. The recently formed staff team are committed to improving outcomes for young people.

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Overall effectiveness

Records are usually appropriately maintained. However, monitoring by the Registered Manager is not robust which means shortfalls in record keeping are not 3 of 11 identified or quickly rectified. There are a number of shortfalls within the Statement of Purpose and across a range of records which means they do not always reflect the current support provided. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

This home is able to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is managed by a private company.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2014 Interim not judged 05/06/2013 Interim satisfactory progress 24/01/2013 Interim good progress 01/05/2012 Full adequate

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure the home is well maintained in particular the bathroom floor (NMS 10.  ensure the aims and objectives of the Statement of Purpose are child focused and demonstrate how the service will meet the outcomes in particular the Statement of Purpose is reviewed in light of regulatory changes (NMS 13.2)  ensure manager and staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities includ the level of delegation and responsibility of the manager and staff including w is to deputise in the absence of the manager (NMS 14.4)  ensure the manager regularly monitors in line with the regulations all record kept by the home to ensure compliance with the homes policies to identify an concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends and that immediate action is taken to address any issues identified (NMS 21.2)  ensure suitable arrangements are in place for the professional supervision of t

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Recommendations

5 of 11 Registered Manager of the home (NMS 19.3)  ensure records are clear, up to date and stored securely and contribute to an understanding of the young person's life in particular the homes care plan, health care plan, incident record, risk assessments, sanctions and key worker records. (NMS 22) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people new to the home are developing a positive self-view. They are forming positive relationships with staff. Consequently, in the short time they have been here they feel settled. Young people are aware of their family history and background. They are able to sustain positive relationships with those people who are important to them and build new relationships with their peers.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

A young person wrote, 'I love it here. I am living in this house, it is so great. It is unreal the staff are so kind, I would like to stay here and I am starting to do stuff with my life.’ Young people are able to contact families and friends on their mobile telephones or the house ‘phone. This helps them to sustain important relationships.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are more aware of their own health care needs. They are attending all medical appointments as a result they now have new glasses. They are confident to talk to staff about any medical needs; consequently they are able to get the right support when they need it. A young person said, 'I know I can talk to staff and they will help me to sort things out.’ This means they are developing an awareness of issues relating to their sexual health. Young people are engaging with a range of professionals, such as the children and adolescent mental health team and drug and alcohol awareness group. As a result young people are more able to deal with the challenges they face in their personal lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are currently being home tutored for various reasons. Some young people understand the importance of education and have increased opportunities to achieve, develop their knowledge and skills and pursue their talents such as playing drums. A young person said, 'the teacher here is not supposed to teach me, but she does and I really like it.’ Young people have aspirations for themselves and say they are working with staff to try and access courses on hair and beauty or mechanics. Consequently, young people remain confident to continue with their education and pursue their goals of further education.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people say they are consulted on all aspects of their care. They have regular discussions with their key worker and staff about menu planning, their day to day care and activities they would like to engage in. Young people feel valued and listened to because of these discussions. One young people explained how they had requested goal posts for the garden and these where in the process of being purchased.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are being appropriately prepared to develop the skills they need for independence. For example, they carry out tasks such as planning menus, cooking and general household tasks. This increases their confidence and self-esteem as they prepare for adult life. Young people play a central role in deciding about their futures, 7 of 11 with staff helping them to consider their options and what they want for the future.

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Quality of care good

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff. They enjoy spending time with other young people in the home and spending time with family members. They say, they are 'very happy here, I like it here the staff are dead fair. It doesn’t feel like a children’s home it feels like a home.’ This is consistently echoed by staff who say they see this as a home not a children's home.

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Quality of care good

Young people have access to a complaints system and know who to speak to should they have any concerns. Young people are helped to develop socially acceptable behaviour through the use of praise and the implementation of routines and boundaries. Young people know what standards of behaviour are expected and how they should conduct themselves.

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Quality of care good

Care plans are in place, but do not always reflect the actions and activities of the home to support the development of young people. Similarly young people’s health care plans do not always highlight all of the young people’s health care needs and how these are being supported. The impact of this is reduced because staff are aware of the issues and act accordingly to support young people. Systems for the administration of medication are sound. This means young people receive their medication at the correct time.

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Quality of care good

Young people are encouraged to have a say in what happens within the home and to contribute to the decisions made about them. Young people say, they are planning to turn the conservatory into a 'sort of greenhouse' and grow their own plants. Young people are able to attend their reviews and other meetings. This means they are able to have their views heard and to understand the reasons behind the decision-making process.

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Quality of care good

Staff have aspirations for young people. They are pleased young people are engaging in education within the home but recognise that this is not sufficient and are liaising with social worker's as to the best way forward. Staff effectively support young people's education by taking them to various museums and other places of interest to support their engagement in learning.

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Quality of care good

Young people are engaging in a wide range of self-chosen activities such as go- karting, theme parks, country parks, cinema, swimming, golf lessons and eating out at favourite restaurants. This helps young people to develop social skills and interests in preparation for adulthood. 8 of 11 Young people live in a large family home with ample space for them to be together or spend time alone. The home is warm and welcoming and young people are able to choose their own bedroom. They are able to personalise their own bedrooms with posters and other items of their choice. The home is generally well maintained; however, the flooring in the bathroom is lifting and is a tripping hazard.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are safeguarded because staff have a sound knowledge and understanding of the home’s child protection and safeguarding procedures. This means if staff have any concerns about a young person’s safety or well-being they are able to take effective action. Staff receive on-going safeguarding training.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff are aware of the young people's individual and diverse needs and vulnerabilities. They take swift action in response to safeguarding concerns about young people and ensure the appropriate persons are notified so that young people are supported.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people do occasionally go missing from care. However, in the short time the young people have been living at the home; this has dramatically decreased. This is because Staff have a thorough understanding of the home's missing from care procedures and effectively implement them if and when young people go missing. Staff are confident to talk to young people about the dangers and risks should they go missing.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

As a result a young person said that they understood not to get into cars they did not know and to record any information about suspicious vehicles as well as to keep in touch with staff when out with friends. Young people say they know staff will report them missing if they do not keep in touch but that staff 'know I will come home.' Thus young people are able to identify strategies to keep themselves safe.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Behaviour management strategies are in place and appear to be consistently applied. Young people are more able to see the shortfalls in their behaviour and those of others. Consequently they are more able to reflect on the impact they have on other people and consider ways of modifying their behaviour.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Sanctions are rarely used and are usually well recorded. Staff have effective communication skills which enable them to help young people resolve issues fairly. This includes enabling young people to choose their own sanction.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are kept safe because staff ask for proof of identification from all visitors to the home and ensure that they are appropriately supervised. All visitors to the home are required to sign in and out of the premises. The recruitment and selection arrangements for people working at the home are thorough to make sure young people are protected. 9 of 11 The home provides young people with a safe environment in which to live. The home is kept free from potential hazards, with regular tests being carried out within the recommended timescales to ensure that gas and electrical appliances are safe. Firefighting equipment is regularly serviced and fire drills are held frequently to make sure that young people and staff know how to evacuate the premises safely, in accordance with the home's emergency evacuation procedures.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home has only recently reopened after having no young people for a period of time. The qualified and experienced manager has been in post since 2011. The majority of the staff team are relatively new and are building appropriate working relationships. They are aware of their individual roles and responsibilities. However, there needs to be clearer lines of accountability with regards to ensuring records are sufficiently detailed and updated in a timely fashion. This has resulted in a lack of clarity within some records such as care plans, health care plans, incident records, sanctions, risk assessments and the recording of key worker sessions. At present staff are conversing well with each other which means while information may not be recorded it is passed verbally between the team.

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Leadership and management adequate

The Registered Manager is aware that recording is not strength of the setting and is considering ways in which to delegate specific roles to individuals within the team. Monitoring by the Registered Manager is not robust as they do not always record the shortfalls or the action taken to address these. This means there are limited opportunities to identify patterns and trends.

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Leadership and management adequate

There is an appropriate development plan in place for the home which is currently under review. Reports of the independent persons monitoring of the home are now sent to Ofsted within the prescribed timescales and provide insight into the organisation of the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

A committed and caring team of staff looks after young people. Appropriate systems are in place to ensure all staff attend the mandatory training courses. New staff are appropriately inducted and enrol for an appropriate qualification within recommended timescales. This equips them with skills to support young people. Managers provide supportive and developmental supervision to staff, including additional support to those on probation.

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Leadership and management adequate

All staff receive regular supervision with the exception of the Registered Manager, which has lapsed in recent months. This means the Registered Manager has limited opportunities to discuss the development of the home and their own personal development. The current systems for deputising for the Registered Manager are 'woolly' and do not provide sufficient support for staff in the absence of the Registered Manager. 10 of 11 The home has a detailed Statement of Purpose which is shared with placing authorities, parents, carers and young people. Although, this does not make clear as to the actual therapeutic support provided to young people and external professionals role in this. The comprehensive young people guide provides clear information to young people about the care and support they can expect from staff while living here. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management adequate

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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