Children's Home run by New Start in Knowsley

Unique reference number SC471289 Inspector Chris Scully Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person New Start Registered person address Job Bank 4 Tunnel Road LIVERPOOL L7 6QD

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Responsible individual Allen Raymond Baynes Registered manager POST VACANT Date of last inspection N/A 2 of 11 Inspection date 12/08/2014

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Previous inspection N/A Enforcement action since last inspection Three compliance notices were issued on 14 July 2014. This inspection has found that all of the compliance notices had been addressed and the setting now complies with the regulations.

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Overall effectiveness adequate

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

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Overall effectiveness

The current residents have only been in the home for a short period of time. Some are more settled in the home and are building positive relationships with staff. Other young people are not invested in the placement, despite the efforts of staff and other professionals, and are due to move on shortly. Young people are more able to talk to staff about how they are feeling and to put forward their views as to where they would like to live in the future. They have an understanding of their background and are able to convey this to staff. Young people's physical health care needs are appropriately met. Some young people enjoy the opportunities to conduct voluntary work at a local stables, which provides them with plenty of fresh air and exercise and also the opportunity to engage in their passion for horses. Young people understand the importance of attending all medical appointments to ensure they remain fit and well.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people's emotional and psychological health care needs are beginning to show some signs of improvement. As a result, there has been a small reduction in some risk taking behaviours and the severity of these, although this can fluctuate 3 of 11 dependent upon the influences around them at specific times. Staff members are aware of this and take appropriate action to support young people. This is not always effectively reflected in their health care plans, for example, potential issues with regards to self-harm. The newly appointed psychotherapist is to provide additional support to young people and staff on reducing these behaviours. Young people are able to attend the onsite education provision, although not all young people are engaging with this. Others are enjoying the opportunity to undertake courses in horse care which is building upon their confidence and self- esteem. Assessing their attainment is not possible due to the short period of time

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Overall effectiveness

that young people have been living in the home. As a result of discussions with young people, formal young people’s meetings and key worker sessions no longer taken place. Instead young people have said that they feel more confident talking to staff in the car or when doing things around the home with them. This provides young people with the opportunities to talk about things that are important to them and for staff to discuss specific issues with them in a calm and relaxed manner. Young people enjoy varying amounts of contact with their families and those people who are important to them. Young people are developing friendships through their love of horses which is supporting their confidence and self-esteem. Young people are encouraged to undertake a range of household tasks and enjoy going food shopping with staff and helping to prepare meals. Thus, young people are able to develop new skills and begin to prepare for adulthood.

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Information about this children’s home

This service provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities and/or mental disorders. The home is owned by a private company.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure any medication which is prescribed for a young person is administered as prescribed (Regulation 21 (2) (b)) 30/09/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at least once every 3 months; and improving the quality of care provided in the children’s home in particular the report is evaluative and identifies any shortfalls. (Regulation 34 (1)) 30/09/2014

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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 that as a result of all statutory reviews of placement plan are recorded the young people file in particular action is taken to chase up outstanding rev documentation (NMS 25.8)  ensure the home provides a comfortable and homely environment and is well maintained in particular the hall and bedroom carpets. Avoidable hazards such 5 of 11 the bannister are removed as is consistent with a domestic setting and risk reduction does not lead to an institutionalised feel (NMS 10.3)  ensure young people's health is promoted in accordance with their placement plan. In particular health care plans are sufficiently detailed with regards to issues around self-harm (NMS 6.5)  ensure there is a system in place to monitor the quality and adequacy of record keeping and take action when needed in particular, placement plans, young people's individual risk assessments, behaviour management plans to remove conflicting information and records are appropriately cross-referenced where

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Recommendations

required (NMS 22.1)  ensure where sanctions or physical interventions are used young people are encouraged to have their views recorded in the records kept by the home. In particular it is made clear if a young person chooses not to make a comment or sign the entry. (NMS 3.18) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

The current residents have only been in the home for a short period of time. Some are more settled in the home and are building positive relationships with staff. Other young people are not invested in the placement, despite the efforts of staff and other professionals, and are due to move on shortly. Young people are more able to talk to staff about how they are feeling and to put forward their views as to where they would like to live in the future. They have an understanding of their background and are able to convey this to staff. Young people's physical health care needs are appropriately met. Some young people enjoy the opportunities to conduct voluntary work at a local stables, which provides them with plenty of fresh air and exercise and also the opportunity to engage in their passion for horses. Young people understand the importance of attending all medical appointments to ensure they remain fit and well.

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

Young people's emotional and psychological health care needs are beginning to show some signs of improvement. As a result, there has been a small reduction in some risk taking behaviours and the severity of these, although this can fluctuate dependent upon the influences around them at specific times. Staff members are aware of this and take appropriate action to support young people. This is not always effectively reflected in their health care plans, for example, potential issues with regards to self-harm. The newly appointed psychotherapist is to provide additional support to young people and staff on reducing these behaviours. Young people are able to attend the onsite education provision, although not all young people are engaging with this. Others are enjoying the opportunity to undertake courses in horse care which is building upon their confidence and self- esteem. Assessing their attainment is not possible due to the short period of time that

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Outcomes for children and young people adequate

young people have been living in the home. As a result of discussions with young people, formal young people’s meetings and key worker sessions no longer taken place. Instead young people have said that they feel more confident talking to staff in the car or when doing things around the home with them. This provides young people with the opportunities to talk about things that are important to them and for staff to discuss specific issues with them in a calm and relaxed manner. Young people enjoy varying amounts of contact with their families and those people who are important to them. Young people are developing friendships through their love of horses which is supporting their confidence and self-esteem. Young people are encouraged to undertake a range of household tasks and enjoy going food shopping with staff and helping to prepare meals. Thus, young people are able to develop new skills and begin to prepare for adulthood.

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Quality of care adequate

7 of 11 Since the last inspection the staff team has become much more stable. The home identified the issues with regards to a lack of permanent staff and is currently undertaking a recruitment drive. In the meantime, the home has employed the services of a dedicated team of agency staff to support the existing staff team. This means the home is able to provide consistency of care to young people. This is because they have the skills and experiences to support the needs of the young people living in the home. All staff have recently received training in behaviour management, health and safety, self-harm and safeguarding. Training with regards to missing from care and sexual abuse is to take place in the next few weeks. Young people are beginning to make progress as there are now clear boundaries and expectations of behaviour in place that are applied consistently. This means young people know what is expected of them. This is not to say that young people do not

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Quality of care adequate

continue to push boundaries and take part in risk taking behaviours, but this is managed better by the home. This means there has been a decline in some risk taking behaviours since the last inspection. The quality of care has improved because the home is providing for young people’s care, education and support in more structured way which is based on their current assessed needs. The placing authority’s care and placement plans are in place and take into account young people's experiences and changes in their circumstances. Therefore, the homes plans reflect young people's current needs. The home attends all statutory reviews and updates their placement plans in line with the outcomes. On occasion there are considerable delays in the minutes from these meetings being sent to the home. This is despite the home making requests to the local authority for these. The effect of this is minimised as managers attending

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Quality of care adequate

these meeting take copious notes which are used to inform future planning. The written records now have sufficient detail to provide a comprehensive picture of young people's daily experiences and progress and show they receive suitable support to meet their needs. The records are up to date and signed and dated. They contribute to the understanding of young people’s lives and provide insight into their progress and the appropriateness of support provided. However, there remains some conflicting information within some records, such as behaviour management plans, some individual risk assessments and placement plans. The impact of this is reduced as the staff have a good understanding of the specific risks associated with each young person. The systems for administering medication are much improved. Records show when young people have been given their medication and this is well recorded. This means there are fewer opportunities for young people to harbour their medication. However,

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Quality of care adequate

it is not clear as to why some medication has not been given to a young person. Immediate action was taken by staff to rectify this issue. Young people have access to a wide range of health care professionals to support them. The staff team has appropriate aspirations for young people's education and are continually working with young people to help them to engage with their learning. The onsite teacher works closely with the care staff to support young people's interests and developing skills. The home works in partnership with the local authority to gain information such as personal education plans for young people. Young people are offered a range of leisure activities; some choose to do these with 8 of 11 staff while others choose not to engage. The home is situated in a rural location and provides ample space for young people. It is appropriately decorated but lacks a homely feel. The carpets in hallways and

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Quality of care adequate

bedrooms are stained and do not lend themselves to providing a homely environment. The bannisters at the top of the stairs pose a risk to young people’s safety as some young people sit on them.

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

The shortfalls in the arrangements for keeping young people safe identified at the last inspection have been addressed. As a result young people live in a safer environment where the staff are more able to keep them safe from harm. Young people say they feel safe here. Staff members have a sound understanding of the homes safeguarding and child protection procedures. They talk confidently about the action they will take should a young people make an allegation about a member of staff or the management team and understand that these need to be, and will be, fully investigated. The revised safeguarding policy and checklist provides clear information as to whom to contact with any concerns, their contact numbers and email addresses. This means the information is to hand and reduces any delay in making a referral. These young people do have episodes of being missing. This behaviour was known at the time they came to live in the home and while this settled for a while, recent

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

events have seen a spike in this behaviour. The home works in partnership with police, placing authorities and youth offending services to reduce the incidence of this. The home passes on soft intelligence to the police so that they can identify addresses where young people may be and help them to return home quickly and safely. Staff have effectively identified patterns in young people’s episodes of missing and, as a result, additional strategies are in place to help prevent this from occurring. For example, it is thought that young people have been hiding within the grounds from staff. As a result, the home has purchased more powerful torches to help their initial searches and is looking into extending the external lighting. There are no concerns regarding bullying for these young people. The staff are engaging constructively with young people about the use of telephones, social media and internet in order to develop young people’s awareness of the potential dangers

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

associated with their use. This helps young people develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Staff are aware that on occasion physical interventions may be needed to support a young person. All staff are trained in this and any incidents are appropriately recorded. Young people are aware that there may be consequences to some behaviour such as a sanction. Again, these are appropriately recorded and young people are encouraged to sign the entry and make comments. However, the staff are not consistently recording when young people refuse to make a comment or sign the entry. The understanding and management of the risks to young people’s safety has 9 of 11 improved. Up-to-date risk assessments now identify risk and provide a reasonable plan for protecting young people. Individual risk assessments are regularly monitored and reviewed after any significant incident affecting young people’s welfare. This is

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Keeping children and young people safe adequate

providing opportunities for young people to learn through experience and take reasonable risks as part of their development and build their resilience and confidence. The arrangements for ensuring the physical environment are safe and secure help to protect young people and staff from potential harm. Health and safety and fire safety risk assessments have been reviewed, and routine fire safety checks and evacuation drills, involving young people, have been carried out. Sound procedures are in place for the recruitment and vetting of staff. All visitors to the home are checked and are appropriately supervised to protect young people from harm.

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Leadership and management adequate

This is the second full inspection following an inadequate judgment at the homes first inspection since registration in February 2014. The Registered Manager left the service shortly before the last inspection. Since then the area manager and Registered Individual have overseen the day to day management of the setting. The home appointed a manager as of the 4 August 2014 and he is to apply to Ofsted for registration. The manager is aware that the Care standards Act 2000 requires any person who manages a children's home to be registered with Ofsted and to fail to do so is a criminal offence. The manager appears to have the qualifications and skills to manage the service. He has already identified a number of shortfalls, some of which are identified in this report, and is taking action to address these. He is in the process of reviewing the homes development plan and is to consult with staff as to the way

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Leadership and management adequate

forward so that everyone is working together to drive forward improvements. The homes’ Statement of Purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the service. This is shared with placing authorities, other professionals and parents and provides insight into the care and support offered to young people. The home has taken acceptable action to address the shortfalls with regards to staffing in the home and has initiated a training programme for all staff. All staff now receive regular supervision and say that they feel well supported by the organisation. The staff team feel the home is now moving forward, but say they accept they still have some way to go. The staff appear to be well-motivated to improve the quality of care for young people. They demonstrate reasonably good skills in working with vulnerable young people. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people. The deployment of staff promotes continuity of care and provides

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Leadership and management adequate

opportunities for young people to form positive attachments with familiar staff. Staff have improved access to a range of training opportunities to further develop their skills and knowledge base. There has been steady progress in improving the quality of care planning in addition to: effective partnership working with social workers and health professionals; improving staff’s understanding of the specific needs of individual young people; the 10 of 11 understanding and management of risk to promote young people’s development; and ensuring staff are supported and guided to fulfil their roles and provide a quality service to young people. Consequently, young people are receiving coordinated, consistent support and guidance that is meeting their needs, contributing to their sense of emotional security and safety, and enabling them to make positive progress. Records and documentation are accessible, stored securely and are generally well

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Leadership and management adequate

maintained. Files now effectively contribute to the understanding of the young people's lives and their experiences within the home, although on occasion some information is not effectively cross referenced between the various documents. The local authority and local police are now informed of when young people move in or out of the area. This means intelligence can be clearly shared between the organisation and help keep young people safe. Monitoring by the independent person is more comprehensive and provides clear insight into the shortfalls and action needed to address them. Copies of the reports produced are now sent to HMCI, Ofsted within the prescribed timescales. Reports of the managers internal monitoring cover the required areas but lack any real evaluation. This means there may be missed opportunities to address any shortfalls. A new reporting system is being introduced but has yet to be implemented.

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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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