Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in Sefton

Unique reference number SC040785 Inspector Maria McGranaghan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person PIC Children's Services Limited Registered person address 2 North Street Haydock ST. HELENS Merseyside WA11 0TW Responsible individual Carol Fletcher Registered manager Kelly Torpey Date of last inspection 26/02/2014 2 of 11 Inspection date 03/09/2014

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Previous inspection satisfactory progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action taken against this setting to date.

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Overall effectiveness good

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

Young people live in a relaxed and comfortable environment in a home that is committed to generating positive opportunities and outcomes for them. Achievements are seen in education, a reduction in risk taking behaviours and social integration.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are happy and settled in the home. Relationships between young people and staff are firmly established. Good safeguarding systems including detailed risk assessments and positive relationships with external safeguarding agencies ensure that young people’s safety is consistently monitored both inside and outside the home.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are looked after in accordance to their placement plan. Staff work together with external services to ensure that young people receive the necessary support and guidance in order to make significant positive changes in their lives. Young people are looked after by staff who receive appropriate training and supervision in order to meet the needs of those resident in the home. Likewise, the majority of staff are qualified at NVQ level three and this ensures they have the right skills and knowledge to work effectively with young people. 3 of 11 Young people are regularly consulted on all aspects of the running of the home. For example, consultation documents, young people’s meetings and individual keywork sessions provide young people with opportunities to raise matters or simply to have their views heard. Young people are very much central to the home and this is evident in the positive feedback they have provided.

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Overall effectiveness

The home is suitably managed by an experienced registered manager. Practice within the home is consistently monitored by the manager to ensure the good standards of care provided are suitably maintained. However, records of this monitoring are not consistently forwarded to Ofsted for review. Similarly, although external monitoring of the home takes place, records are not consistently provided to the home or forwarded to Ofsted in accordance with Regulation. It is noted that these matters do not impact on the care provided to young people in the home.

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Overall effectiveness

While it is clear that the home maintains records of room searches taking place, essential information such as the details of any items removed or where they are stored are not routinely recorded. Consequently, young people’s belongings are at risk of being mislaid. Similarly, young people’s placement plans provide a good overview of the current progress towards their plan. However, plans do not consistently include the next step arrangements in order to progress the plan. As a result two requirements and two recommendations are made at this inspection. 4 of 11

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to care for two young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or a learning disability.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 28/06/2013 Full outstanding 15/03/2013 Interim good progress 05/07/2012 Full outstanding

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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 a copy of the Regulation 34 report is provided to HMCI within the given timescales (Regulation 34 (2) 01/10/2014

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the independent person produce within required timescales a report about the visit and a copy is provided to HMCI and the registered manager (Regulation 33 (9) (a) (d) 01/10/2014

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): 5 of 11  ensure each young person's placement plan is monitored by the keyworker to ensure the requirements of the plan are implemented and updated regularly (NMS 25.2)  ensure the guidance on recording room searches includes details of any items removed and arrangements for their safe storage (NMS 3.20) 6 of 11

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people make good progress in the home. The nurturing environment is supported by consistent boundaries and routines that enable young people to experience a safe and stable living environment. Young people establish good relationships with staff. A committed and experienced staff team work hard to secure positive outcomes for young people. Likewise, young people have access to additional support from external services where necessary. This multi-agency approach assists young people to understand their personal circumstances in order to make positive and productive changes in their lives.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are supported to attend appropriate educational provision. School reports highlight progress including young people gaining GCSE qualifications. It is clear that staff are consistent in promoting education as an important and essential feature in young people’s lives. Consequently, young people enjoy school and develop a real sense of pride in their achievements.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people live in a home where their views and opinions are highly valued and respected. Consultation with young people is daily practice, from informal discussions to more formal young people’s meetings, keywork sessions and consultation documents. Young people are supported to personalise their bedrooms and make choices about their personal style and interests. This enables young people to feel important, enhancing self-confidence and esteem. Young people say, ‘I like it here.’

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are encouraged to take part in regular activities such as attending the gym and drama groups. Some young people develop exceptional talents such as directing community productions. Staff say, ‘If a young person has a talent we want to do all we can to promote it.’ Likewise, young people are supported to make valuable friendships within the community. As a result, young people feel part of their community and this assists them to grow in confidence and self-esteem which enhances their individual social development.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people’s health is promoted in the home. Regular consultations with health professionals supported by suitable keyworker sessions ensure young people have a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. Likewise, well established routines assist young people to take account of their personal care such as, hygiene, diet and exercise. This has proved successful as young people are more active, have a better diet and take pride in their appearance.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people benefit from planned and supported contact with family. Staff maintain close links with families and say, ‘We understand how important family is and try to make sure that any contact is positive.’ Detailed contact arrangements ensure contact only takes place with only those whom it has been agreed and arrangements are 7 of 11 reviewed regularly.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Young people are provided with suitable opportunities to develop independent skills ready for adult life. They undertake tasks such as shopping, cooking meals, completing their own washing and helping with their ironing. Consequently, young people begin to develop the skills that promote self-esteem and confidence while preparing for adult life.

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Quality of care good

From their initial starting point, young people make good progress in the home. A social worker said, ‘The staff work really hard to ensure the young people are safe and well cared for. They don’t give up on young people, they look at other ways of working with them. I am happy with the placement.’

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Quality of care good

Young people know how to complain. Information is provided in the young people’s guide and organisational complaints documents. Procedures for managing complaints are in place and clear evidence demonstrates that they are handled fairly and investigated thoroughly by the manager or external nominated person. Young people say, ‘The staff are fair and they do listen to us. If we want to speak to an external person they always arrange it,’

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Quality of care good

Young people’s placement plans provide a useful overview of individual need. The home works in partnership with external services to ensure young people are afforded professional support where necessary. Likewise, plans are reviewed by young people and their keyworker in order to ascertain their views and opinions with regard to the care they receive at the home. Young people say, ‘I like it here. I get on with all the staff and feel settled.’ However, some placement plans do not fully capture the next steps in young people’s care. For example, some plans provide a summary of progress to date, but do not clearly detail the work to be undertaken to move the plan forward. As a result, the care arrangements for some young people are not consistently updated.

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Quality of care good

Young people benefit from plans that clearly identify individual heritage, identity, sexuality and faith. Young people are encouraged to pursue their individual beliefs and are offered a range of materials to develop their understanding of individual choice and difference. For example, books, DVDs and discussions with counsellors and staff assist young people to develop a positive self-view and an understanding of what makes them a unique and special person.

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Quality of care good

Young people’s health is promoted because of consistent health care. Regular consultation with health professionals ensures young people have a good understanding of issues such as drugs, alcohol, sex and relationships and personal safety including internet safety. Likewise, young people’s emotional health is well supported. Specialist counsellors work with staff and young people to ensure the 8 of 11 right support is available to young people experiencing emotional difficulty. As a result, young people with a history of refusing additional support now access support services.

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Quality of care good

From their initial starting point, young people with a history of educational disruption make good progress in the home. This is because the staff team are strong advocates for young people and seek out suitable educational opportunities in order to maximise educational experience and achievement. As a result, young people have much better attendance and attainment and have gained GCSE qualifications.

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Quality of care good

Young people develop suitable social skills which means they make friends in the community and develop appropriate social links. Consequently, young people develop a sense of belonging within their community. Likewise, young people live in suitable accommodation that blends into the residential area. Young people are central to making the house into their home and proudly display photographs and comments around the home and invite friends for tea.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The safety of young people is prioritised in the home. Very good working relationships with external agencies combined with through risk management ensure that young people are provided with the correct levels of support to maintain their safety.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people live in a home where their safety and well-being is suitably assessed. Staff receive appropriate training in order to recognise and respond to risks or suspicions of harm and this is supported by detailed risk assessments. Likewise, young people with a risk of being missing are supported by an individual missing from home plan. This clearly sets out the actions to be taken by staff to minimise the risk of a young person going missing and to ensure the safe return of those who do. A missing from home co-ordinator said, ‘We are very happy with this home. They go the extra mile for the young people to make sure they are kept safe.’

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are encouraged to demonstrate socially acceptable behaviour. Behaviour management plans are in place to identify strategies to manage and reduce unacceptable behaviour, including the use of sanctions and keywork sessions. Staff focus on de-escalation and re-direction techniques in order to defuse potential disruptive behaviours. This has proved successful as there have been no incidents of physical intervention in the home. However, where the search of a young person’s room was necessary, some records do not include information such as the details of any items removed or where they were stored. As a result, there is the potential for items to be mislaid.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Young people are supported to understand and respect individuals with different life experiences, needs and opinions. Likewise, young people are enabled to learn about 9 of 11 behaviours such as bullying from both a victim’s and a perpetrator’s perspective. Keywork sessions and young people’s meetings take place regularly and this empowers young people to recognise the impact of bullying and take the appropriate action to make it stop. Young people say, ‘I trust the staff. I have no problems here.’

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Keeping children and young people safe good

The home employs a good recruitment procedure that ensures young people are looked after by staff who are appropriately checked in order to work in the home. Visitors are appropriately vetted and this helps to make sure that young people are protected in their home.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Staff promote young people’s on-going protection by undertaking regular fire drills and service tests making sure that all faults are suitably addressed. Good monitoring systems are in place and include the safe administration of prescribed medication.

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Leadership and management adequate

The Registered Manager has been in post since June 2013. This service is one of two children’s homes managed by the Registered Manager. She brings to the role over ten years’ residential social care experience and two years’ experience as a Registered Manager. She is suitably qualified to undertake her responsibilities having acquired both the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Award levels 3 and 4 in children’s social care and the Registered Managers Award.

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Leadership and management adequate

Young people live in a home that is managed in their best interests. The home meets the aims and objectives of the statement of purpose, and young people, social workers and families are clear about the service and support the home provides.

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Leadership and management adequate

The home employs a committed staff team with a high percentage qualified at NVQ level 3. The training of staff at this level ensures that they are suitably qualified in the care and management of young people. Staff receive suitable support from the manager. Supervision takes place on a regular basis and serves to identify the training needs and personal development targets of staff. Staff say, ‘The manager is very supportive I am happy working here. The training is very good and really relates to the work we do.’

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Leadership and management adequate

Young people are looked after by a competent staff team who have a wide range of skills and experience that are well matched to the needs of young people. The numbers of staff on duty are sufficient to meet the needs of young people in the best possible way.

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Leadership and management adequate

The staff demonstrate a commitment to delivering good child care practice tailored to the individual and personal needs of young people. The effectiveness of this approach is measurable in the progress young people make particularly in education, a reduction in risk taking behaviour and developing and sustaining relationships. The manager is aware of the procedure for notifying Ofsted of incidents under 10 of 11 Regulation 30, Schedule 5 and has been consistent in the reporting of all incidents occurring in the home. This practice ensures that information is shared with the regulatory agency in order that the actions and outcomes for young people can be suitable assessed.

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Leadership and management adequate

Internal monitoring of the home’s practices is undertaken on a regular basis and highlights areas where progress is made and where development is required. However, the organisational process for forwarding reports to Ofsted within suitable timescales is deficient. Consequently, reports are not received by Ofsted on a consistent basis. Likewise, although it is clear that external monitoring visits also take place on a monthly basis, reports are not completed within suitable timescales. As a result, the current external monitoring arrangements do not assist in the continuous development of care practices within the home. It is noted that these matters do not impact negatively on the young people living in the home.

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Leadership and management adequate

One requirement made at the last inspection is not suitably addressed. The manager was asked to address shortfalls in the process for external monitoring of the home. While it is acknowledged that the organisation proposes to address this, the current system remains deficient. 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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