Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Knowsley

Unique reference number SC473375 Inspector Nick Veysey Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Continuum Support - Care Services Ltd Registered person address 40 Fenwick Road Great Sutton ELLESMERE PORT CH66 4UF Responsible individual Julie Frances Collings Registered manager Louise Dolores Tierney Date of last inspection 21/07/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 04/03/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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This inspection

The children’s home continues to provide a safe and caring environment for vulnerable young people. The staff team have expertise, skills and training in working with young people with emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties. They are committed to promoting young people’s welfare, managing risks to their safety, and providing opportunities for their personal growth and development. Young people have trusting relationships with staff, enjoy their company and accept their help and advice. Staff’s sensitive use of touch has helped to reassure young people that they are safe and feel calm. Young people have started to take part in education and a wider range of activities including, horse riding, ice skating, playing guitar, keeping fit at the gym, crafts, and going to the library and the cinema. They are mixing with other young people; for example they have made friends at the gym by training together. They are developing healthy diet

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This inspection

by trying new food, looking up healthy recipes, cooking and baking.

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This inspection

The young person accommodated in the home is currently staying in hospital. Staff have a good understanding of her specific health needs and how best to support her. They work extremely well with a community mental health service to follow her treatment plan and promote her emotional health and well-being. They closely monitor the young person’s health and took prompt action when they were concerned that she was becoming unwell. They ensured that she got the medical attention, assessment and treatment she requires. Medicines are stored safely and young people receive the medication they require to promote their physical and emotional health. The medication records now accurately show the amount of medicines received into the home. The routine auditing of the medication records has been strengthened to ensure medication is safely managed.

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This inspection

Staff’s effective safe care practice ensures that young people receive good individual support and guidance designed to meet their needs. They contribute to the 3 of 5 planning for young people’s care, support and management of risk. They have a clear understanding of safeguarding issues and child protection procedures, including the risks associated with self-harm. They know exactly what they need to do when they have concerns and act decisively to protect the young people, including sharing information with safeguarding agencies. The manager and staff listen to young people take their concerns seriously. Any complaints are always fully investigated and the manager makes sure young people know the outcome. They work inclusively with young people to devise strategies to manage their feelings safely. Young people choose the behaviour that they want to change, think with staff about how they want to do it, and pick their own rewards. For example, one

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This inspection

young person decided she wanted help to stop hitting and throwing things and to get a football kit for her build-a-bear as her reward. Staff helped her to reflect on whether she met her goals, and praised and recognised her achievements. This approach helped her to manage their feelings and understand the consequences of their actions. Staff make every effort to give young people space and time to calm down. They use restraint rarely and it is only used to protect them from serious harm.

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This inspection

The manager and staff actively review serious incidents of aggression and self-harm. They reflect on what happened and how effectively they managed the situation and protected the young people. This process has helped to inform their practice and management of risk. It has also identified the emotional impact on staff and the importance making sure that they are fully supported.

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This inspection

The provider and manager make good use of the monitoring of the home to understand the strengths and key areas for development. They have made improvements in the quality of the written records, which now provide a clear picture of young people’s experiences and progress. The manager has completed a written development plan to show how she intends to improve the quality of care. Her priority is to enhance staff’s skills, understanding, and confidence in mental health and planned a suitable training programme. Also, staff are completing mental health units as part of their qualification in residential child care. Overall the manager’s monitoring reports are detailed and evaluative. However, they do not explicitly show consultation with young people, parents, social workers, and other agencies working with the young people about the quality of the home. As a result the manager is not taking into account how others view and experience the support

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This inspection

provided in order to develop the home. Also the manager is not reviewing the effectiveness of mental health and therapeutic service in achieving better health outcomes for young people. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home in run and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties or mental disorders. The provider has a service level agreement with a mental health community service, registered with the Care Quality Commission, to provide a range of clinical support to children and young people accommodated at the home and the staff supporting them.

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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

 develop further effective procedures for monitoring the home by ensuring children, parents, social workers, and other agencies working with children are regularly involved in contributing to monitoring the operation of the home, and their views and any concerns are seriously taken into account. Also review the effectiveness of the arrangements for therapeutic services in achieving better health outcomes for children. (NMS 21.1) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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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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