Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Regularly reviewed and updated care plans and risk assessments, which are understood and implemented by the staff team, ensure young people are kept safe.  Risk taking behaviour, such as self-harming, staying out late and going missing from the home have reduced for some young people.  Young people maintain contact with those who are significant to them as staff encourage, support and facilitate this sensitively.  Positive and regular communication with the manager and leadership team ensure staff are kept up to date with the progress young people make, their emerging needs and the plans which need to be in place.  Good internal and external monitoring of the home which incorporates the views of all relevant parties ensure the home continues to develop and improve.  Current recruitment processes for staff are not robust and checks identified within regulation are not systematically undertaken. As a result young

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The children's home provision is good because:

people’s safety and well-being is being compromised.  Professional supervision for clinical staff identified within the home’s Statement of Purpose as employees of the company do not receive appropriate supervision. In addition staff do not have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.  At present there are no embedded processes in place to challenge placing authorities with regard to prompt access to child and adolescent mental health services and for ensuring safe and well checks are completed following a young person going missing from home.

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety, specifically ensuring that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to all staff members in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2, in particular systematically obtaining and verifying references for all staff who use the home. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(3)(d)) 25/09/2015

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience, in particular the clinical psychologist, and ensure all staff have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(b)(c)) 25/09/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  ensure where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the services needed to meet a child's needs, the home should pro-actively challenge them and continue to do so until the child's needs are met. (The Guide to Quality Standards, page 12, paragraph 2.8) Specifically in regards to ensuring young people receive prompt support from community child and adolescent and mental health services  ensure where a child returns to the home, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The Registered Manager should take account of this information provided from such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements, care plans and risk assessments in place to protect each child. (The Guide to

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Recommendations

Quality Standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Information about this children's home

This section should outline: This privately owned children's home is registered to care for up to five children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It provides education within the home for children and young people on the premises and also enlists the support of a clinical psychologist to support them with their care practice.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.5

good

Young people enjoy warm, affectionate and positive relationships with the stable staff team. Staff provide good quality care and maintain clear boundaries and routines for young people in line with their individual placement plans, behaviour management plans and risk assessments. Young people say they feel safe, well cared for, listened too and like living in the home. One young person reported, ‘I love living here, it is just like a home, it is my home.’

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good

Young people make progress with their health and education. Those who previously refused to engage in generic health and dental services have now done so ensuring all outstanding dental work has been undertaken. Young people also make good progress educationally and maintain high levels of attainment in comparison to their starting points. Young people are supported to aspire to goals that will maximise their potential and stretch them.

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good

Most young people also make good progress in relation to their starting points across many aspects of their welfare and development. For some a reduction in going missing from home and returning late has been achieved. This has been accomplished through proactive working relationships with the police, the nurse for looked after children, placing local authorities, and support from specialist teams which are available to support young people who are deemed at risk of child sexual exploitation. Young people also achieve good outcomes in relation to improving their emotional well-being with a reduction in self-harming behaviour being noted for some. When additional services from the child and adolescent mental health teams are required, the manager has been proactive in ensuring these referrals are made. However on one occasion, due to the present lack of processes in place, the delay in accessing these services has not been effectively challenged to ensure a

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good

more prompt service response is received. One young person therefore continues to wait for additional support which will enable them to improve their emotional well-being.

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good

Contact is actively promoted to increase young people’s sense of identity. Staff carefully assess the suitability of contact to ensure it is safe and well planned. Staff maintain positive working relationships with family members to promote good information sharing and ensure young people are supported to keep in touch with those people who are important to them. These positive relationships and increased contact is enabling one young person to pursue their wish to return back home to live with their family. Young people are supported and encouraged to share their views in all aspects of their lives. They are supported to attend weekly resident’s meetings, key working sessions and have regular informal discussions where they can discuss things they wish to happen or want to change. When young people are unhappy with decisions or actions that affect them, they are confident in accessing the complaints

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good

procedure and have done so on one occasion. This complaint has been taken seriously by the senior managers and acted upon. This effective process of consultation has resulted in young people receiving additional monies to personalise their bedrooms and home, and having additional monies to go on external activities of their choice.

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good

Staff actively support young people to develop their life skills. They encourage young people to clean up after themselves, keep their rooms tidy, cook and budget their finances. This support enables young people to increase their confidence and gain independent living skills in a safe and supported environment which equips them for independence.

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good

Young people living at the home say they feel safe. They are kept safe by staff who are clearly aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and have received regular training and updates to maintain their knowledge and awareness. Staff know about the home’s whistle blowing policies and safeguarding procedures and report they feel confident to implement these should the need arise.

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good

Young people’s strengths, needs and vulnerabilities are identified within their individual care plans and risk assessments. These plans are understood and consistently implemented by staff and are reviewed and updated by leaders and managers following any significant events. Key working sessions and direct care plan work is regularly undertaken with young people. This gives young people the opportunity to discuss their wishes, views and concerns in a safe space, allowing them the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour to make positive changes in the future.

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good

Young people report they are supported to make positive choices and are rewarded appropriately for their efforts and achievements. Young people state consequences and sanctions for risk taking behaviours they continue to engage in, despite the best efforts of staff to prevent this, are fair and necessary.

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good

Staff are trained and recognise the importance of trying to prevent child sexual exploitation. Staff engage and undertake direct work with young people to raise their awareness of child sexual exploitation so they themselves can begin to understand the associated risks with their behaviour and make informed, safe choices. When young people do go missing from home, staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities. They make satisfactory attempts to locate young people and inform the police in the required timeframes identified within individual young peoples’ plans. Staff keep placing local authorities and parents regularly updated and welcome young people home when they do return. However as yet not all young people benefit from safe and well checks on their return home. Consequently the opportunity to gain further information leading to this behaviour is lost and cannot therefore inform future risk assessments and care plans to

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good

Physical interventions are used as a last resort by adequately trained staff when young people are not able to regulate their emotional responses. Debriefs are consistently completed following an incident with staff and young people which enable the young person to reflect on their behaviour and identify other means of managing their emotions, and staff the opportunity to evaluate their care practice.

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good

Young people live in a large, safe, comfortable home. There is enough space for both communal activity and privacy. The building is situated in an area convenient for public transport and local amenities. This means young people can access a broad range of services to meet their individual needs and engage regularly in their chosen activities.

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requires improvement

Young people live in a home that is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified Registered Manager. She returned to her post after a period of secondment to a senior management post and following leave in April 2015. She has recently enrolled on the required Level 5 Qualification. She embraces the opportunity to undertake any further training which is on offer to continue to develop her own practice. The manager uses her knowledge, skills and experience to provide clear leadership and management to the dedicated and stable staff team. She is supported by two experienced and enthusiastic senior staff members who share the Registered Managers’ aspirations and motivation to improve care practice. This continues to drive the service forward. Child-focused practice is embedded within the home's ethos and this has resulted in some young people achieving some positive outcomes in certain aspects of their lives.

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requires improvement

The two requirements raised at the last inspection have been sufficiently addressed. An independent person now ensures monthly monitoring of the home is undertaken and provides an action plan to continue to develop the service further. In addition records are now fully completed following any physical intervention.

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requires improvement

The only recommendation raised at the last inspection with regard to internal monitoring has also been addressed satisfactorily. The manager now ensures that she undertakes the internal monitoring within the home, within the new regulation timeframes. This ensures the service continues to improve and develop to enhance the experience and progress for young people.

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requires improvement

The progress of young people is carefully monitored. The manager regularly reviews the progress that all young people make and discusses any concerns with the relevant parties. Good relationships with social workers, education providers, safeguarding professionals and health professionals mean that the manager is able to discuss progress and share concerns appropriately. Feedback from several professionals throughout the inspection confirmed that there is effective communication with the home through regular updates and well-written monthly reports. One social worker said, ‘ Communication is excellent. Staff and Maria always inform me of any developments and do listen to my perspective and input. Any planning takes place jointly with the young person, parent, IRO and in a recent review a Barnardos advocate.'

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requires improvement

The manager effectively monitors serious incidents to ensure appropriate action is taken and any points of learning can be integrated into future practice. All significant events relating to the welfare and protection of young people living in the home are notified to the appropriate authorities in a timely manner.

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requires improvement

Case records reflect young people’s everyday lives and the work that is undertaken by the staff team. Records are detailed and reflect young peoples’ needs, strengths and vulnerabilities as well as highlighting their achievements and future plans. All information is stored securely and only shared with authorised persons. This ensures young people's right to privacy is maintained.

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requires improvement

Current recruitment processes for staff within the organisation are not robust and checks identified as necessary within regulation are not systematically undertaken. The manager was appointed without any application or interview process, and staff, including the teacher, have commenced employment without the organisation systematically obtaining references and verifying these when they have been undertaken. As a result young people’s safety and well-being is being compromised.

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requires improvement

Within the registered provider organisation there has been shortfalls in undertaking the required background checks when recruiting staff and senior managers. This shows a failing on the part of the registered provider to oversee this aspect of management. A requirement is made to ensure that recruitment is robust and only staff safe to work with vulnerable young people are employed. The registered provider implemented an action plan immediately to address this.

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requires improvement

Staff and managers receive regular supervision and training to deliver a high standard of care to young people. However arrangements to ensure the clinical psychologist receives appropriate supervision have yet to be embedded, and the managers and staff do not have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. At such it is unclear if they are supported, and maintain the knowledge, skills and abilities they require to continue to meet young people’s emerging needs.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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