Children's Home run by Essandore Limited in St Helens

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:

 The young people receive highly personalised child-focused care, which meets their complex individual needs. They make strong individual progress in their lives enjoying improved health and well-being.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 They feel safe and well cared for. They are happy and enjoy living at the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people learn to manage their own behaviour and develop their self- confidence and esteem. They develop new skills and improve their abilities which help them enjoy their lives more.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 A wide variety of stimulating activities are available and young people enjoy opportunities to experience new things.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Independent advocates are available and young people feel fully included in all decisions about their lives.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Effective behaviour management strategies and a consistent approach has meant that some young people have made exceptional improvement in their behaviour.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff changes are few and staff know each of the young people well. Relationships between staff and young people are caring and supportive.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people, parents and professionals hold this setting in very high regard. This demonstrates young people's well-being is at the centre of the care delivered.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Areas for improvement include training for domestic staff, young people having robust transition plans, and strengthening of staff recruitment processes.

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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

In order to meet the care planning standard the provider must ensure that young people:

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Requirement Due date

1 (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and (b) have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 09/11/2015

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the provider must ensure that staff -

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Requirement Due date

2(a)(iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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Requirement Due date

(vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies; specifically ensuring that domestic staff within the home have safeguarding training and are aware of child protection policies, such as whistleblowing. 09/11/2015

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

Ensure that the children's guide is updated. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 24 paragraph 4.23)

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Recommendations

 Ensure maintenance of good employment practice for each prospective employee by requesting specific dates of previous employment and scrutinising any gaps in employment (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Information about this children's home

This section should outline: The home offers accommodation for up to 5 young people who have learning disabilities and who may also have physical disabilities. The home is owned by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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good

Young people attend full-time education regularly. Their development targets are shared with the school and these promote their progress. Other targets are environment specific, depending on the needs of the child or young person. Young people who would otherwise or previously spent a lot of time indoors are encouraged to make use of the outside space and get involved in physical activities. This supports their physical and emotional well-being.

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good

Young people enjoy their time in the home. A parent commented: ‘the difference is unbelievable I have never seen him so happy, he smiles all the time now, I know he is happy living there.’ Young people are involved in activities in the home and in the wider community. An example of this is a recent holiday to Wales for two of the young people. This supports their learning and exposure to a variety of new experiences.

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good

Progress for young people is evident, including developing their confidence to spend time with their parents. One parent spend his first ever holiday with his child. Staff supported the young person and her father on this holiday. The father was able to share new experiences with his daughter, such as enjoying meals out and swimming.

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good

Staff understand the needs of the young people. They are enthusiastic about their work and committed to providing an inclusive service to overcome the difficulties associated with additional needs and disability. Communication with schools and parents is productive. Not only is it used to communicate concerns or difficulties but also to identify young people's strengths in order to promote progress.

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good

Key working relationships between young people and staff are strong. Staff are committed to young people and care about them which provides them with a nurturing home to live in. A professional commented ‘the relationships that staff have quickly formed have added to the huge achievements that he has made, they know and understand him.’

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good

Staff have registered young people with a range of external services such as GPs, opticians, dentists. They proactively liaise with external colleagues to review each young person’s physical health and matters of well-being. Recorded health plans help the team to keep up to date with individual young people’s current issues. This prioritises their unique needs and results in them making significant progress in meeting developmental milestones, for example, in self-care.

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good

Young people have advocates. This aids to facilitate communication, help young people to share their ideas and make known their opinions. Visual prompts around communal areas of the home and in bedrooms provide reminders that the young people are at the centre of this home. Tailored support plans mean that young people are in a routine. They are used to taking part in household chores, such as vacuuming, cooking, cleaning and baking. This helps to prepare for transitions to adult life, provides structure and helps young people to value their environment.

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good

There has been delay in the planning for young people leaving the home when they reach their eighteenth birthday. This delay means that young people are uncertain about their futures which could cause anxiety and plans to be rushed.

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good

Young people feel safe and are kept safe. They appear comfortable and relaxed around the staff caring for them. Staff work in partnership with other agencies to improve safeguarding. The staff team makes use of information from local police intelligence of any particular concerns in the area or local community which may impact on the safety or welfare of children and young people using the home.

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good

Young people do not go missing. This is due to the high staffing ratios which mean they are effectively supervised at all times. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place to help keep them safe.

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good

The staff team understands how to safeguard young people including those who are additionally vulnerable because of their disabilities. They receive regular training in this area. Safeguarding young people is a key component of care planning and delivery. However the manager has not extended the comprehensive safeguarding training or whistleblowing policy and procedures to the domestic staff working within the home. This means that not all the staff working within the home are equipped with the knowledge to safeguarding young people. Young people’s behaviour is managed well using praise, distraction and rewards. Sanctions are not used as most young people would not understand or benefit from this concept. Restraints are only used to avoid injury to children and young people. Most of these amount to gentle guide holds to remove them from potential danger or the risk of harming one another. A social worker commented ‘he

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good

permanently had marks to his head with his head banging behaviour this has almost ceased because of the good work carried out by the home.’

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good

The home’s care planning process includes arrangements to identify and address potential individualised risks posed to young people in their day-to-day care and activities. Placement plans set out in impressive detail how staff should approach and interact with them. For example, the plans for young people are very specific about how they like to communicate and how this communication differs when they are distressed. This is important as it prevents the young person from being distressed and a possible challenge as a result of this. This demonstrates how well the staff team understand the young people and follows a very positive and proactive approach to understanding and managing their behaviour.

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good

Greater care is required when recruiting staff to work at the home to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. A member of staff has recently been recruited to the home. During the recruitment process the manager failed to check on an employment gap in line with safer recruitment procedures. Another staff member’s file did not include a second reference; this was on file at head office but was not filed in the individual’s recruitment file. Staff photographs were not attached to files; however the deputy manager rectified this during the inspection.

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good

The experienced Registered Manager is a strong and caring leader; he is suitably qualified and experienced. The home has a committed and longstanding staff team who meet together regularly to discuss all aspects of the running of the home. Team meetings are well attended, well recorded and staff report ‘we work well as a team and the meetings are important.’ Staff feel supported and are well supervised by managers. Staff are supervised and have annual appraisals of their practice. Staff also use this time to reflect on young people’s progress and to decide how best to support them.

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good

One member of staff describes the team as ‘a family, we rely on each other and support each other.’ Staff enjoy working in the home and are inspired when young people smile, laugh and show reactions.

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good

Staffing levels are based on young people’s individual needs and allow a wide range of activities to take place and highly individualised and sensitive care to be provided. The home’s records are of good quality and are regularly monitored and quality assured by the manager. This ensures that there is very effective case and recording supervision which enhance the outcomes achieved by young people.

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good

Consistent and reliable internal and external monitoring enables the Registered Manager to understand the home’s strengths and recognise areas for growth. This informs the home’s development plan which is focused on maintaining a homely high quality service. Areas identified for improvement are actioned which means that the home does not stagnate. In addition, the Registered Manager, supported by the team, is continually looking for new ideas to improve young people’s overall experiences. Managers and staff have effective and meaningful professional working relationships with key stakeholders. Those spoken to were unreserved in their praise. One parent said: ‘I could not be happier that my child is living there it is a great place with great people who really know how to make his life better.’

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good

The statement of purpose has been reviewed recently and captures the ethos of the home. Staff practice is reflective of the statement of purpose and what it states the home can provide young people. However the young people’s guide has not been updated to reflect on the changes to the statement of purpose.

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good

The home has appropriate systems in place to notify Ofsted and other relevant bodies of significant events that occur within the home or with young people. This ensures that those with an interest in young people’s welfare are kept appropriately informed. Records kept in the home are clear, accurate and up to date.

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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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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