Children's Home run by Life Change Care Limited in Lancashire

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:

 Relationships between staff members and young people are strong. These are built on a solid foundation through carefully assessed pre-planning and introductory visits to the home  From their starting point young people make progress across all aspects of their lives. They benefit from staff members who know them well as individuals  Arrangements are agreed and in place at the point of admission, ensuring suitable provision is in place for young people’s health and education  Young people have access to an extensive range of resources, they engage well in the direct work provided to them. The service delivers a therapeutic package addressing young people’s issues and provides them with psychological support  Where progress is not being made, the management team engage and challenge partner agencies and placing authorities to address young people emotional, social and psychological well-being. This ensures young people

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The children's home provision is good because:

are provided with the services to address their specific needs  Young people are listened to and involved in the day-to-day running of the home. Staff members spend time with young people and their views are taken into account when decisions are made about them  Staff members understand young people’s traumatic experiences and address these in a sensitive and caring manner, young people feel supported by this approach  Staff members are equipped with the skills to be able to recognise the signs of child sexual exploitation. Young people are protected and safe in the home.  Care planning and risk assessments are robust, effectively reviewed and amended. This ensures the changing emotional and social needs of young people are addressed and staff members consistently follow strategies to reduce self-harm and risk taking behaviours.  There is clear oversight from the registered manager and deputy in tracking

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The children's home provision is good because:

young people’s progress and placement plans are adapted to reflect this. The responsible individual is involved in the running of the home and supports the management team and staff members well

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, particularly around consequences when young people return from missing incidents, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate (The Guide to the Quality Standards paragraph 9.34 page 46)  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principals of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for (The Guide to the Quality Standards paragraph 9.57 page 49)  Ensure a record of supervision is kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation. (The Guide to the Quality Standards paragraph 13.3 page 61)

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Information about this children's home

 The home is registered to accommodate four young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties (EBD). The home may provide care and accommodation only for single sex occupancy.  The home is privately owned  The purpose of the home is to provide specialist therapeutic care for girls who have been subjected to child sexual exploitation or others who require specialist therapeutic care to facilitate emotional and psychological healing, as written in the home's statement of purpose  Individual therapeutic formulations are made by expert psychotherapists and psychologists offering a wide range of interventions, as outlined in the home's statement of purpose

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.5

good

Young people are accommodated in the home once a thorough admission process has been completed. This ensures they have all of the information about the services the home provides and they make introductory visits before moving into the home. Staff members know the history and specific needs of young people. The management team are able to agree and have arrangements in place of how the home will support young people’s needs. The home will not take emergency placements in line with the statement of purpose document.

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good

As a result, young people make progress from their starting point in the home. Relationships between staff members and young people and young people themselves are strong. Staff members demonstrate an excellent understanding of young people’s individual personalities, strengths and needs. They spend time each day listening and supporting them. These positive relationships were observed throughout the inspection.

p.6

good

Pre-assessment planning ensures young people are compatible with each other and arrangements for their health and education are embedded. A social worker confirms this and says, ‘it’s been a fantastic placement, when I say fantastic, which I think the care is, I also mean she is in a stable home and she has not had stability for such a long period. Home are excellent at keeping me informed and very caring and sensitive, meeting all of her needs.’

p.6

good

Young people are registered with local health services to meet their physical health needs. Routine appointments, such as, dental and eye tests are attended by young people, ensuring any need for treatment is carried out. Individual therapy sessions are tailored around young people’s interests and are carried out by experienced and qualified professional therapists. For example, equestrian, music, art, drama and dance.

p.6

good

This approach engages young people and helps them to address and improve their emotional, social and psychological well-being. The home employs a number of specialists and this reduces any waiting times, for professional services, ensuring young people’s needs are addressed promptly.

p.6

good

Structures in place at the point of admission support consistent levels of engagement in education. Alternative provision is available to support young people where previously their education attendance has been poor or disruptive. These arrangements ensure young people are supported to progress and prepare for further study, training or employment.

p.6

good

Young people enjoy and are actively involved in activities inside and outside of the home. They contribute to the plans made by staff members and have had a fun packed time during the school half term break. Festivities are celebrated and young people decorated the home in preparation for Halloween. Their friends and family are welcomed into the home, some stay for dinner and young people fully understand their arrangements for contact. This keeps them in touch with the significant people in their lives.

p.7

good

Young people are regularly consulted and involved in all aspects of their care and the operation of the home. Consistent approaches are maintained between the therapy session’s young people engage in and the care provided to them in the home. Staff members are sensitive and responsive and help them understand and overcome past experiences and current traumatic situations. This builds young people’s confidence and strengthens their emotional resilience.

p.7

good

Regular assessments ensure young people’s plans are in line with the expectation of their placing authority. When specific need is identified aside from the local authority plan and the services this home provides, such as, mental health need, arrangements are made to bring forward meetings with external professionals so appropriate plans and strategies are in place. This ensures young people’s needs are considered to reduce any crisis they may be experiencing. Young people moving on are supported to understand the reasons why change is happening and they are provided with the necessary support to address their specific need.

p.7

good

The home provides a therapeutic environment which supports young people who have been suspected or subjected to child sexual exploitation. Staff are trained and recognise the importance of child sexual exploitation prevention, including grooming, bullying and internet safety. Staff members engage in, and undertake direct work with young people to raise their awareness of child sexual exploitation so they themselves can begin to understand the risks associated with their behaviour and can make informed, safe choices.

p.7

good

Young people have often experienced multiple moves prior to living in the home and experienced trauma or abuse. Their behaviour can be erratic and include self- harming. Staff recognise the triggers which cause young people to engage in self- harm. They are skilled and experienced and follow a consistent approach where young people’s self-harm behaviours are potentially life threatening. Effective strategies including therapy and key worker sessions identify the cause of these behaviours. As a result, incidents are reducing in frequency and intensity.

p.7

good

Young people are safe in the home and are appropriately supervised without having their privacy restricted. Well-co-ordinated responses are in place should young people be absent or missing from the home. Staff members follow young people and encourage them to return safely. There are no concerns with young people using drugs, alcohol or being criminalised. Young people understand the boundaries in the home and respond to these well, keeping them safe.

p.8

good

Following the homes registration there has been one missing from home incident and one absence. This represents a significant reduction as young people’s previous risk taking behaviours included them being missing from their previous placements frequently.

p.8

good

Young people understand the point system which rewards them for positive behaviour. They respond well to this system, and earn, praise, certificates and financial rewards, which are used to purchase items they are interested in. This reduces any consequences needing to be imposed for inappropriate behaviour.

p.8

good

‘However’, a consequence has been imposed by restricting paid activities following a young person’s missing from home incident. This is poor practice. As a result, a recommendation is made. This is to ensure young people are not reprimanded following incidents of missing from home, which could discourage them from returning to the home.

p.8

good

Detailed risk assessments around young people’s behaviours are in place, understood by staff members and signed by young people. This ensures everyone is aware of the strategies to be implemented should a young person display concerning behaviour. Restraint has not been used and this is testament of the positive relationships which exist between young people and staff members. Particularly around incidents of self-harm when staff have de-escalated the situation and young people have not inflicted further harm on themselves.

p.8

good

Staff members have experience of working in children’s homes and some have previously completed restraint training. Some have been trained in different restraint techniques. A training event planned to ensure all are trained in the same restraint techniques had to be cancelled, this was due to external factors of the training provider. As a result, a recommendation is made. This is to ensure all staff understand and follow the same safe restraint technique should a young person, for their safety and that of others, need to be restrained.

p.8

good

Robust recruitment procedures are followed and evidence provided by the operations manager shows staff members do not commence work in the home until all necessary checks have been returned, verified and signed as clear. This system protects young people. A full check of the homes health and safety procedures were carried out as part of the registration process. Certificates from professional contractors in relation to appliances and safety measures remain in date. Regular checks of alarms and fire evacuations are carried out and recorded. All visitors to the home sign in and do not have unsupervised contact with young people. These arrangements keep young people, staff members and visitors safe. The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard and there are no outstanding repairs.

p.8

good

The registered manager is experienced and is currently undertaking her Level 5 Diploma. She has previously managed other children’s homes. The registered manager was on annual leave during this inspection and the deputy and responsible individual were available.

p.9

good

In the registered managers absence the deputy demonstrated her competencies and the home was operating in line with its statement of purpose document. She and the staff members described and provided documentary evidence of how young people have made progress from their starting point in the home. This included the homes strengths and weaknesses outlined in the development plan. There are clear targets such as, training, supervision and personal development for staff members to further improve the service provided to young people.

p.9

good

Arrangements for staff supervision provide them with clinical supervision by a psychologist and separate supervision from the registered manager and deputy. Clinical supervision enables them to understand how young people’s experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour, and how to manage their own emotions.

p.9

good

Supervision from the manager and deputy enables staff to discuss individual young people and their own professional development. The registered manager is supervised by the responsible individual. ‘However’, it is unclear how frequent these supervision arrangements for staff take place. As a result, a recommendation is made, this is to ensure a record of evidence for supervision is kept for staff, including the manager.

p.9

good

The home has sufficient staff members to meet the needs of the young people. All have completed an induction and the majority are qualified to Level 3 or higher. Regular team meetings provide opportunity for reflection work and lessons learned. Further training has been completed around child sexual exploitation and self-harm and training for restraint is booked. Independent monitoring reports provide an accurate account of how the home is operating to safeguard and support young people. Internal audits regularly completed by the management team ensure care planning and administrative documents are up to date. This ensures young people’s case records reflect their everyday lives.

p.9

good

Delegated responsibilities are in place with staff members ensuring tasks allocated to them are completed. This provides a sense of shared ownership about their practice. All staff members are aware of their responsibilities to inform appropriate agencies of any significant event in the home. This triggers meetings to be brought forward meetings and allows agreed strategies to be put in place. This further protects young people.

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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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