Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services 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:

There are currently no young people living in the home. Their social worker’s said the young person felt safe and was safe here. He saw this very much as his home. Young people rarely go missing. They always return home safely a few hours later. Social worker said the young person built strong, trusting relationships with staff. Staff have a very good understanding of the young person’s and were able to respond quickly should they see a decline in his behaviour or mental health. The young person was aware of his own health care needs and outside influences that affected this. For example, smoking and using cannabis. However, he clearly stated that he would give these up when he was ready. Staff are proactive in ensuring young people receive medical attention when they need it. They work well with other agencies to ensure this happens. They are instrumental in devising ‘relapse plans’. Staff are proactive at engaging young people with their education. As a result

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The children's home provision is good because:

young people make good progress and achieve their educational goals. However, their education, health, and well-being are hampered by the lack of access in the home to a computer and Wi-Fi. This led to the young person being barred from some areas of the community when he tried to access their Wi-Fi. Care planning is individualised and shows the uniqueness of the young person. However, some records such as their placement plan and health care plan are not as comprehensive in some areas. The recording of missing from care does not include the action taken by the home to try to locate the young person. Young people are appropriately prepared for independence. However, the transition for this young person did not go well. This was due to a lack of an appropriate adult placement being sourced for him. Monitoring of the home by the independent person is not robust. Reports are repetitive, are not evaluative and do not identify any patterns or trends. This does

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The children's home provision is good because:

not help the home to move forward. Reports by the manager are improving. However, they are not sent into Ofsted within the prescribed timescales. Effective multi-agency working means all parties are fully informed of the young person’s progress and any issues that arise. Consequently, additional strategies or support can be accessed quickly, such as hospital appointments.

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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 education standard the registered person must;

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Requirement Due date

8.-(1)The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (2) In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure – (a) staff – (ii)support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) to help the child understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure they have access to a computer and internet to access information that will support and enhance their learning, career opportunities, health, and well-being. 26/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain the records ("case records") for each child which – include the information and documentation listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, and are kept up to date in particular the placement plan, chronology of missing from care and health care plans. (Regulation 36 (1) (a) (b)) 26/02/2016

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit, which sets out in particular their opinion as to whether, children are effectively safeguarded, and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. In particular, reports are evaluative, contain current and correct information, and identify 26/02/2016 shortfalls and the action needed to address these. (Regulation 44 (4) (a) (b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to the HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed (Regulation 45 (4)(a)) 26/02/2016

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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 the day-to-day basic needs of young people are met with regards to repairs to the property and soft furnishings being carried out in a timely manner. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, Page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the registered manager makes best use of the independent and internal monitoring of the home to ensure continuous improvement with particular regard to the scrutiny of records and care provided, identifying shortfalls and the action taken to address these. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a limited company. It is registered to provide care and support for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. 

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 CH - Interim sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25/02/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory Progress

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good

The previous resident moved out shortly before Christmas. He enjoyed positive, caring and nurturing relationships with staff who had a good understanding of the young person’s needs and how to meet these well in practice. For example, taking them fishing. This enabled them to talk about their feelings and effectively bolstered their confidence and self-esteem.

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good

His attendance and commitment to education was going well until the last few months of his stay. At this time his attendance became sporadic. However, staff worked effectively with him to encourage him to attend. He said, ‘ I have stayed at this college for over a year which I didn’t think I would do. I like the house I feel at home I can talk to staff and they help me to get to education on time even if I’ve overslept.’ The young person was proud that he completed his sports coaching award and gained other qualifications in first aid and fire safety.

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good

He developed sound budgeting skills and was being appropriately prepared for independence. As a result, he was able to prepare a range of basic meals such as fish and chips, do his own laundry, and budget for the week.

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good

Whilst he struggled with some social interactions, he enjoyed going to the pub with staff to watch the match. This meant he was able to explore positive social interactions with staff and build upon his confidence and esteem. Unfortunately, when on free time he was not always able to maintain this resulting in him being barred from some areas in the community.

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good

Notably this was for trying to access their free WI-FI. This was because the home does not currently have access to the internet or a computer for young people to use. This is hindering their spontaneity to conduct research for their education and the ability to start looking for employment and housing.

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good

The home’s placement plans are not always completed to a consistently high standard. This results in there being a lack of clarity in some areas, in particular the health care section. This means important information about the young person was not recorded, for example cannabis use, smoking, self-harm, support from outside agencies such as child and adolescent mental health teams and autism professionals.

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good

His transition to adult services was not well planned prior to his 18 th Birthday. The Registered Manager actively chased and escalated her concerns regarding the lack of a suitable post 18 placement for him with the social worker and placing authority. Unfortunately, this was not effectively resolved for him in time. As a result, this placement ended suddenly, due to an assault on a member of staff.

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good

The young person was more aware of his own health care needs and could tell staff when he was ‘feeling poorly’. This meant staff effectively initiated their relapse plans and he received the support he needed. He understood the importance of taking his medication on time and the consequences of not taking this. Despite staffs efforts the young person continued to smoke and use cannabis. He was well informed of the negative impact of smoking cannabis on his mental health and continued to decline any additional support for other agencies to stop.

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good

His views were actively sought and used to inform future events. He compiled a ‘bucket list’ if things to do before moving in adult services. This included visiting Blackpool, going on holiday and visiting Ingleton Falls and Delamere forest. This happened. He had a strong voice in what happened in home and organised his activities with staff. However, on a number of occasions he would decide not to proceed with these at the last minute.

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good

The young person had few friends in the community. Contact with family is effectively supported. This means the young people is able to maintain positive relationships with those people who are important to him. Staff advocate on their behalf to try to re-build relationships with family members. The home is currently closed for refurbishment. This will include redecoration and remedial work throughout and the possible swopping of the young person’s bedroom and office. The garden requires work to make the area where the trampoline was positioned safe as this is a tripping hazard. The fencing around the garden is damaged and needs to be made secure. This work is due to take place shortly.

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good

However, repairs in the home have not always been carried out swiftly. For example, the carpet in the lounge and damaged bedroom furniture. Whilst this is now being addressed, it has detracted from the homely environment staff are striving to maintain.

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good

The young person’s safety and well-being are of paramount importance to staff. Effective multi-agency working helped keep him safe. As a result, the incidents of him being missing declined. On the rare occasions this occurred he returned home safely. This is because staff took effective action to locate them such as searching the local area and contacting family and known associates. However the records for missing from care do not record the actual action staff took to locate them. This is a recording issue and does not affect the care provided.

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good

Staff know what action they need to take when they have a concern about a young person. They ensure they get the right support when they need it most, for example, contacting health care professionals due to a change in his medical needs or concerns about child sexual exploitation.

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good

Regular key worker sessions provided effective opportunities to discuss a wide range of topics, including internet safety, sexual and mental health, responding to challenging situations, positive and negative comments. As a result, he was more aware of his own needs and how his behaviours could affect others.

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good

Clear consistent boundaries mean he knew what was expected of him for example the time to be home, not smoking in the bedroom. He is aware of the possible consequences to his actions and is instrumental in devising appropriate sanctions for inappropriate behaviour.

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good

He said, ‘I like I am asked about my views and staff are honest with me and I can be honest with them.’ He did say that he felt on occasion some staff were ‘too strict and 100% by the book.’ However, he did not mind staff being strict but would like ‘a bit of leeway.’ Sanctions are regularly reviewed by the Registered Manager and are modified it they are deemed to be inappropriate. This is good monitoring.

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good

Recruitment and vetting procedures are sound. Visitors to the home are required to sign in and out and are carefully supervised by staff during their visit. These measures help ensure young people are protected.

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requires improvement

The home is led by a committed Registered Manager. She holds a level 4 management qualification and is an experienced manager. She is also the Registered Manager for another two bedded home in the organisation.

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requires improvement

As the home is currently closed the staff have been redeployed to another home in the organisation. Therefore, a recruitment process is being undertaken. The Registered Manager and operations manager have clearly stated that the home will not reopen until the refurbishment and recruitment process is completed. This information is contained within the revised Statement of Purpose.

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requires improvement

The Registered Manager has a clear understanding of the homes strengths and areas for improvement. She has spoken to the registered individual regarding the lack of computer and internet access in the home. Not only for the young person’s use but for staffs as more information is needed to be sent online, such as missing from care reports and notifications to Ofsted.

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requires improvement

Monitoring by the independent person is not robust and does not help the home to move forward. This is because their reports lack evaluation and contained identical information and do not reflect the events within the home. Monitoring by the Registered Manager on a monthly basis identifies shortfalls in records and when information has been updated.

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requires improvement

However, this is not always carried through to her monitoring reports. Subsequently, issues identified at this inspection, in relation to the lack of detail in missing from care chronologies, the health care plan and placement plan have not been identified. The home has not supplied Ofsted with a copy of the manager’s monitoring reports. This does not promote transparency.

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requires improvement

Improved training opportunities means staff are well equipped to carry out their roles. Recent training includes mental health, autism, and safeguarding. Staff are proactive in researching additional information on legal highs and used Merseyside police ‘staying safe online from online predators and cyberbullies’ documentation to help keep the young person safe.

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requires improvement

The manager is proactive in ensuring the young person had a say in how the home is organised and run. He was encouraged to attend staff meetings to discuss activities and changes to the home although, not a regular occurrence he made some valuable contributions.

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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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