Children's Home run by Progressive Futures Care Limited in Knowsley

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are at different stages of engaging with their placement. One young person is doing very well across all aspects of her life. Another young person has stopped engaging and is putting himself at risk. His social worker said, ‘Initially, he was doing very well and the home did really well. Unfortunately he has got in contact with old friends and he is not investing in the good systems in place at the home but the home continues to do their very best for him.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have good placement plans in place that are updated regularly. Young people are asked for their views, wishes, and feelings and therefore contribute to their plans well. Due to this one young person has seen an increase in her contact and is working towards returning home. She said, ‘Everything is going well. I understand my plan and I am working hard to go home by September.’ Contact plans now reflect the agreed dates and times and highlight any restrictions. This means that all parties are aware of the plan and what action to take if their safety becomes an issue. But the other young person’s placement plan refers to him as her. This does not ensure that the information held at the home is correct. In addition to this, a recommendation was given at the last inspection to ensure that all staff read and signed young people’s plans. Even though the independent visitor also highlighted this issue in December 2015 this

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

has not been completed. This does not ensure that all staff know the plan, are up to date with any changes or that the manager implements any improvements necessary when brought to her attention.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has reduced her episodes of being missing from the home and has not been missing for a significant period of time. But the other young person has recently started to go missing. These have included periods of being missing overnight or for several days. The home has not notified Ofsted on these occasions. This means Ofsted were unaware of these events. The home is working closely with a range of professionals to ensure that he is found and returned safely on each occasion. At a recent strategy meeting, all parties agreed that they could not keep the young person safe at this home. It was identified that the young person required a more rural setting to ensure he is safe and a referral has been made. A professional said, ‘Staff at this home follow the missing from home procedure, search and try and contact him and complete safety work with him. I cannot fault what they do.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s behaviour within the home is very good. There has been no incidents requiring physical intervention and sanctions are minimal. One young person said, ‘I have not received a sanction for ages but I have got lots of rewards. I received an extra hundred pounds for a pair of trainers because I did well last term in school.’ A professional said, ‘There are good routines and structures in place in this home and the staff are good role models. They often turn behaviour round because of the good systems in place.’ Each young person has a behaviour management plan, which is supported by risk assessments that identify areas of concern. At the last inspection the home was asked to ensure that agreed strategies and actions for staff to take were included within them. The home has very recently designed new formats that cover these areas. They have been implemented in other homes of the company but they are not yet in place here.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Therefore, the recommendation has been repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people health is good because staff ensure they understand the importance of attending appointments and being healthy. The homes menus now show what healthy options are offered at the home and young people say that they are encouraged to contribute to the selection of food. Young people’s cultural needs are now clearly addressed within their plans and although they do not wish to follow their religion at the moment, staff continue to explore this with them. Young people who have been known to take drugs have received support from identified drugs support workers. They have also worked closely with staff on signs, symptoms, and their understanding of new drugs and legal highs. As a result, staff say they are more knowledgeable and can give clear advice to the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person’s education attendance is very good. She has recently moved schools at her request and she now attends an alternative provision. But the manager said, ‘The structures and routines within this provision are not very good. We have challenged the provision and they are currently looking at our complaint.’ This shows that although young people’s views are acted upon, the manager does challenge poor service. The other young person had a poor educational background prior to placement. However, because this was a planned placement the home was able to identify an educational school placement, work closely with the teachers and young person before he was admitted to the home. Initially, this was working well and his attendance was good although recently this has declined due to his recent periods of being missing from home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The independent visitor attends the home on a monthly basis to assess the quality of care within the home. The content within these reports are improving and they have started to assess the records held within the home. However, the manager has not made the best use of this information to ensure continuous improvement of the home. For example, she has not acted on actions around the lack of signatures on several documents or the content of a placement plan. In addition to this, the home has not ensured that the report has been sent timely to Ofsted. This does not ensure that Ofsted have good oversight of the home between inspections.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager is currently developing a new filing system and records logs for the home. This system has been successfully implemented in the company’s other homes. The manager said, ‘The new books give staff clear instructions on what to record and the new files makes them more accessible to young people. They will have a clear understanding of their background and the journey of their time within this home.’

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children’s home can accommodate up to three young people with emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

15/12/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

19/01/2015 CH - Interim declined in effectiveness

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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

36 (1) (c ) The registered person must maintain records for each child which are signed and dated by the author of each entry. This also includes staff signing relevant documentation. 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

40 (4) (b) (e) The registered person must notify HMCI and each relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which registered person considers to be serious or that there is an incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. 31/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

44 (7) (a) The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to the HMCI. 31/03/2016

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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 that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This is specifically in relation to including agreed strategies and actions for staff to take within young people's risk assessments. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that record keeping is clear. This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the information is factual within the young person's placement plan. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should make best use of information from independent monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (The Guide to the Quality Standards page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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

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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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