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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement at the last 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

The four requirements raised at the last inspection have been suitably addressed. The manager and staff are now fully aware of their roles and responsibilities which must be implemented in the event of any allegations. Investigations into complaints, allegations, or suspicion of harm are now addressed adequately. The manager and leaders manage all concerns promptly while maintaining an appropriate level of consultation with all relevant agencies, such as the social workers and the Local Authority Designated Officer, so that they can discharge their safeguarding responsibilities promptly. The provider has appointed a manager who has been in post since August 2015. She is suitably experienced and in the final stages of completing the required qualification. The manager has made her application to become the Registered Manager for the home and this is in its final stages. The provider now routinely implements safe recruitment practice to ensure

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

that only those who are safe and suitable to work with vulnerable young people do so. The manager and leaders ensure that all the staff receive a good level of support and provide regular supervision opportunities to the staff. This enables staff the opportunity to reflect on and develop their care practice further. While these new staff bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and commitment to the home, complementing the core staff team members, they do not all hold the required qualifications.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The one requirement raised from the monitoring visit on the 10 September 2015 has been partially met. Staff have now been appointed and teams been identified to support the manager and deputy manager in providing a good level of care and support to each young person. While the majority of staff have the relevant skills and experience, with some undertaking the required qualification, others, including the regular bank staff who are used to cover the waking nights, have yet to achieve this and have not yet been enrolled onto the appropriate courses.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two good practice recommendations from the monitoring visit have yet to be suitably addressed. Care practice which involves the use of a fob activated lock on the front door remains. As such, all young people’s liberty is restricted as they continue to rely on staff to enable them to enter and leave the home. While systems for the management and administration of medication are good; controlled medication records for one young person were found to be incomplete as these have not been dual signed as required.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to make good educational progress from their individual starting points. Young people are at different points in their education pathways and staff actively promote attendance and achievement within their identified placements. Staff use their relationships with young people and education providers, alongside their knowledge of the services within the area to ensure young people are reintegrated back into an education setting. When young people cannot return back into a mainstream setting, education staff visit the home to support young people meet their own individual targets. In addition, staff support young people who have left formal education to seek varied education and training opportunities. As such one young person is achieving his educational targets and is now enjoying the additional opportunities that he has been given to volunteer within the local radio station at his college.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are encouraged to engage in positive activities in the local community. They enjoy swimming, playing pool, going to the gym, trips out bowling and to the cinema, and going trampolining. These activities, alongside healthy lifestyle choices such as maintaining healthy diets and exercise, support and enhance young people’s physical well-being. In addition young people are encouraged and supported to attend routine appointments with the dentist, doctor and optician. When they refuse to engage in treatment staff support young people to consider the benefits to them for going and further appointments are made. Good links with specialist health services such as children and adolescent mental health services, and the Looked after Children’s nurse ensure that all young people’s known and emerging health needs are promptly met.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff encourage young people to develop their independent living skills in line with their age, ability and level of understanding. Young people who are ‘eligible’ have pathway plans in place. They have contributed to formulating these plans in a meaningful way; ensuring they are working documents. Young people are supported to enhance their knowledge and life skills associated with running a home. Young people confirm this and say they are able to plan and prepare meals; budget; complete household chores and use household appliances. As a result, young people are prepared with the basic life skills they require for semi- independent living and adulthood.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Parents and young people confirm that the staff make every effort to maintain positive relationships between themselves and their children. Staff are pro-active in transporting young people to and from their visits and offer flexibility with this to ensure that they go ahead as planned. This ensures that young people’s sense of identity is maintained and they continue to maintain links with those who are significant to them. Young people report that they enjoy positive relationships with the staff team. Staff speak highly of all the young people and have high aspirations for them all. Despite positive relationships, good care practice and the best efforts of staff, some young people are unable to regulate their emotional responses effectively at all times. During the inspection staff were observed to respond calmly using encouragement and positive praise as a means of distraction, and diffusion when

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

one young person became verbally aggressive. In situations where young people are unable to achieve these positive responses and they are unable to safely manage their emotional responses, staff who are appropriately trained implement suitable physical interventions as a last resort.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team are visible, and effective at continuing to improve the services for young people. Collaborative working with partner agencies ensures good communication links are in place, so additional support and services can be accessed as and when they are required. Good quality assurance processes are in place to identify good practice and identify those areas which require further work. However, the internal six monthly quality of care review, monthly external independent monitoring review reports and the homes updated Statement of Purpose are not systematically sent into Ofsted within the prescribed time frames.

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Information about this children's home

 This service provides residential accommodation for up to five young people with a learning disability. The home is owned by a private company who enlist 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

21/07/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to achieve the leadership and management standard the registered person must -

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Requirement Due date

(2)(c) ensure that all staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child, including those staff who are employed as bank staff. 29/04/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relations to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(b)) 25/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the home at least once a month, and the independent person must provide a copy of the independent person's report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1)(7)(a)) 25/03/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality care review") at least once every six months and supply HMCI a copy of the care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(4)(a)) 25/03/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the children's home does not routinely deprive a child of their liberty whilst maintaining all young people's safety. This specifically relates to the use of the Magna lock which prevents staff and young people from leaving the home without authorisation. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 50, paragraph 9.63)  The registered person shall ensure that all staff are familiar with the home's policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This specifically relates to ensuring the controlled medication log is fully complete by both staff who administer this medication. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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

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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