Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Knowsley

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good 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

Since the last inspection, the home underwent changes in its management and its staff team. This resulted in a period of instability, which impeded its development and effectiveness in sustaining continuous progress for children. The staff struggled to help the young person living in the home to manage her emotions safely. However, the appointment of a new and experienced manager and the establishment of a new staff team at the beginning of January 2016 has brought structure and consistency to the quality of care provided and improvements to the young person’s day-to-day experiences. The young person is now living in a much more stable and nurturing environment which is promoting all aspects of her welfare and development. Her assessed needs are being consistently and sensitively met by a warm, skilled, settled and cohesive staff team. The improved continuity of staff is enabling her to develop meaningful relationships with the people looking after her every day. She is settled

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and happy, which is helping her to make pleasing progress in education, develop a healthier lifestyle, build her confidence and self-esteem, and manage with her feelings constructively. She feels more able to accept advice and guidance from teachers, therapists and the staff and is rebuilding her relationships with important people in her life. She receives excellent support around her psychological and emotional needs. The staff work closely with the community mental health services to understand young people’s emotional needs and deliver personalised care that reduces their anxieties and builds resilience. The young person feels listened to and her views are always taken seriously. The manager and staff encourage and support her to express their opinions and influence the running of the home and the quality of care. She takes in all the decisions about her life lives, including raising concerns, choices about what to eat,

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

how the house is decorated, how to spend her time, who she sees and what she wants to happen in the future. The staff also help her to understand their wishes may not be always followed when it may not be in her best interests or that of other people. For example, they are currently encouraging her to extend the time she spends in school to improve her education opportunities. The young person enjoys a range of suitable activities both inside and outside the house. She enjoys arts and crafts, shopping, listening to music and going to the cinema. She likes being physically active outside, including ice skating, walks in the countryside near her home, or further afield to the forest or collecting shells on the beach. The staff encourage her to take part in different group activities, such as joining a Zumba class, but she often chooses not to go. The vast majority of her leisure time, therefore, is spent in the company of adults. She currently has few

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

opportunities to spend time with other children of her own age, which is limiting her chances of making friends. The young person lives in a pleasant and comfortable home. She has helped to redesign the decoration and layout of the house to reflect her wishes and personal tastes. Everyone now eats their meals in a spacious dining room, the lounge furniture has been rearranged to make it feel more relaxing, and the young person’s family photographs and art work decorated the walls. She has her own personal space and comfortable bedrooms that reflect her character and interests. The young person feels safe and able talk to staff about their worries. Staff take concerns about her seriously and respond appropriately to reduce any risk of harm. They work very effectively with social workers, the police, local designated officer and multi-agency safeguarding hub to protect young people. They have a clear understanding of risks to individual to the young person’s safety. Detailed written

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

risk assessments guide them successfully to manage and reduce the risks. They work well with her to understand risk and make good choices that promotes her personal safety. The staff ensure that the young person has the right structure and daily routines that helps her feel safe and emotionally secure. She has fair and consistent boundaries to ensure that she knows what is safe and acceptable behaviour and she be will be looked after by the staff. This is helping her to feel less anxious and manage their feelings more safely. She is increasingly safer because she no longer goes missing or shows aggressive and destructive behaviour. She accepts help and guidance from staff and therapists. She is showing encouraging signs of being able to reflect about what happened, understand her feelings better, and develop her own coping strategies. She said: ‘I still feel like knocking people’s heads off.’ But she does not, instead she said: ‘I go for a walk or to my bedroom to calm down.’

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have formed quickly into an effective and supportive team committed on developing a better understanding of the young person, how best to help her manage her emotions and promote her development. The new and existing member of the staff team are working very effectively together to build positive relationships with the young person, share their knowledge of her needs and interests, and to share a common approach. The staff’s confident, calm, and consistent approach is helping her to feel safer. A longstanding member of staff said: ‘The calming nature of the staff means it’s a lot nicer atmosphere. Consistency is of massive importance, and it’s a lot better. She knows where she stands and staff will give her the same message.’ She knows they all are interested in her welfare and taking action to keep her safe. The staff are also enabling her to build skills and emotional strength to resolve disagreements and sort out problems.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For example, writing a letter of apology has helped her to understand that what she did had not been acceptable and sometimes we do not the best choices, but we can try to put things right. The new manager immediately identified the strengths of the home and the areas for its development, and has implemented improvements in the quality of care, stability and consistency of the staff team, and the administrative systems. As a result the home is now effectively and efficiently run in the best interests of the young person. The manager is a strong and supportive leader who prioritises promoting young people’s welfare and improving their lives. Staff are suitably skilled, experienced, and keen to develop their skills and knowledge. The vast majority of the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection have been addressed. The Statement of Purpose has been reviewed to take into account recent staff changes and is now an informative guide to the running of the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

home and the services it provides. The quality of the records of serious incidents now include accurate information, which can be used to improve the support to young people and the manager always reviews each incident to gain a better understanding of what happened and identify how to improve staff’s practice. Although, the quality of the written records is improving, they still do not always provide a comprehensive picture of young people’s lives and the support they are receiving that contribute to a better understanding of the young person’s life. Since her appointment the manager has made important improvements which are making a positive difference to the young person’s life. However, a systematic and formal review of the quality of care has not been completed to provide a full picture of the home’s performance, measure the young person’s progress, and identify priorities for improvement. Also the effectiveness of the arrangements for

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

therapeutic services in achieving better health outcomes for children has not been reviewed.

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Information about this children's home

This children's home in run and managed by a private company. It provides care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties or mental disorders. The provider has a service level agreement with a mental health community service, registered with the Care Quality Commission, to provide a range of clinical support to children and young people accommodated at the home and the staff supporting them.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

04/03/2015 Interim sustained 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

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. In particular review the effectiveness of the arrangements for therapeutic services in achieving better health outcomes for children. (Regulation 45 (1) & (2)(a)(b)(c)) 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 staff record information on individual children in a way that will be helpful to the child. In particular show a detailed picture of children's daily lives; use specific language that shows how they spend their time and what they do; and record accurately their comments and views (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14)

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Recommendations

 Ensure staff actively encourage and support children to take part in a wide range of activities outside of the home and try activities that are new for them. In particular, make sure children have opportunities to meet other children of their age, make and sustain friendships. Staff support children to develop skills and understand how to build positive relationships with other children. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 31, paragraph 6.4 & page 38, paragraphs 8.6 & 8.7)

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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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