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

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:

 Young people are safe and feel safe here. They enjoy positive relationships with staff. They talk confidently with staff about the things that are important to them.  Staff’s secure awareness and understanding of each young person’s needs helps to keep young people safe. Staff work hard to ensure that young people’s needs are fully considered and addressed. As a result, the incidents of young people being missing are reducing.  Young people are well supported to remain in contact with those people who are important to them.  Young people are more able to talk about issues from their past, reflect upon these and make decisions about the way forward. Consequently, they are increasing in confidence and self-esteem.  Young people’s health improves as a result of living here. This is because they are encouraged and supported to attend and engage with an extensive range of healthcare professionals. This means they are increasing in

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The children’s home provision is good because:

emotional and psychological well-being.  Young people are engaging well with their education and are making significant strides in their progress.  Staff work well with other professionals to ensure that young people receive the best support and guidance. They are strong advocates for young people and are not afraid to challenge others when this is in the best interests of the young person, for example on issues around being missing from care.  The home has been through several changes in management in the last year. Despite this, staff said they felt well supported by the new manager and the senior management team. There are some shortfalls within records, in particular missing-from-care risk assessments, other risk assessments, incident reports and health plans. The systems for sending medication home for contact visits are not safe. Monitoring is improving, but is not yet robust.

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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 health and well-being standard, the registered provider must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a) that staff help each child to: (i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans, with particular regard to their epilepsy care plan. 16/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed. In particular, ensure that the protocols for sending home controlled medication comply with this regulation. (Regulation 23 (2)(b)) 16/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that records are maintained for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3, are kept up to date, and are signed and dated by the author of each entry, in particular missing-from-care risk assessments, risk assessments and incident records. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)). 16/09/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the principles in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  Ensure that the day-to-day basic needs of young people are met, concerning the decoration of their bedroom and the removal of graffiti from walls. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  Ensure that the registered manager actively seeks independent scrutiny of the home and makes best use of the information from independent and internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55,

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It provides education within the home for young people on the premises.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

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Good

Young people enjoy positive, caring and nurturing relationships with staff. They enjoy spending time with staff, for example going shopping or on activities with them. A social worker said the key-worker system works really well for her young person. This is because ‘she has the opportunities to talk about things that are important for her and the space to think about how she can make changes.’ As a result, the young person has fewer ‘outbursts’, which are lessening in severity. A young person said the registered manager ‘makes it fun. It feels like home, they wants us to keep going. It’s good that I get to go out and I got to have a pet guinea pig School is here too and that’s great. Staff are nice too.’

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Good

Young people are treated with the utmost privacy and dignity. Their culture, family backgrounds and heritage are respected. The wishes and feelings of young people are acted upon where possible, for example choosing where to go on holiday or activities such as go-karting and rock climbing. Young people said they enjoy going out with staff and are looking forward to their upcoming trip to Blackpool. They laughed as they explained how they were plotting to get some staff on the rides.

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Good

Young people said they are happy to talk to staff, but know that there are others outside of the home they can talk to as well. They know how to make complaints, but said they would rather talk to staff about this. This is because they know staff will help them to resolve any issues.

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Good

Young people benefit from personalised care planning, which carefully considers their individual needs and the support needed to move forward in their lives. However, healthcare plans are not always completed to a high standard. This results in a lack of clarity in the health sections and risk assessments concerning emergency action plans and specific medical conditions. This does not influence the care provided because staff have a very good understanding of each young person’s needs and are meeting them well in practice.

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Good

Young people’s health is improving. There has been a significant decrease in incidents of self-harm. This is because young people are engaging with healthcare professionals and are much more confident to talk things through with staff. They understand the importance of taking regular medication and this is managed well in the home. However, the systems for handing medication over to family for visits are not robust. This is because staff are decanting the medication into an envelope and handing this over to parents. This means parents do not have all the information about the medication as it is not in its original container. The home took action during the inspection to address this.

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Good

Staff have high, but reasonable, aspirations for young people’s education. Young people attend the home’s school and are making good progress in relation to their starting points. For example, one young person has increased her attendance from 84% to 94%. She said she enjoys learning new things and recently requested and is now having Spanish lessons. Another young person was on a reduced timetable for education when she first arrived as she had had 0% attendance; she is now attending full time and is up to 55% attendance. This is a massive achievement for her, and plans are in place to extend this further in the new term. She said she felt she had outgrown her old school and feels more confident here. However, she would like to attend college and said staff are helping her to find an appropriate placement. She is very pleased about this because they have ‘listened to me’.

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Good

The relationship between home and school staff is productive. They work effectively together to improve the outcomes for young people. For example, a young person had specific targets in school and if she achieved this she could have a guinea pig. She achieved her targets with the support of all staff and is now the very proud and loving owner of a pet guinea pig that she ensures is well cared for. This has given her good insight into the importance of taking responsibility and has greatly improved her confidence and self-esteem.

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Good

Young people are being prepared well for the next stage in their life and adulthood. One young person spoke proudly of how she is now able to travel independently. This means she can now go out to see her friends and family on her own, something she did not have the confidence to do before. Staff effectively support young people’s transition from the home, for example helping them to move back to their home area and settle into their new home. Many young people have achieved their desired goals of moving back in with their families. Staff said former residents often ring to tell them what they are doing, for example telling them about their new job.

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Good

Contact is effectively supported. As a result, young people are able to stay in regular contact with those people who are important to them. This is especially important for young people living a long way from home. A parent said, ‘I am happy with the placement. I chose this as it was a home and felt like it. The staff just understand my daughter. She is challenging, but they understand this. They work with us and as a result she is doing really well. When she comes home she is constantly ringing the home to make sure everyone is alright, but when she is there says she wants to come home.’ Judgement grade

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Good

The safety and well-being of young people are of paramount importance to staff. Effective multi-agency working helps keep young people safe. As a result, the number of incidents of young people going missing has decreased. For example, one young person has not been missing for six weeks. One young person said, ‘I no longer feel the need to run away, because I can talk to staff about how I am feeling’. Staff know what action they need to take when they have a concern about a young person. They ensure that they get the right support when they need it most. Staff said, ‘We work very closely with the police, if any of our young people go missing. We leave no stone unturned in getting them home safely, which luckily on every occasion we have managed.’

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Good

Young people’s risk assessments do not always provide sufficient information about how high the perceived risk, such as of self-harm or going missing from care, is for them and the action taken to reduce this. This is a recording issue, as discussions with staff demonstrate that they have a secure understanding of the individual risks associated with each young person and the action they are taking to reduce these.

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Good

Young people are aware of the dangers around child sexual exploitation and about protecting their data when on the internet. Staff take effective and decisive action to help keep the young people safe, for example reporting concerns to the police.

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Good

Young people show increasing maturity in managing their own behaviour. They are much more able to reflect on their behaviour and understand the consequences of their actions. Staff are skilled at providing clear and suitable boundaries for young people. As a result, the use of physical intervention and consequences is minimal and is only ever used as a last resort. Records of these are not always recorded to a high standard, for example information pertaining to the length of the incident is missing, as are the young person’s date of birth and information about injuries to staff or young people. This does tell the whole story of the incident or action taken. A social worker said that staff manage young people’s behaviours ‘very well’; as a result, young people have ‘devised strategies to help reduce their anxieties’. This has enabled them to engage in a wider range of activities, such as trips to the cinema.

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Good

The home is a warm, welcoming family home. Some areas, such as hallways and the flooring in the lounge, are beginning to look tired and worn. Young people have a sense of belonging as there are a numerous photographs around the home of the young people, their friends and family. The young people said they like their bedrooms and have personalised them. However, one young person said there has been a delay in decorating her room. It still has the name of the former resident on the woodwork and she feels this is not yet her room’. The manager has assured her that this will be completed while she is away on holiday.

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Good

Young people’s safety is enhanced by sound recruitment procedures, which ensure that all staff are fully vetted prior to starting working at the home, and the robust vetting of visitors to the home, all of whom are required to sign in and out of the home and are supervised well during their visit.

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Good

The home has recently appointed a new manager. She is an experienced manager and is in the process of applying to Ofsted for registration. The home has had a number of managers over the last few months due to the former manager’s maternity leave. This has led to some of the inconsistencies in recording as staff come to terms with embedding the recently introduced new paperwork.

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Good

The new manager and senior management team are aware of this and are providing effective support through additional training to staff. The majority of staff hold an appropriate level 3 qualification. Those who do not yet have this are enrolled on appropriate courses to secure it within the required timeframe.

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Good

Staff said they have felt well supported by the manager and senior managers. They said they have good training opportunities, which have enabled them to enhance their knowledge and expertise. They said they have a better understanding of the ‘Prevent’ duty and who to call if they are concerned that a young person may be susceptible to extremist views or radicalisation. Also, they have expanded their understanding of the types of groups who can target young people. One member of staff said the training they receive is ‘the best they have had’.

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Good

Managers are effective at reflecting on experiences in the home. For example, following a period of instability for young people, they considered the impact new placements had on them. They identified that the matching process was correct, but it was the timeliness of the placements that contributed to the issues. Consequently, in future, they will consider the timescales for new placements more effectively to reduce the impact on young people living in the home.

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Good

Monitoring of the home by the manager and independent person is generally sound. However, reports do not always identify the actual shortfalls or action taken to address these. Similarly, they do not evaluate the reasons why the number of missing from care incidents has reduced or increased. This hinders the manager’s ability to bring about changes in practice.

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Good

The statement of purpose and children’s guide provide comprehensive information to placing authorities, parents, carers and young people. Consequently, they are well aware of the type of care and support young people should receive. Parents said they were happy with the care and felt that they can talk to staff about their child at any time. They said they are ‘fully included in the care planning’ and felt that they had a say in what is happening for their child’.

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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 children looked after 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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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