Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.2

The children’s home provision is good because:

 This service excels at providing a warm, nurturing, homely environment and in quickly establishing open and honest relationships with the young people.  All the young people are very happy, safe and settled at this home.  Young people are treated and respected as individuals in their own right, which makes them feel loved and valued.  Young people’s wishes and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home. All reasonable requests are positively responded to, if it is in their best interests.  This staff team provide strong and effective challenge and advocacy for young people.  This home ensures that all the young people benefit from constructive family contact in line with any legal restrictions and personal preferences, which positively promotes young people’s sense of identity.  Good staffing ratios enable the staff to be very attentive to individual needs and preferences.  Young people enjoy taking part in a wide range of constructive activities.

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which effectively develops their competencies and confidences.  Young people particularly benefit from the clear and consistent routines and boundaries in place at this home and respond well to the emphasis on positive reinforcement of good behaviours and effort.  This home is very well managed by a suitably qualified, experienced and child- focused individual who leads by example. She provides very clear direction, supervision and support to her staff and ensures that they receive timely training opportunities to meet organisational needs, individual young people’s needs and to further their own individual personal development.  Robust internal auditing systems are in place identifying patterns and trends, key strengths and areas requiring further development. There are no regulatory shortfalls arising from this inspection and no

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people at any given time who may be experiencing learning, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home registered in January 2016, therefore this is their first inspection.

p.4

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.4

Good

Both young people are very happy and settled at this home. They benefit from being well cared for by an experienced staff team that knows their individual needs and nuances extremely well. The staff actively listen to them and show genuine interest in their experiences at school, family contact or after playing out with friends. This service excels at providing a warm, nurturing, homely environment, and staff have the proven ability to establish open and honest relationships with the young people. Consequently, new admissions settle in very quickly. This includes emergency placements when the usual gradual admission process is not possible.

p.5

Good

Comments from young people include, ‘I am happy and safe here and we do loads of activities. I see my mum and dad once a month. I see my brothers more and the staff have just sorted it so I can start going for tea and overnight stays. I have made some friends on the same estate and see my friends from school at the roller rink at least three times a week’ and, ‘I am happy here and I get to see my family. I have a sheet in my bedroom that tells me when I see my family, but I can see one brother any time I want to. He came to my birthday party and he visited me when we went on holiday. Now we go go-karting or trampolining together every weekend.’

p.5

Good

Young people have maintained and sustained positive friendships in the local community, which strengthens their sense of belonging. One young person stated, ‘ I get on with lots of people my age and I have no issues with my housemate.’

p.5

Good

Good staffing ratios enable the staff to be very attentive to individual needs and personal preferences. Young people are treated and respected as individuals in their own right, which makes them feel loved and valued.

p.5

Good

Young people have developed some particularly strong attachments to staff. This enables them to express their feelings and difficulties and to receive the appropriate support required. Consequently, they are gradually coming to terms with past events, gaining a more positive self-view and building emotional resilience to better deal with difficulties in the future.

p.5

Good

All the young people positively engage in frequent and timely individual key worker sessions where highly relevant and sensitive issues are fully discussed, and in regular young people’s meetings. Their opinions and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home, which increases their self-esteem. The staff also ensure that the young people’s wishes are positively acted upon, if it is in their best interests. Recent strong and effective advocacy from the staff has ensured: timely specialist services to meet more complex needs; increased free time in the local community; more frequent contact with siblings; one young person remaining at the same school as all his friends; and reviews held in the home so that one young person feels more comfortable to contribute.

p.5

Good

This home actively and effectively ensures that all the young people receive the most appropriate education that best meets their individual needs, so that they can reach their full potential. Their attendance is excellent, and academically they are making good progress from their individual starting points. Staff noted a pattern of poor behaviour in school on a Monday, so an incentive was put in place which proved effective. The young person said, ‘I got a new bike because I was good in school.’

p.6

Good

An extract from a recent end of year report reads, ‘This pupil has improved his reading skills and engagement in class discussions as his confidence has grown.’ A maths teacher took the trouble to contact the home to say, ‘This young person is doing fantastically of late and is trying very hard and his attention span has improved. He has also never looked better or seemed happier.’ One young person proudly announced, ‘I got this football annual from my English teacher for being the best in my class.’

p.6

Good

A key strength of this home is the wide range and frequency of constructive activities that young people take part in, both inside the home and in the local community. These serve to strengthen their sense of belonging. Individual interests and talents are actively encouraged and supported, which further develops their competencies and confidences. Current examples include pool, baking, dancing and roller skating. One young person said, ‘I can choose the activities I want to do and since I came here I have enjoyed everything I have done. I really like football and I love going out on my bike.’

p.6

Good

Staff actively promote young people’s continued good health. Personal care has demonstrably improved in this placement, which increases self-esteem and confidence and has helped in building new friendships at school. The meals provided are home-made and nutritious and thoroughly enjoyed by the young people. Mealtimes are relaxed, social occasions, shared together in the dining room.

p.6

Good

Both young people keep their bedrooms clean and tidy and take pride in their personal appearance, which is significant progress given their previous chaotic lifestyles. They are also empowered to celebrate their own highly individual styles. Self-injurious behaviours have ceased in this placement. There are age- and ability-appropriate opportunities in place for all the young people to develop the practical, emotional and social skills necessary to successfully live independently in the future. They both help with household chores without prompting and really enjoy cooking. This has resulted in one young person’s school specifically highlighting, ‘the good progress this pupil has made in Food and Nutrition’ lessons.

p.6

Good

Young people are also learning to budget and save so that they appreciate the value of money. As an example, they made a decision to save some of the household budget so that they had plenty of money to spend on their week’s holiday. This enabled them to take part in a wide range of challenging activities, including archery, kayaking, target-shooting and go-karting.

p.7

Good

Comments from young people include, ‘I now have my own bank account. I am given small amounts of money at a time, which I like because it lasts longer’, ‘I choose to make healthy meals like chicken and banana korma. We had a cooking competition and I made spaghetti bolognese, which the staff said was delicious’ and ‘I am doing life skills. I have already helped to decorate my bedroom and I keep it clean. I cook twice a week and now I am learning to do my own laundry.’

p.7

Good

All that said, one young person who was previously a carer is simply enjoying being cared for, relaxing in a bath every night, having a choice of nice clothes to wear and being a child again.

p.7

Good

Placing authorities consistently confirm high satisfaction with the quality of care provided and the progress that young people are making at this home. Comments include, ‘I have good communication with the staff, who have a good understanding of my young person’s needs’, ‘This is a good placement for my young person. The staff are approachable and child-centred and are quick to respond to his changing needs’ and ‘The staff have a good relationship with my young person. He is listened to and they are meeting his needs well. He is provided with the safety and stability he needs and I receive a good level of information.’

p.7

Good

All the young people feel, and are, very safe and secure in this home and enjoy excellent relationships with the staff. This is from a starting point of significantly poor attachments. They feel genuinely cared about and listened to and are confident that any concerns will be immediately addressed, so they have never needed to make a formal complaint. They also get on well with their peers and confirm that there is no bullying in this home. A social worker said, ‘My young person is now able to discuss his frustrations and feelings with trusted adults and this assists him in making the right choices.’

p.7

Good

There has been one incident of a young person currently living at this home going missing for two hours. He has lived at this home for seven months, so this is significant progress, given his known history of ‘absconding from his seven previous foster placements multiple times’. He said, ‘I am happy and settled here and I don’t want to move again.’ Reflecting on this incident he said, ‘I was still angry after an argument at the youth club the night before. I just went out on my skates to clear my head. I didn’t speak to anyone and nothing bad happened to me. I was not running away.’

p.8

Good

Individual morning and evening routines are now firmly established, which has a positive impact on young people’s behaviours and physical and emotional well- being. For example, one young person had a history of assaulting carers and peers. There have been no incidents at this home. Moreover, there has been no fire- setting at this home or minor criminal damage, compared to previous placements. Consequently, young people have never needed to be restrained.

p.8

Good

Comments from young people include, ‘I’m happy here because it’s calm. I do want to return home, but not yet’, ‘I feel safe here and I have never been restrained, but I am at school’, ‘I really like my bedtime routines because staff run a bath for me, which helps me to relax’, ‘Everything is good here and I get to do lots of activities. The staff are fun to be with and they make me feel safe’ and ‘It’s peaceful here. The staff are nice here and are doing a good job. They make me feel safe and we do fun things together.’

p.8

Good

Young people particularly benefit from fair, clear and consistent boundaries, which keep them safe. Records clearly demonstrate a greater emphasis on encouraging and rewarding good behaviour and effort than on imposing sanctions, which has the desired effect. For example, young people were thrilled to receive their own bike for the start of the summer holidays in recognition of sustained good behaviour. One young person has already started another incentive chart aiming to get new roller skates.

p.8

Good

The manager’s robust monitoring of sanctions showed an increase for one young person in August. It was recognised that he was struggling with the more flexible routines during the school holidays. The manager therefore reminded staff of the importance of proportionality and to balance consequences with rewards. It was also recognised that boredom was a trigger for poor behaviours, so one young person in particular is kept constantly constructively occupied.

p.8

Good

None of the young people smoke cigarettes, take illicit drugs, drink alcohol or commit offences, so they are not putting themselves in unsafe situations. The use of inappropriate language has lessened and any slips are immediately challenged. Sexualised language has ceased altogether, which is significant progress. There has been no cause to search young people’s bedrooms. This competent team has the confidence not to be risk-adverse. Rather, young people are actively encouraged to take age-appropriate risks necessary for their continuing development into adulthood. This also means continually learning effective strategies to protect themselves when online or in the community. To their credit, both young people have successfully completed two relevant modules of the same online anti-bullying training, which is mandatory for all the staff. They have also had individual sessions to increase their understanding of child sexual

p.8

Good

exploitation and stranger danger. One young person said, ‘I had free time on our holiday because staff trust me to be good.’

p.9

Good

Relevant safeguarding agencies confirm good partnership working with this home to keep young people safe. The relationship with the missing from home coordinator is well established.

p.9

Good

The manager regularly reviews the home’s location risk assessment in consultation with partner agencies and it is deemed to be a low-risk area. The local probation service and the police have no concerns.

p.9

Good

The manager also attends a local providers’ forum with representatives from the police and the local safeguarding children’s board to keep abreast of current issues in the local community.

p.9

Good

All the required external and internal health and safety checks are undertaken in a timely manner to ensure a safe and well-maintained home. The staff have also created a particularly homely environment. Young people demonstrate pride in their surroundings and like showing visitors round the home and garden, where they have grown tomato plants. This shows they are making a long-term investment in this placement. They love their bedrooms, which are highly personalised. Comments from young people include, ‘My bedroom is big so I have a lots of space’ and ‘When I moved in staff bought me my own keyboard, which I enjoy playing because it helps me to relax.’

p.9

Good

Detailed impact risk assessments are completed prior to any new admission. These take into account the needs, vulnerabilities, risks, wishes and feelings of the young person and those already settled in placement. This effectively secures good matches and maintains stable placements. One young person was happy to move to this home from a residential special school, but wanted to continue going to the same doctor and to the same school as a day pupil. Both requests have been realised. Staff transport him to school every day. He said, ‘It is very good here. I like this home and enjoy school and when another young person moved in, staff bought me some new swimming goggles for making him feel welcome.’ He wanted someone to move in who was a similar age so they could enjoy activities together, which they do.

p.9

Good

The stringent selection and recruitment processes in place for permanent staff ensure a safe and competent workforce. Moreover, they have recently strengthened the process for checking the calibre of agency staff. This includes contracting with a different agency and producing an induction form to ensure that every individual has the required qualifications, relevant experiences and skills before they start a shift.

p.9

Good

This is the first inspection following registration on 11 January this year and the home has clearly developed and delivered a sound level of service within their first seven months of operating. Examples of positive developments introduced include the production of personalised children’s guides and child-friendly internal placement plans. This means that young people can be involved in reviewing them in a much more meaningful way. One member of staff said, ‘The new daily records are helpful in developing my understanding of the quality standards.’

p.10

Good

The statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and revised as necessary to ensure that it always accurately reflects the current aims, policies, practices and staffing of the home.

p.10

Good

This home is very well managed by a suitably qualified, experienced and child- focused individual who leads by example and provides very clear direction, supervision and support to her staff. She has established good auditing systems which ensure that all required documentation is maintained at a good standard. In fact, a recent monitoring visit by a placing authority concluded that the paperwork was ‘some of the best they have seen’. This robust monitoring also means that there are no regulatory shortfalls arising from this inspection.

p.10

Good

The manager’s report following a review of the quality of care provided, is an accurate and analytical assessment of the home, incorporating and evaluating the views of young people, their parents, placing authorities and staff to constantly improve their practices.

p.10

Good

Detailed handovers ensure consistency of care practice, so that young people’s unique needs and personal preferences are well met.

p.10

Good

Staff confirm regular good-quality supervision that supports and challenges their individual performances. This enables them to continually improve their practice. They also feel comfortable to explore issues openly and honestly in team meetings, thus ensuring an agreed and consistent approach to meeting individual young people’s needs. Robust probationary and appraisal processes ensure that all staff meet or exceed the requirements of their respective roles in a timely manner. Young people contribute to the annual appraisal of staff. Comments include, ‘He makes me feel safe and listens to me and we do lots of fun things together’ and ‘He makes me feel real safe and he is great fun.’

p.10

Good

Staff also benefit from continuous and relevant training opportunities. These are purposely offered to meet organisational needs, their own professional development needs and the specific needs of the young people currently living in the home. Recent examples of the latter include attachment training and autism spectrum disorder and Asperger syndrome awareness training.

p.11

Good

The manager ensures that the home is well staffed at all times, with a good gender balance, to effectively safeguard and promote the welfare of all the young people and meet their unique and complex needs and personal preferences.

p.11

Good

All the team are actively involved in the continual development of the home. Consequently, morale and commitment is high and there is a strong sense of shared responsibility and accountability. The home’s development plan demonstrates an accurate evaluation of the strengths of the service and areas requiring further development. A realistic yet challenging action plan is in place, with clear timescales to address the latter.

p.11

Good

Comments from staff include, ‘It is a good team and the family-friendly rotas have helped me to fulfil my role without additional worries’ and ‘It’s a good company. Everyone is friendly.’

p.11

Good

Over the summer period, the manager and her team have all been taking on extra shifts to avoid using agency workers and to ensure the continuity of care which the young people clearly thrive on. The home has established good partnership working with families, which in turn positively promotes young people’s sense of identity. Families also feel actively involved in care planning and say that their opinions are genuinely respected. Consequently, they are highly satisfied with the quality of care provided at this home. Comments include, ‘It’s going well and I have no issues’, ‘I am happy with this placement. They look after my son well’ and ‘When I have contact with my son the staff always let me know how he is doing.’

p.11

Good

Notifications of significant incidents are forwarded to Ofsted in a timely manner. These show that appropriate action is taken, in full collaboration with relevant safeguarding agencies, to safeguard and protect the welfare of the young people and appropriate strategies are put in place to try to prevent a recurrence.

p.11

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’.

p.12

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

p.12

What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

p.12

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 that 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 whom 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

p.13

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 .

p.13

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,

p.14

Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.14

Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.14

Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

p.14