Children's Home run by New Start in Liverpool

Good

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

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 Young people are cared for by a committed and supportivestaff team, which knows young people well, listens to them and promotes their safety and well-being at all times.  Young people are encouraged and supported to engage in education to ensure that they have good outcomes. Staff have challenged education professionals to ensure that the best possible education provision is in place for young people.  Young people’s healthcare needs are identified and acted upon. They have an up-to-date healthcare plan and health risk assessment.  Young people are listened to and their views, wishes and feelings are given the highest priority. This is achieved through regular consultation with them through key-work and direct-work sessions and young people’s meetings. Staff respond positively to the views of young people and act on these when appropriate or explain clearly to them why they are unable to act on them.

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The children’s home’s provision is good because:

 Although there has been a high number of missing from care episodes, the home has robust systems in place to manage these well. There has been a reduction in the frequency and length of time the young person living in the home has been missing.  Effective procedures are in place to fully prepare and support young people when they are moving into or out of the home.  Recording in the home has improved and now clearly evidences the young person’s journey and actions required to improve outcomes.  Effective partnerships are formed with placing local authorities and external agencies that provide additional support for young people.  The leadership and management within the home is good and they have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home, which enables them to make improvements continually.  The home regularly reviews the quality of care it provides to young people. However, the recent report in relation to this was not sent to HMCI in the

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. Those undertaking the role should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement, should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes fact, opinion and third party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). In particular, the registered manager should supply HMCI with a copy of the quality care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/02/2016 Full Requires improvement 12/08/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/03/2015 Full Good 08/07/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

p.5

Good

Young people receive a good quality of care that is making a difference to their lives. The staff have a good understanding of their needs and work effectively with other professionals to ensure that their needs are met.

p.6

Good

At the time of the inspection, the young person had been living in the home for approximately two months. He has made some progress relative to his starting point, particularly in relation to the reduction in the frequency and length of missing from care episodes and building his relationship with his family.

p.6

Good

Staff value the importance of education and are working closely with educational professionals and the young person to ensure that his education needs are met and that he achieves good outcomes. However, this is proving to be difficult due to the lack of engagement by the young person. The staff team challenged education professionals and worked closely with them to ensure that the young person was enrolled in an outstanding education provision so he could have the best opportunities in education. Unfortunately, the education placement was ended due to the young person’s lack of engagement. The home is continuing to liaise with education professionals and the young person to ensure that his educational needs are being met to a good standard.

p.6

Good

The home are doing all they can to ensure that the young person’s health needs are being met. They have a detailed healthcare plan in place. They support the young person in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and have a therapeutic care plan in place for him. The home’s psychotherapist visits the home regularly to meet with the young person and undertake some therapy with him. However, the young person is not engaging well with this. The psychotherapist will not give up and will continue to visit to offer his support to the young person. The psychotherapist said, ‘I am in regular contact with the home and other professionals working with the young person. Together we are persisting in trying to get him to engage with us. I have also offered to work with his mum on building their relationship.’ In addition, the psychotherapist works with the staff team so that it can ensure that it also offers the young person therapeutic support and addresses specific issues

p.6

Good

appropriately in key-work sessions. He has completed training with the staff team in relation to attachment, as this has been identified as an issue for the young person. The young person would not register with a GP, dentist or optician when he came to the home, despite the staff encouraging and supporting him with this. Therefore, the staff took action and liaised with the health professionals to ensure that the young person was registered. The staff team continues to work with the young person to encourage him to attend health and developmental checks as and when necessary. The home has the appropriate measures and strategies in place to ensure that the young person’s health needs are met.

p.6

Good

The young person is encouraged to talk and share his views on all aspects of his life. He benefits from a committed and motivated staff team which talks and listens to him. The members of the team invest time in him and continue to encourage him to engage with them and the activities on offer. Weekly young person meetings take place to discuss any issues in relation to the home, and the young person is always given a clear response to any questions or comments he makes at these meetings. Regular key-work and direct-work sessions take place with the young person to address issues including: self-esteem, missing from care episodes, and his level of engagement, contact and education. Although the level of engagement from the young person is limited, there has been progress made in relation to this since he moved into the home, and staff continue to work with the young person to build this further. A social worker said, ‘The young person has a

p.7

Good

long history of not engaging with professionals. The staff have tried very hard to engage him and are continuing to do so, they are not giving up.’ The efforts from the staff team members to gain the young person’s views, wishes and feelings and to get him to engage with them and others means that the young person is listened to and encouraged to make progress in all areas of his life.

p.7

Good

Staff members try to encourage the young person to engage in leisure activities in the local community. However, he prefers to spend time with his friends or family. Staff understand the importance of these relationships to his well-being and these are nurtured and supported, when appropriate. They are working proactively with members of his family to promote meaningful and safe contact. This helps him to develop a positive self-view and sense of his own identity.

p.7

Good

The home is well maintained. It provides a safe, nurturing environment. The arrangements in place to support young people moving in and out of the home are good. Young people are made to feel welcome when they arrive at the home and are fully supported when they move on from the home. The home works with young people on building their independence, which enables them to move confidently on to semi-independent or independent placements when appropriate. The work develops young people’s skills and helps equip them in preparation for adulthood. Activities such as shopping, cooking, menu planning and washing and ironing are examples of the work undertaken.

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Good

A young person who has recently moved on to a semi-independent placement completed an exit interview document and said, ‘My stay at the home was good because I was able to build different relationships with staff and I knew I had someone there who cared about me. I feel my health and education needs were met, thanks for helping me.’ The young person scored the placement nine out of ten. This clearly shows that young people have positive experiences and make progress living at the home. Judgement grade

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Good

Safeguarding young people is a priority for the staff team and central to its practice. Young people are supported to keep safe. Staff understand their responsibilities to protect young people and act within clear procedures when required. They have good links with safeguarding professionals, including the police, missing from home coordinators and the designated officer. This means that there is a multi-agency approach and response to safeguarding issues, so young people are safeguarded and receive the appropriate support.

p.8

Good

Young people being missing from home have been a concern in the home for a number of young people who have lived there since the last inspection. However, the staff have identified this and been proactive in ensuring that appropriate support and intervention is in place to manage and reduce this. These have included liaising with missing from home coordinators, social workers, the police and family members and completing direct-work sessions with young people about the risks they face when being missing from home. Following all missing from home episodes young people have received an independent return interview to give them the opportunity to discuss why they went missing and the risks and issues they faced while they were missing. The missing from home episodes for the young person currently living in the home have reduced in frequency and the length of time. Arrangements are being made for a clear contact plan to be in place

p.8

Good

for the young person, including planned overnight stays. The missing from home procedures are robust and actions taken by the staff have contributed to reducing such incidents.

p.8

Good

Risk assessments sufficiently identify the individual risks to young people, and risk management plans clearly outline how the risks will be managed. These assessments are regularly reviewed to capture the changing circumstances and any new or emerging information. The risk level in relation to the young person currently living in the home has reduced in relation to aggressive and criminal behaviour because of the progress he has made. However, his missing from care episodes continue to be a concern even though they have reduced in frequency and duration. Staff are implementing strategies and are confident that the level of risk will continue to reduce in time. Young people also benefit from risk assessments specifically relating to health, contact and activities. The proactive approach to risk management means that the staff are able to demonstrate that young people are increasingly safeguarded from the individual risks they face.

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Good

Behaviour management within the home is well understood by the staff and young people. Young people are clear on what is expected of them and generally behave well. The robust behaviour management practice means that no physical interventions have taking place. This is because staff members use de-escalation techniques to avoid situations when physical intervention would be required. Consequently, young people develop strategies to manage their own behaviour and emotions, which has led to a reduction of challenging and inappropriate behaviours.

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Good

Staff receive regular safeguarding training to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to safeguard young people living in the home effectively. The company ensures that staff receive in-depth safeguarding training at least annually, that looks at all safeguarding issues, policies and procedures in addition to training on specific safeguarding issues, such as training about self-harm, substance misuse and child sexual exploitation. A staff member said, ‘I am fairly new to working in residential childcare so all the training I receive is really helpful and will really help me in my work with young people.’ The level of safeguarding training that staff receive conveys the importance the home places on safeguarding young people.

p.9

Good

There is a review of the home’s location in place. This addresses all known risks within the community, such as the transport links, antisocial behaviour and local park. The information within the review is obtained from a variety of different sources to ensure that all known risks in the area have been captured. The review evaluates the information relating to risks in the area and the impact upon the young people.

p.9

Good

The registered manager of the home left his post recently, so the post is currently vacant. However, the responsible individual for the home is overseeing the day-to- day management of the home with the support of a long-standing member of staff who has been promoted to be the deputy manager. Together they are managing the home effectively and have made some positive improvements. The responsible individual is suitably qualified and experienced to undertake this role and she is having a positive influence being around the home. However, she is keen to appoint a suitable registered manager at the earliest opportunity and is currently recruiting to the post. The fact that there is no registered manager currently in post has not had a negative impact on staff or the young person. This demonstrates the commitment that the leaders and managers for the company have to the home and young people.

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Good

The recording within the home is one of the areas that has improved significantly, and this is due to them investing time focusing on this as a staff team. They have worked together to ensure that records are detailed and clearly outline the experiences and progress of young people. The staff team has received training in recording and this has resulted in improvements in all the records in the home. In addition, they have introduced a document to monitor progress and evidence work with young people that clearly outlines strengths and weaknesses and required actions.

p.9

Good

The young people have good relationships with the staff team and leaders and managers, which generates a culture of openness and respect. A young person who recently left the home continues to keep in regular contact with the responsible individual and staff team. They continue to provide him with advice and guidance to ensure that he is making the most appropriate choices and keeping himself safe. This means that the good levels of support, advice and guidance young people receive when living at the home continue after they leave, as staff care about them.

p.10

Good

Professional relationships between the home and other professionals are good. Professionals share information regularly about young people to ensure that the appropriate support is in place to meet their identified needs. Furthermore, this results in a consistent approach in supporting young people in all areas of their development. A professional said, ‘The staff and responsible individual are really good, they are very proactive. The level of communication is great and they ensure that professionals are always working together, I am always kept in the loop.’ A social worker said, ‘This is a high-cost placement and we are getting value for money.’

p.10

Good

All permanent staff working in the home are suitably qualified and they receive a wide range of training to develop their knowledge and skills and improve practice. The staff team members work well together and ensure that they have good levels of communication with each other. For example, they have a communication book that is read by all staff coming on duty following a detailed verbal and written handover. Regular team meetings take place along with team training and development days. There is one vacant post in addition to the registered manager’s post and a suitably qualified and experienced residential care worker has been appointed. In the interim, the vacant post has been covered by staff from one of the company’s other homes to ensure that a consistent staff team remains in place. The young person has developed a positive relationship with the staff member currently covering the vacant post so this will be taken into consideration when

p.10

Good

Staff feel supported and receive regular supervision that reflects on their practice and the needs of young people. Effective supervision has continued to take place with staff, run by the responsible individual since the registered manager left his post. A manager from one of the company’s other homes is now going to take over the supervision of staff. He was previously the registered manager at this home, so he knows staff well. A staff member said, ‘I am happy to be supervised by this manager as he is very experienced and really good at his job.’ Another staff member said, ‘I feel supported by the people who are currently managing the home.’ In addition the staff benefit from monthly consultation with the company psychotherapist. Consultation supports the assessment of young people’s needs, taking into account their experiences and presenting behaviours. Staff reported that these sessions are beneficial and provide opportunities to look at different

p.10

Good

strategies for managing behaviour. This means that the continual assessment of young people’s needs is comprehensive and well informed.

p.11

Good

The requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection have been addressed, which demonstrates the capacity for continuous improvement. The leaders and managers recognise the value of internal and external monitoring processes in helping them to drive up standards for young people. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The recent improvement in the functioning of the home is supported by the independent person who undertakes the external monitoring of the home and there have been no actions required following his recent visits. The home’s own quality of care review has been completed recently but was not sent to HMCI within the expected timeframe. However, it was available to view during the inspection and a copy was forwarded to HMCI immediately.

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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 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

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

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