Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

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:

 Staff have positive relationships with the young person. They nurture her and genuinely care about her.  The young person has made great progress in re-engaging with education. Consistent and strong boundaries have ensured that she has attended and participated in her education provision. This has resulted in the young person securing a training course at a local college in preparation for her future career.  Staff have supported and enabled the young person to make better life choices. This has resulted in a significant reduction in episodes of going missing.  Several areas requiring improvement have been noted at this inspection. There is a lack of evidence to demonstrate how the manager evaluates, monitors and reviews the quality of care afforded to the young person. The manager’s six-monthly review of quality of care report lacks a system for establishing and reflecting on the views of the young person, her parents,

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The children's home provision is good because:

the placing authority and staff.  The monthly independent visitor’s report lacks clarity on whether the home promotes the young person’s well-being and whether she is suitably safeguarded. This restricts the manager in identifying and acting on any shortfalls in the care provided to the young person.  The staff team is female. The home’s statement of purpose gives details of how a male role model will be promoted in the home. However, this has not been put into practice and the young person is lacking the opportunity to interact with a male member of staff. The manager will ensure that these arrangements are put into place in line with the statement of purpose.

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirements Due date

The registered person should ensure that monitoring and review systems are in place to support continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(h)) 17/03/2017

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1) Schedule 1 (21)) 17/03/2017

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Requirements Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person's report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b)) 17/03/2017

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Requirements Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating and must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(5)) 17/03/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation:  Whenever possible, staff in day to day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. Where the home's statement of purpose makes it explicit that the home uses staff of one sex only, clear guidance will need to be in place and followed as to how children are enabled to maintain relationships with people of a different gender. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 54, 10.22)

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Information about this children's home

This service is a privately run children's home. The home provides care and accommodation for one young person with behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Good 24/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/07/2014 Full Good

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Good

The young person living in this home is settled in her placement. She is afforded good-quality care which has helped her to make good progress in many aspects of her development, such as engaging in education provision. Staff provide her with clear, consistent boundaries which have enabled her to gain a sense of security and belonging. Staff know the young person well and have made positive relationships with her. Staff invest their time by being interested in her experiences, listening to her views and opinions and supporting her with situations which cause her anxiety. Staff offer reassurance and help to address issues in a calm manner, and also advocate on her behalf. This positive approach is helping her to manage situations in a more positive way. Staff provide opportunities for regular one-to-one discussion and individual weekly meetings with the young person, to discuss her views on the care that she needs

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Good

and about the home and her life. This means that she feels valued and has a clear understanding of what is expected of her. As a result, the young person is engaging with other agencies, such as children and family mental health services and education provision. A social worker said: ‘Staff have supported [name] to re- engage in education after a long period of non-attendance.’ The young person is supported to contribute to her own placement plans and to prepare for and attend review meetings. This process is effective in helping her gain a good understanding of her specific needs and how she can achieve her individual targets and goals, such as learning to cook and budget. Formal key-work sessions provide opportunities to discuss areas of intervention and are supplemented by informal opportunities to talk about her hopes and progress. A social worker said: ‘[Name]’s views are always sought and shared with myself and

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Good

the independent reviewing officer prior to and during meetings. She attends her meetings and participates and is well prepared with a list of questions.’ Staff support and encourage the young person to engage in recreational activities in the community. The young person enjoys clothes shopping, going out for tea with friends, and beauty treatments. These opportunities have helped to build up her self-confidence and self-esteem. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Staff nurture her interests and endeavour to find new direction if needed.’ Staff support the young person to maintain contact with her family. They ensure that these sessions are safe, meaningful and in line with her care plans. Staff work in partnership with families and professional stakeholders to ensure that the young person receives consistent care that meets her specific needs. This collaborative approach has helped her to make good progress since her admission. For example,

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Good

risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing from the home, has notably reduced. A family member commented: ‘I am very pleased with the staff, and they look after [name] well.’

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Good

The young person’s safety is top priority. Risks are clearly identified, understood and well managed. Interventions are thorough and supported by clear risk assessments and behaviour management plans. These strategies are regularly reviewed to ensure that they are up to date and effective. Staff are vigilant to the indicators of risk and are able to identify signs that young people are at risk of sexual exploitation, for example. They take immediate action to protect them, supporting them in activities designed to discourage them from negative influences in their lives. They take a collective approach, working with the police, placing authority and the local authority for the home’s location to ensure that young people are safe from harm. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘Staff seek help from key agencies when considering the risks of missing and sexual exploitation. They remain alert, understand the risks and recognise the importance of this being

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Good

tightly managed via care planning and strategy meetings.’

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Good

There have been a number of occasions when the young person has gone missing from the home. Staff follow procedures and make attempts to find the young person, looking in favourite locations and contacting her friends and family. Staff discourage these behaviours, encouraging her to engage in activities with them and with friends who are a positive influence. Staff escalate their concerns to the placing authority, host authority, the police and parents. Consequently, there has been a reduction in the number of times that the young person has gone missing from the home. A social worker said: ‘[Name]’s risky behaviours have significantly lessened since she has resided at this home.’

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Good

Staff support the young person to develop skills and strategies to manage her own conflicts. Clear, consistent boundaries and positive relationships have been nurtured and developed, and physical intervention has not been necessary. Staff understand how the young person’s experiences and current emotions can be communicated through her behaviour. They provide ample opportunities for her to talk about situations that cause her anxiety and frustration and devise strategies for her to manage these in a calmer way. Staff use a reward system to encourage positive behaviour; choosing her own rewards, such as having her nails painted professionally, also encourages self-esteem and self-confidence. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘This placement is a safe place for [name] when she has been upset and confused, and with the support of staff she is able to manage this in a more positive way.’

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Good

Staff employed at the home are subject to organisational vetting procedures and do not start work with young people until all appropriate checks are complete. All fire, gas and electrical equipment is routinely serviced to ensure that it is in good working order. This ensures that the environment is safe and that young people are protected from persons who may present a risk to them.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since May 2014. She is also registered to manage one other home within the organisation. This has not proved detrimental to the running of this home due to the homes being in close proximity. The manager has recently returned from a period of maternity leave. She has the necessary skills and experience to provide leadership and management for a small, dedicated staff team. The manager is child focused, positive and has a good understanding of the specific needs of the young person who lives there. A social worker said: ‘Staff are very approachable and always contactable and open to discussion about [name]. The manager has her best interest at heart and is open and engaging and a consistent person for her.’

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Requires improvement

The staff team is stable, experienced and competent in delivering good-quality care to the young person and her family. Staff have a good relationship with their manager and receive regular supervision and appraisal, which focuses on the progress that the young person makes and their professional development. Mandatory training is up to date, and most staff have completed additional training in relation to sexual exploitation and self-harm. This has helped them identify and understand the associated risks and take appropriate action to ensure that the young person gets the necessary support that she needs. A member of staff said: ‘The manager is very supportive and approachable. The team are great and we support each other.’

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Requires improvement

The manager and staff work effectively with the young person’s placing authority, police, and health and education professionals to provide a multi-agency approach to ensure that the young person receives good quality care which provides the right support for her specific needs. This has assisted in the young person attending education provision and becoming increasingly safe. An independent reviewing officer said: ‘I have found staff to be professional. They work together with all professionals and provide regular reports, details of incidents and significant incidents quickly to ensure that everyone is up to date’.

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Requires improvement

The young person is cared for by a female staff team which is in line with her individual needs and care plan. The young person lacks the opportunity to experience positive interaction from a male member of staff. The manager is keen to put this into practice. This arrangement will also reflect the information in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requires improvement

There is a lack of evidence to demonstrate how the manager evaluates, monitors and reviews the quality of care afforded to the young person. The manager completes a six-monthly report following a review of the quality of care. This report lacks a system for establishing and reflecting on the views of the young person, her parents, the placing authority and staff. This missed opportunity means that the manager is unable to take action if there are any shortfalls in the care provided by the home. The monthly independent visitor’s report lacks clarity regarding the home’s promotion of children’s well-being and whether they are effectively safeguarded. These shortfalls have not compromised the safety or care of the young person, and the manager expressed a determination to address this swiftly.

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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 that 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 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 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, 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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