Children's home run by Care Afloat Ltd in West Lancashire

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Although young people currently in placement are settled and making good progress, this was not the case for another young person who is no longer living at the home.  Missing-from-home episodes were a particular issue for one young person and continued throughout the duration of the placement. Behaviour management strategies for this young person were not always effective in reducing the likelihood of missing episodes.  When young people go missing who live a long way from their home area, independent return interviews are not always successfully completed. However, for some young people this is an issue that has been addressed by the placing authority.  Staff do not always take the opportunity to address particular risk-taking behaviours, such as using alcohol, when young people go missing.  Where physical intervention is required to ensure that young people remain safe in times of conflict, the manager has not recorded that she has spoken

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

to individual young people after the event to ensure that they understand why the particular measures were used.  Staff do not receive regular supervision or appraisal in line with the home’s policy. This is required to support them in their role and to ensure that they remain fit to practise.  The home cannot evidence that it has challenged placing authorities when they do not have up-to-date relevant plans, or when reviews of care plans have not taken place within timescales.  Notifications have not always been sent to appropriate authorities following significant events.

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The children's home strengths

 The home is staffed by a stable team who work together to provide consistency to young people and enable them to develop relationships with adults who care for them. Staff are supportive of each other and feel supported by managers.  One young person has made positive progress since her arrival at the home, particularly in reducing her risks associated with going missing. She is engaging well with post-16 education.  The home works well with local agencies, including the police and Operation Deter, to reduce the risks of young people who may go missing and are considered to be at risk of child sexual exploitation.  A recent admission to the home was well planned, with introductory visits for both the young person and family members.  Contact between young people and their families is promoted well by staff. For young one person in particular, the positive relationships built between a key worker and her family have resulted in contact progressing to overnight

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff – (a) seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans. In particular, this relates to ensuring that current relevant plans are provided to the home and that reviews take place within statutory timescales. (Regulation 5 (a) ) 19/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure – (b) that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. Specifically, consequences for negative behaviour should be considered with regard to the potential for increasing the likelihood of a child going missing from the home. (Regulation 12) 19/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. In particular, supervision of employees should take place in accordance with the home's policy on frequency. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 19/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 5 days of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(c)) 19/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(e)) 19/02/2017

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and managed. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people, who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/11/2015 Full Requires improvement 05/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/09/2014 Full Good

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Requires improvement

Some young people living at the home make positive progress as a result of the support that they are provided with by the adults who care for them. They have positive relationships with members of staff who demonstrate warmth and promote a sense of belonging. However, other young people have not experienced positive placements and have not made good progress.

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Requires improvement

Young people know how to complain if they are unhappy and, if they wish, they are able to access an independent visitor. They are encouraged to attend their own meetings, although they do not always choose to do so.

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Requires improvement

Young people are supported and encouraged to meet their everyday health needs. They are able to attend activities which promote their health and fitness, such as trampolining and football, and incentives are used to encourage young people to maintain good personal hygiene.

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Requires improvement

The home works suitably with other agencies, such as the local nurse for children looked after, health professionals, and therapeutic providers, to deliver specific services. There have been occasions when young people have been involved in drug and alcohol misuse, which has not been consistently addressed to ensure that all young people are aware of the negative impact on their health. Both young people currently living in the home smoke. The staff team discourages this but is not currently involving smoking cessation services to support young people with alternatives to encourage them to stop. The home has links with sexual health agencies and there is information available for young people. Key-working sessions are completed when there are concerns about sexual activity. However, these do not discuss appointments to access sexual health services.

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Requires improvement

Some young people make positive progress in education. One, who had not attended education prior to moving to the home, has now progressed to an apprenticeship in which her attendance and engagement remains good. Staff are proud of her achievements and continue to encourage her in a role that she enjoys. Another young person is integrating into a new educational environment. Staff are aware of, and respond to, any arising issues with peers by working with educational colleagues. A young person, no longer resident in the home, did not make significant progress in her education. When there are challenges to the progression of educational assessments, the home continues to work proactively with other agencies. Young people are consulted about arrangements for their day-to-day care and in the running of the home. At their request, meetings are held monthly which has been positive in improving young people’s engagement and contribution. Key-

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Requires improvement

working sessions are held regularly for most young people to explore any emerging issues. One young person described the home as ‘amazing’ and feels able to speak to any of the staff who she wishes to. Another young person chose to remain within the organisation’s provision. Although he preferred his previous placement, he identifies staff with whom he gets on well since moving to the home. His transition to the home was well planned, with opportunities to visit with his family prior to his move.

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Requires improvement

Staff work positively with parents to promote good-quality contact with young people. For one young person, this has progressively increased, and she is now able to stay overnight. Young people are encouraged to bring friends to the home, and, where appropriately assessed, they are able to stay with friends overnight.

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Requires improvement

The home is responsive to young people’s cultural needs. However, at times staff have not always responded to requests that treat young people with dignity and respect. For example, one young person was denied access to the kitchen to prepare food after returning home late, which culminated in an avoidable incident. The manager identified that the practice of this staff member did not follow that of the home, and that inappropriate comments were made. The individual is not a permanent member of the team within the home. However, it is unclear whether this performance issue was addressed.

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Requires improvement

Some young people are being assisted in developing independence skills in preparation for transition to adulthood. The home was proactive in working with other agencies to effectively manage a difficult transition for one young person.

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Requires improvement

Risk assessments are in place to identify appropriate strategies to mitigate and reduce risks to young people’s safety and well-being. These are reviewed and updated regularly to respond to changing needs in liaison with professionals and families. This promotes individualised care for young people living in the home.

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Requires improvement

Young people report feeling safe within the home and can identify members of staff with whom they can discuss any concerns. This increases a sense of feeling protected and supported. Behaviour management plans are formulated that identify strategies that staff should follow to de-escalate incidents. Positive consequences and incentives are used to promote positive behaviour, as well as negative consequences to support young people when their behaviour needs to improve. Room searches are rarely necessary, although items found and removed from one young person’s bedroom were not recorded appropriately.

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Requires improvement

Going missing from home is an identified risk for young people. For some young people risks have reduced, as well as the associated risk of child sexual exploitation, resulting from effective working relationships with Operation Deter. The home requests independent return interviews following missing episodes. However, for young people living at a distance from their home, these have not always been completed successfully. When they are completed, the home is provided with relevant information to improve their ability to keep young people safe. Opportunities have not always been taken through key-working sessions to explore and address areas of risk such as alcohol misuse while away from the home, or appropriate relationships.

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Requires improvement

One young person continued to go missing and therefore notice was served on the placement as a result of the increasing risk to her safety. Staff liaised appropriately with police, the placing authority and the young person’s family, and proactively searched in the local community. However, some strategies used to manage her behaviour were not conducive to dissuading her from leaving the home. Consequences for some of her behaviours included withdrawal of activities for considerable periods of time and denying access to a radio, despite music being identified as something that she particularly enjoyed. Although behaviour management strategies are kept under review by the manager, the negative consequences used were not analysed to consider how they might have increased her sense of disaffection. The behaviour management strategies employed were therefore not effective and impacted on her safety as a result of the time she spent

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Requires improvement

The use of physical intervention is only employed as a last resort and is rarely used. On the one occasion when it was required to prevent conflict between two young people, it is not recorded that the manager spoke with either young person. Although the level of intervention was low, this should nevertheless have been completed to ensure that young people knew why the intervention was necessary to ensure their safety. However, the conflict was resolved in order to facilitate a joint activity for the young people involved.

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Requires improvement

Staff can clearly identify actions to be taken if there are safeguarding concerns for young people. They are also aware of the potential risks to young people through the use of the internet and are able to work with colleagues elsewhere in the organisation to reduce areas of conflict between young people. There have been no concerns regarding the conduct of any professionals requiring referral to the designated officer. The majority of concerns in relation to safeguarding within the home relate to a young person who is no longer in residence. The other young people respond positively to the advice from staff at the home and therefore have better safeguarding outcomes. The judgement of requires improvement in this area reflects the mixed progression in safeguarding of young people within the home.

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Requires improvement

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager, whose registration was confirmed in July 2014. Staff report that they feel supported by the manager and the team coordinator who moved from another of the provider’s home earlier this year. One member of staff felt particularly supported through her induction process, and is soon to progress to an appropriate level 3 qualification.

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Requires improvement

The staff team is stable and brings a range of experience. Staff either hold a relevant childcare qualification or are about to commence working towards it, and the home takes appropriate steps to ensure that staff are recruited safely to work with vulnerable young people. The team members are supportive of each other and report that they are cohesive in their practice to provide consistent care for young people. The registered manager is currently overseeing another home, following the unexpected departure of that home’s manager. She is confident in the stability of the staff team in this home to manage in her absence. However, it is imperative that a replacement manager is found promptly to ensure sustainability in her oversight of the home that she is registered to manage.

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Requires improvement

Staff are able to access a range of training to support their knowledge and practice. The provider is currently reviewing the training programme, and the registered manager has identified where some mandatory training could be refreshed more frequently to ensure that staff are updated in current practice. The manager regularly reviews the home’s progress to ensure that it continues to meet its objective within the statement of purpose. The home is maintained regularly internally and externally to a good standard, and the manager has identified further areas of improvement. The manager also has systems in place to review progress of young people which identifies their achievements as well as areas for further support.

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Requires improvement

The home’s policy is that supervision should take place on a monthly basis to provide oversight of practice and staff welfare and development needs. Staff should also receive annual appraisals to ensure that they remain suitable for the role. Not all staff have received formal supervision or appraisals in accordance with the policy, although they state that they can access informal advice and support when required. This requires improvement to ensure that appropriate oversight of performance is formally completed and recorded.

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Requires improvement

Team meetings take place each month. These are arranged to take place after young people’s residents’ meetings, to ensure that their views can be considered by the staff team in a timely manner. Staff work collaboratively to provide consistency and stability through communication at meetings and via handovers.

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Requires improvement

The home has effective working partnerships with other agencies, including health, education, police and placing authorities, as well as young people’s families, which promotes support to young people to achieve positive outcomes. The social worker for one young person described communication with the home as excellent and that reports produced for reviews are ‘phenomenal’. The young person’s independent reviewing officer noted that the home used creative approaches to monitor her use of free time, resulting in a reduction of risks.

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Requires improvement

Members of staff attend external meetings to ensure that plans for the care of young people continue to address their needs. However, the home has not consistently challenged placing authorities to ensure that current relevant plans for young people are provided, or to ensure that reviews of care plans are completed within timescales.

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Requires improvement

On one occasion when a young person had gone missing, it was not recorded that their social worker was informed in order to ensure that a return interview was completed. On another occasion, the home was informed by the police that a serious incident had taken place involving a young person who was missing; however, this was not notified to Ofsted once the home was made aware. This indicates that there are shortfalls in the home’s communication of incidents to relevant parties.

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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

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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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