Children's Home run by Liverpool City Council in Liverpool

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of the inspection, the home was not providing short breaks for children and young people while it provided longer-term care and accommodation for a young person with extremely complex needs. The local authority and registered manager identified that this young person’s needs were such that he needed to be living by himself and decided not to offer short breaks for other young people at the same time. This is seen as a temporary measure until the young person is able to move to his permanent new home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person first came to stay in December 2016 after his placement in his previous home ended. His move took place in an emergency and this meant that the registered manager and staff were unable to follow their usual practice of planned introductions and visits taking place before coming to stay overnight. Even so, the registered manager had enough information about the young person to be satisfied that the staff had the expertise to respond to his assessed needs and promote his welfare effectively. The local authority, registered manager and other agencies recognise that his staying on at the home is not the most ideal situation for the young person, but that it provides him with the support that he requires in the short term.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Effective care planning is helping to make suitable arrangements for the young person’s future. His care plan is comprehensive and thoroughly reviewed through children looked after procedures and the Court of Protection. The local authority has now found an appropriate new home for him, a new school has been identified that meets his needs, and health, occupational therapy and sensory assessments are taking place. The registered manager and the staff have strong relationships with the other agencies and his family. They are working collaboratively to ensure that his assessed needs are being met on a daily basis and to carefully plan his transition to his new home. This includes his new staff spending time at the home to help them get to know and understand his needs, the arrangements for his care and to share good practice about what helps him to feel safe. Importantly, this also provides the young person with the opportunity to meet and build relationships

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

with his new carers before he moves. The registered manager and staff have a strong record of supporting young people to move on positively and settle well in their new homes. The registered manager and staff are providing the young person with a high quality of personalised care in a warm, positive and stimulating environment. There is always a sufficient number of experienced and suitably trained staff available to meet his needs and keep him safe from harm. He is showing signs that he is becoming settled and starting to make some progress, in particular in how he interacts with staff, and he is now eating a wider range of food. Staff are developing a good understanding of the young person’s assessed needs and how to communicate with him effectively. Their good use of simple pictures, signs, and verbal instructions is helping the young person to understand what is expected of him and what is going to happen next. He also uses symbols to express his wishes

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and feelings. For example, when he wants to go out on the minibus, or let staff know when he wants to be alone. He also makes choices about what he has to eat and what he wears. His ability to initiate positive engagement with staff and show them what he wants appears to indicate that he is building trusting relationships with the familiar adults around him. He is even giving the staff his favourite toys to hold, or takes staff by the hand to join him in a jigsaw puzzle.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff are working hard to understand the young person’s complex needs. They are making excellent use of the expertise of occupational therapists to adapt the physical environment, to raise their awareness of his sensory needs and to understand how he experiences and makes sense of the world around him to feel safe. The therapists provide training on sensory awareness for staff and ongoing practical support and advice. Staff have found this support extremely helpful and are using specific strategies with the young person to help him manage his feelings, control his behaviour and enjoy activities.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff are committed to providing the young person with the best possible care and support, despite the complexities of his needs and the challenges that these present. The young person continues to struggle to manage his feelings, his personal care, and he lacks confidence to take part in activities in the community He enjoys going out for trips on the minibus, but becomes anxious when staff encourage him to get out or go for a walk in the park. Staff use suitable up-to-date and evolving assessments and protective measures to effectively manage and reduce risk.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On occasions, the young person shows a high level of aggression towards staff, which has resulted in staff sustaining injuries. Staff are still getting to know him, understand what makes him feel upset and what works to help him feel calm and safe. Their consistent and calm approach, especially in difficult situations, is helping the young person to find ways to manage his anxieties and frustrations and control his behaviour. When he is upset, staff give him clear instructions and allow him time to understand what he is being asked to do. They guide him to a quiet room where he usually feels safe, and he chooses to use a weighted blanket to help regulate his emotions and to relax. Staff use restraint appropriately and only when their other strategies have not been effective to protect the young person and other people. The records provide a detailed and reflective account of each incident of restraint and difficult behaviour, including what happened, the action that staff

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

took to support the young person, his behaviour and mood following the incident, and an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of the whole incident. The manager and staff use this information to review what happened and work out how best to support him when he is upset.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Overall, young people who use the short-break service live in a safe environment where the staff’s strong safe care practices and awareness protects them from harm and from going missing. Staff take suitable precautions and ensure that young people are always properly supervised and supported. For example, they know what they need to do if a young person goes missing, the places they are likely to go, the people they may try to visit, and the routes they may take, to further improve the chances of finding them quickly. This means that swift action can be taken if such an event occurs.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have also put together key information about each young person who stays at the home. This includes a detailed picture of their individual needs, vulnerabilities and means of communication. Staff have an in-depth knowledge of each young person’s needs and preferences, including their medication and the impact of them receiving this medication.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The local authority and registered manager use regular, wide-ranging and extremely thorough monitoring to assess and improve the quality of the care provided. An independent visitor now provides impartial and rigorous scrutiny of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Her findings have led to improvements in the quality of the decoration of bedrooms and bathrooms. The leaders and managers also consult with staff about the running of the home and the quality of care provided. They take staff members’ views seriously and make changes as result. For example, they acted on staff members’ assessment about the level of staffing that the young person requires to meet his needs safely. The registered manager systematically monitors young people’s experiences and progress to understand the impact of their stays on their lives, including an in-depth analysis of behaviour and any concerns about their

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

safety. He has developed a detailed and accurate understanding of the home’s strengths and the areas for improvements, which inform realistic and achievable development plans. Although his review of the quality of care clearly shows how staff find out young people’s views, it still does not provide analysis of their views in order to show the impact that the quality of care is having on their lives.

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Information about this children's home

The children's home is managed by a local authority, providing short-term breaks for up to seven children at any one time. The home cares for children and young people who have learning disabilities and /or physical disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/05/2016 Full Outstanding 02/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/05/2015 Full Good 11/11/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recommendation

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

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Recommendation

 Ensure that the review of the quality of care includes analysis of children's views about the quality of care and support provided by the home, to show their experiences of staying there and the impact that the care is having on their lives. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.2)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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