Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the service has established a permanent staff team. As a result, team working is more effective and all young people are starting to build trusting relationships with staff. A young person confirmed this in his comments to the inspector: ‘I get on with all staff, especially my key workers, and they listen to me and help me.’ Consequently, young people are now benefiting from consistent boundaries, care and support.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All three young people have remained living in the home. However, a plan is in place for one young person to move back to his home area. The registered manager is in regular communication with the placing authority to ensure that the young person’s needs, wishes and feelings are at the centre of any decisions. Furthermore, she is challenging the placing authority when necessary in order to prevent any drift in this plan. This demonstrates a proactive approach to care planning and sound partnership working with the placing authority.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people now have full-time education or training placements in place. In the main, young people’s attendance is excellent and they are making good progress with their learning and development. Staff have established strong working relationships with learning mentors and tutors and this partnership working is successfully supporting young people to learn and achieve.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to benefit from the provider’s in-house therapy service. For example, young people are being supported to develop safer anger-management strategies, such as deep breathing. This therapeutic support is helping to improve young people’s behaviour, which in turn is making the home a safer environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff use their behaviour management training and skills to de-escalate young people’s potentially harmful behaviour. The use of physical intervention is rare and it is only used as a safeguarding measure. However, the physical restraint records do not include all of the information that is legally required, such as the duration of the restraint. Although this has not directly impacted on young people’s safety, it hinders the monitoring and evaluation of all safeguarding practices. Staff help and protect young people by consistently following detailed individual risk assessments. For example, when young people go missing, staff follow robust missing-from-home protocols and procedures. These include actively looking for the young person in the local community and escalating serious concerns to multi- agency strategy discussions. Furthermore, young people are provided with the opportunity to discuss the reasons why they went missing with an independent

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

person, which further enhances their safety.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s safeguarding policy has been revised and now provides staff with clear guidance on what action they should take when a young person makes an allegation. Consequently, staff have a clearer view of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding practice. Additionally, safer recruitment procedures have been strengthened. The staff files that were sampled demonstrated improvements in safe recruitment practices, in particular with regard to ensuring that suitable references are obtained and verified.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She recognised the benefits of establishing a strong and consistent team and took swift action to achieve this. The home is due to be refurbished. The refurbishment will include the relocation of the home’s office, which will provide young people with an additional communal room. Other improvements to the home include ensuring that all young people’s bedroom windows have curtains or blinds in place to protect their privacy.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All but one of the requirements raised at the last inspection have been effectively addressed. The updated statement of purpose has still not been provided to Ofsted as required.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 31/10/2016 Full Requires improvement 01/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/01/2016 Full Good 16/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that HMCI is notified of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(b)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations:

Ensure that young people are provided with appropriate furnishings, such as curtains and blinds on all bedroom windows. (Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards, page 16, paragraph 3.19)

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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 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

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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