Children's home run by Supporting Futures Limited in Sefton

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of young people since the full inspection. This visit has found shortfalls in safeguarding practice and procedures that potentially impact on the welfare and safety of young people. There has been limited progress for some young people in terms of their education. There have also been continued concerns around some young people going missing from the home and engaging in risk-taking behaviours.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Insufficient action has been taken to ensure that all risk assessments are reviewed and updated. Some assessments do not satisfactorily detail how risk is to be reduced or managed. For example, most young people smoke cannabis. The action that is identified in the risk assessment to help young people reduce the amount of cannabis that they use is limited to verbal encouragement and referrals to support services. However, young people refuse to attend appointments with support services. Consequently, there is no tangible measure of the progress that has been made in reducing this activity. Similarly, staff have not effectively challenged all young people to change their behaviours and to carefully consider their poor lifestyle choices.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Educational attendance and achievement for individual young people is variable. One young person has made progress at his education setting and has talked openly to the inspector about his aspirations for his future. However, while others have been assisted to access alternative educational placements to suit their learning needs, their attendance still remains problematic and sporadic; one young person’s attendance has been recorded as 35%. As a result, the opportunity for some young people to reach their full academic potential is limited and this affects their future life chances. Furthermore, some young people do not benefit from a clear structure or routine to support their attendance and learning. At the inspection, this was especially evident for young people who refused to attend their education settings. Young people remained in their bedrooms or went out with friends. Staff were not actively preparing and supporting them to re-engage with

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

their education. The home’s documents, including individual care plans, behaviour management plans and medication records are sometimes inaccurate. For example, the care plan for a young person stated that they did not smoke. However, the behaviour management plan stated that they did smoke. This means that risks are not being fully considered and kept up-to-date. Staff have also failed to sign or date the documents either as the author of the records or to indicate that they have read the content. This means that all staff are not aware of each young person’s individual needs or all of the risks or support measures that are in place. Furthermore, staff’s recordings included comments about young people that were stigmatising and subjective and that, in some instances, did not differentiate between fact and personal opinion. Staff had not considered the impact that such comments could have on the emotional well-being of a young person who is

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s physical environment is not sufficiently safe and the manager was unaware that parts of the building present a risk to young people. For example, a young person’s bedroom had mould and mildew on the wall and another young person’s bedroom had a sock covering the smoke detector. Furthermore, the upstairs area of the home smelled strongly of cannabis and there was damaged furniture, which the home had not replaced. Therefore, appropriate action is not being taken to ensure that young people are living in a hazard-free, warm and safe environment.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All staff reported that the manager is ‘very supportive’, ‘has an open-door policy’ and ‘is always ready and available’. However, not all staff have had the opportunity to reflect on their practice, performance and development. Supervision has not always taken place on a regular basis and not all new starters received adequate support and development, as stated in the home’s own supervision policy. Effective supervision is of vital importance in improving the quality of care that is provided to young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The monitoring that has been undertaken by the home’s managers has failed to identify and address the shortfalls found in records, such as assessments that are out-of-date; errors in the recording of medication; and records of sanctions and physical interventions that do not contain all of the required information. However, during the inspection the registered manager recognised the areas that needed development and took immediate action to rectify the shortfalls that were identified.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Despite these shortfalls, several key strengths were identified. Relationships with family members are valued and promoted. The registered manager and the staff ensure that direct contact takes place regularly with family members and those who are important to the young person, in accordance with their individual plans. The registered manager and the staff recognise how important it is for the young person to maintain relationships with family members in a safe and positive manner. This helps to support the young person to understand their identity and family origins and to improve their self-esteem.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and the staff work effectively with a range of professionals, including social workers and health professionals. The registered manager continues to prioritise key meetings for young people; these include planning meetings, strategy meetings and reviews for children looked after In addition, the registered manager has requested and organised emergency care planning meetings when there have been safeguarding concerns. This supports agencies to share important information and coordinate plans that benefit individual young people. He has also challenged local authorities effectively when there have been any delays in services, such as local health services, being made available to young people. This has prevented any unnecessary delays in young people receiving the necessary care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Social workers and parents confirmed that communication with the home is good. They all confirmed that they continue to receive regular updates about individual young people. They also reported that the staff are, ‘committed’ to the young people they care for and that the staff, ‘Try hard to ensure they have the best chance in life.’ Young people also confirmed that they like living in the home and one young person said, ‘This is by far the best children’s home out of all the ones I have lived in.’

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Information about this children’s home

The home is a privately owned children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/05/2016 Full Good 18/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/08/2015 Full Good 19/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

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

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure: (a) that staff— (i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; (iii) have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; (d) that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person must:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

(4)(b) ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision that is conducted by a person with appropriate experience.

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records 28/02/2017 The registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

(3)(a) within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’); (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)(viii)(b)(c)) 36: Children’s case records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child, which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, and ensure that they are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and should understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between 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)  Ensure that when children placed in the home are not fully participating in education, they are engaged in suitable structured activities (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that medicines are administered in line with a medically approved protocol. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

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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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