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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

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

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to be led by a committed and suitably qualified registered manager. He is also the registered manager for another home that provides care and accommodation for one young person. The registered manager divides his time well between the two homes. The company is currently in the final stages of appointing a deputy manager. This will provide an additional level of management support for the two homes. There are sufficient, experienced staff on duty to meet the needs of the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a number of young people cared for at the home since the last inspection and all have moved on to their new homes in a planned way. The attention to the planning of these transitions enabled each young person to become familiar with their new home and their new carers. Thus, the young people have been able to sustain these moves and move forward with their lives. One young person in particular continued with his studies and employment on moving into semi-independent accommodation. He keeps in regular contact with the staff, and this provides an extra layer of security and advice for him during the transition period.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The latest young person at the home is settling in well and is beginning to make friends in the community. As he is very new to the home, he chose not to engage with the inspection, preferring to be in his room listening to his music. However, he does benefit from contact with his family and enjoys spending time with them.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been a number of episodes of going missing from the home in the short time that he has been here. Staff are proactive in searching for him and contacting the other care homes in the organisation to see if he is with some of their young people. This has resulted in him returning home safely a short while later. Missing from care risk assessments are regularly reviewed, but have not been updated with new information about his known friends or other historical information, such as the potential for him to gravitate to railway tracks. Therefore, staff may not always target their search of the area for him effectively.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff said that connection to the internet has provided a massive boost to young people’s access to education. Young people have been able to access and do schoolwork at home, and have been able to keep up with their studies. Effective safeguards are in place to protect young people when using the internet, social media applications or personal mobile phones. This includes handing in their phones and games controllers at night to prevent inappropriate use in talking to or contacting people online. The registered manager said that the internet has also allowed him to update records and send information more efficiently to social workers, Ofsted, the police and other professionals.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Monitoring of the home by the independent person and registered manager is not yet robust. This is because the reports do not help the registered manager to drive forward continuous improvements, as they do not critically analyse records to identify patterns or trends. Also, the home’s workforce development plan is for the period June 2015 to 2016 and has not been updated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Having said that, the organisation and the managers as a group are actively discussing and revising numerous documents in order to improve record keeping, including improving the standard of the development plan. As a result, recording is generally getting better. The home has devised a number of new reporting formats and is currently trialling a new care plan. Plans and risk assessments are updated as needed. This is done by the staff adding handwritten information, which is then formalised into a revised document on a set date each month. The registered manager said that this is working well and that all updates are shared at handover so that all staff are fully apprised of any changes.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There are some shortfalls in the recording of risk assessments regarding the young person’s potential for self-injurious behaviour, and when he may come home under the influence of alcohol or cannabis. While staff know and can explain what they must do in such circumstances, this is not set out in a clear plan to guide staff. Also, other important information may be overlooked with regard to known historical events such as accessing railway lines and running in front of moving vehicles. If the information is not used to inform the ongoing risk assessment, this can pose a risk to the young person’s welfare.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has recently undergone a refurbishment and feels much more welcoming and homely. There is still an issue over resolving the damp in the lounge, kitchen and utility room. This detracts from the homely environment and has the potential to present a health and safety risk. This is because the paint in these areas is flaking off, leaving a fine powder on the floor and work surfaces. The landlord was contacted in September of last year and agreed to rectify this, but as yet has not done so. The registered manager or organisation has not robustly chased this.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff have worked hard in a short space of time to secure the young person a school place. The initial few weeks were not without incident, and the young person was excluded for three days. However, the registered manager is working with the school to resolve the issues and the young person is due to return after the half-term break. Staff are building a positive relationship with the young person. He is becoming more confident to talk to them and to agree rules, boundaries and meaningful rewards for improved behaviour. This includes purchasing computer games as an incentive to reduce his episodes of going missing. This focus on reward and positive recognition means that he is more likely to achieve his desired goals.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of several owned and manged by a private company. The home provides care and support for one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 21/01/2016 Full Outstanding 12/01/2015 Interim Not judged 01/07/2014 Full Adequate 24/02/2014 Interim Not judged

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, the registered provider must: (2)(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to: (i) meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that action is taken to address the damp in the lounge, kitchen and utility room. 17/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must maintain all of the records, which include the information and documents listed in schedule 3, in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a) schedule 3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records are sufficiently detailed, with specific reference to the young person’s healthcare plan and risk assessments. 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 recommendations:  Ensure that the registered manager makes best use of the independent and internal monitoring of the home to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  Ensure that the registered person has a workforce development plan which can fulfil the related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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