Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

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 sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This is a well-managed service that provides a good quality of care which supports young people to make good progress. Young people said that they feel safe, happy and settled living in the home. Young people‟s comments include, „This is the best place I‟ve ever lived,‟ „I love it here,‟ and „I am very happy living here.‟

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The interim manager has successfully met the three requirements and one recommendation made at the previous inspection. As a result, transition plans for young people have been improved and they now clearly document how risks are assessed. One young person has left the home. This was unplanned and resulted from a court decision. Another new young person has come to live in the home since the last inspection. The transition plan included consideration of the views of the young person who commented, „I was asked about coming to live here and they told me all the way along what was happening, so it was good when I came here.‟ This helped ensure a very smooth transition that was a positive experience for the young person.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people living within the home now have relevant and up-to-date care planning documentation. The interim manager has been proactive in challenging fellow professionals when documentation needs updating. There is a significant improvement to the recordings of daily life within the home, including capturing the views and experiences of young people. For example, key-work sessions are detailed and have comments made by young people about their care experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to make progress from their starting points. This includes addressing risk-taking behaviours such as going missing from home and self-harm. Staff help young people to understand the risks of these behaviours and together they create self-management techniques, which will help young people when they leave the home. Since the last inspection, there has only been one incident of a young person going missing. Staff followed the robust procedures that are in place which meant this was managed appropriately. Self-harm was a significant issue for some young people at the home previously. However, there have been no incidents since the last full inspection. This is due to the increasingly settled behaviour of the young people and the positive and trusting relationships that young people develop with staff members. A social worker commented, „His self-harming has reduced significantly since living in the home; it shows that he feels settled there.‟

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three of the young people are in education. Two of them have 100% attendance and both report that they „enjoy‟ their education placement. One young person has left school and is doing voluntary work as a dog groomer. The young person said, „I love it because I love dogs, and I hope to work full time doing this.‟ The fourth young person has only recently secured an education provision after a significant period of not having any identified education placement. The manager and staff were very proactive in challenging education and social care professionals in trying to source an appropriate provision. However, in the period that the young person was not attending, there was no alternative education plan in place. Should a young person be out of education for any period of time, this lack of structure could impact on their learning and future aspirations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff nurture, care and are attentive to the needs of young people. Relationships are strong. Staff have time for young people. They support them emotionally and records show in-depth discussions with young people about what is important to them at that time. Staff are consistent with their parenting; they challenge young people appropriately and instil firm boundaries that assist young people to achieve and manage their emotions more constructively. Behaviour management is based on praise. One young person described this perfectly as, „It‟s great because we get lots of praise, and sometimes if we are naughty the manager just says, “Give your head a wobble.” This makes me think about my behaviour and always makes me laugh.‟

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people learn and grow in maturity and are well supported to prepare for independent living. They receive practical guidance about budgeting, cooking and coping in the community. Young people spoke proudly of the dishes they had prepared for the household, stating, „I made Hunters‟ chicken for the whole house,‟ and, „I can cook, and if I say so myself, I‟m good.‟ They are supported to explore how to manage the challenges of growing up. This prepares young people to mature into valuable young adults in society. A social worker commented, „They are doing a very good job at helping him towards his transition. He is budgeting, cooking and preparing very well to leave care.‟

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are well supported to spend time with their families. Positive contact helps them identify with extended family members and spend time in their own community. This helps young people build a picture of their family background.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff demonstrate a very good understanding of the young people‟s needs and how these are to be met. Staff have the young people‟s best interests at the heart of their work. The interim manager is experienced, effective and very child-focused. The young people‟s progress is well monitored. The interim manager and deputy manager support their staff very effectively through regular team meetings and supervision. The management team also continues to develop and maintain productive working relationships with parents and professionals in order to promote positive outcomes for the young people. The managers have a good oversight of the home. They know where improvements need to be made and have plans to address these. They can also demonstrate where practice has improved for the benefit of young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home continues to be extremely well kept, bright and clean, with high-quality furnishings and fittings. It presents as a warm family home, which young people describe as „lovely‟, „awesome‟ and, „the best place to live.‟ Social workers described it as „very homely and welcoming‟.

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Information about this children's home

This is a children's home for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The home is owned and operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 17/08/2016 Full Good 20/10/2015 Full Good

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Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) that staff— (i) help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans; (ii) support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; (iv) help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; (v) promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and (viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 20/03/2017

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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 whom 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 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

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

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