Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Young people make progress across all areas of their development following their admission to the home.  Young people have positive and respectful relationships with staff and each other.  Staff know young people well and understand their needs.  Staff support young people to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with their families.  Young people are encouraged to develop independence skills.  Young people are supported in making healthy food choices.  Staff access support from other agencies, when required, and work in partnership to achieve good outcomes for young people.  Staff work together as a team, therefore young people benefit from a consistent approach.  Staff are proactive in supporting young people to access appropriate leisure activities.  Staff receive effective supervision and report that they are supported well by managers.

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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

In order to meet the leadership and management standard, the registered person should ensure the use of monitoring and review systems. This is particularly for the management and monitoring of risk assessments and behaviour management plans, lone- working arrangements and the management of prescribed medication. (Regulation 12(2)(h)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person should ensure that the health and well-being outcomes are clearly recorded in the child’s relevant plans, and that these are reviewed and revised in a timely way. (Regulation 10(2)(a)(i)) 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the fitness of workers standard, the registered manager should ensure that staff recruitment procedures are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32(1)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that the principles of safer recruitment are followed, and that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to any individual working at the home. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered manager should ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all risk assessments and behaviour management plans should have a link with each other, and the information in them should be clear. 31/03/2017 12: Protection of children

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person is to ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that any hazards are addressed in a timely way, and that young people’s bedrooms are personalised and maintained to a good standard. 31/03/2017

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. The registration allows the provider to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/02/2016 Full Good 03/09/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/11/2014 Full Good

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Good

Young people make positive progress and they receive individual consistent care. They have clear routines and boundaries which have a positive impact on their development and progress. Young people and staff have good relationships. Staff understand the needs of the young people. Furthermore, they are able to identify how to meet these needs. Young people receive support to access the services that will assist them in meeting their identified needs. Staff liaise with other agencies well and the feedback from them is positive.

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Good

Young people are involved in the running of the home. They have regular young people’s meetings and have provided input into the home’s development plan. Young people are involved in developing the weekly menus, and they are encouraged to eat healthily and therefore have a healthier lifestyle. However, staff do not consistently understand and address all young people’s health needs appropriately, and health plans are not routinely kept up to date. For example, the medication dosage records for one young person were unclear, therefore the medical care arrangements for that young person were inconsistent.

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Good

The home feels inviting and it is reflective of the young people living there, who are encouraged to personalise their home. For example, their artwork is displayed on the walls. Culturally, young people are given the opportunity to understand the area that they originate from, for example maps are framed on the wall. Young people are afforded the time to explore the maps and talk about their heritage.

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Good

Young people have regular contact with their family and this is very positive for them. The manager and the staff team work effectively with social workers to promote increasing contact for young people. Young people are encouraged and supported to have positive peer relationships with young people in the community. One young person has planned overnight contact with one of his peers. This encourages the young person to have positive relationships and some independence away from the home. When peer relationships are not as positive, staff are evidently working with young people to encourage them to make good choices and understand the impact that this can have on their behaviour. Young people have the opportunity to access leisure activities and are consistently encouraged to do so.

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Good

Young people have access to full-time education. One young person in particular is making very good progress and has an attendance rate of 99.5%. Staff are proactive in getting young people to engage in education if this is challenging. The home has developed an enrichment programme to enhance learning opportunities. Judgement grade

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Requires improvement

Young people who live in this home are, in the main, safe. Staff are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The home is generally well maintained. However, delays in repairing a damaged window in a young person’s bedroom, missing spindles on the landing, broken lights in the bathroom and broken wardrobes do not promote a homely, hazard-free environment for young people. Action was taken to remedy these issues during the inspection.

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Requires improvement

The young person’s guide is individualised to each young person and includes the procedure to follow, should they want to make a complaint. Young people speak with staff about any issues that arise. Furthermore, young people talk to other appropriate adults about their concerns, wishes and feelings. There are timely responses to allegations made by young people. There was one incident when the registered manager, with the support of the responsible individual, engaged with other relevant agencies, such as the designated officer, to explore an allegation thoroughly in order to reach a clear conclusion. Young people received regular updates on the investigation developments and the outcome. This provided young people with the opportunity to be clear about what happened and clarify any areas of uncertainly or concern.

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Requires improvement

Procedures to manage young people going missing from home are effective. Young people are encouraged to make the correct choices, keep in touch with the home and return at the agreed time. When this does not happen, staff proactively support young people to return home safely. However, the connection made between the missing from home episodes and the associated risks is unclear, therefore does not fully safeguard young people.

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Requires improvement

Staff fail to link risk assessments and behaviour management plans appropriately, and records are not updated accordingly. For example, risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not indicate recent concerns relating to a young person’s substance misuse. Although short-term strategies to manage risk-taking behaviour are used, longer-term strategies are not in place. Staff do not always have a full understanding of the young people’s behaviours and the impact that these can have on their well-being, for example safe use of the internet and the associated risks of child sexual exploitation. Practice is not risk averse, but instead seeks to balance risk with appropriate and acceptable choices.

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Requires improvement

Staff manage day-to-day behaviour consistently well. They implement de-escalation strategies effectively. Consequences of actions, in the main, are monetary sanctions. There are some restorative practices in place which enable young people to understand the impact of their behaviour. The home has good links with other agencies. These support young people to achieve good outcomes. Staff actively seek support for young people from specialist agencies, when required.

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Requires improvement

The recruitment and selection of staff are not sufficiently robust. The registered manager does not have all the information required to satisfy regulatory requirements, therefore these do not fully safeguard young people. However, staff are vigilant and take appropriate steps to verify visitors’ identity to protect young people. Health and safety checks are completed, and this ensures a safe living environment. The safer risk assessment clearly identifies the risks and the safety measures in place to keep young people safe in their local community.

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Requires improvement

The current manager has been in place since only 1 January 2017. However, he is an experienced registered manager who has responsibility for an additional home in the company. An experienced deputy manager has worked in the home since it opened. Together, they run the home in line with the aims and ethos in the statement of purpose. Staff are suitably qualified or are working towards a qualification. Although there are staff vacancies at the home, these are currently being advertised and, in the interim, both staff from other homes in the company and the registered manager are covering shifts. Records demonstrate that relief staff are aware of young people’s care plans, ensuring that they receive continuous care.

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Requires improvement

While the registered manager has an understanding of the young people’s needs and the positive progress that they have made thus far, there are some gaps in his knowledge. This is particularly in relation to young people’s healthcare plans and medication doses. Health monitoring arrangements are not sufficiently robust, which means that assessments and plans are not always clear.

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Requires improvement

Weak management oversight results in limited evaluation of practice. This has an impact on the long-term management of young people’s behaviour and risk.

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Requires improvement

Staff members report that they enjoy working at the home, and they are complimentary about the managers. They have guidance, policies and procedures in place to support their care practice. They receive regular supervision on a group and individual basis. Similarly, team meetings and appraisals further enhance staff’s practice in delivering care to young people. Supervision provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify ways to improve. Staff training is available and the training matrix is clear. While the organisation provides opportunities for training, the current training available is not targeted to meet the specific needs of young people. For example, training in internet safety and personal identity is not available.

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Requires improvement

Staff have good relationships with young people and work collectively to provide consistency and stability. Care plans and case records reflect each young person’s journey since they came to live at the home alongside their current circumstances. The young person-friendly care plan also reflects this well and the progress of each young person is clear. Liaison with other professionals is effective. One social worker commented that ‘Staff are committed to [name of young person]’s care and they have constant contact with mum’. They also said: ‘supervised contact takes place regularly and, in my discussions with mum, she is very impressed with the care that [name of the young person] receives at [name of the home].’

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’. An outstanding children’s home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children’s home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children’s home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

are in place, however, the children’s home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children’s home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 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

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Information about this inspection

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, 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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