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:

 Warm and respectful relationships are evident between staff and young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff have a good understanding about young people’s backgrounds and the impact that their backgrounds may have on their presentation.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff demonstrate that they care for young people and act as good advocates for them.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff communication with professionals and young people’s families is good. Other agencies are positive about the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The environment is warm and welcoming.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people’s views are intrinsic to the operation of the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are learning to manage their behaviour. No physical interventions have been required.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people are not putting themselves at risk by going missing from the home.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staffing ratios are good, enabling staff to spend individual time with young people.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Staff support young people to maintain contact with their family and friends.

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The children's home provision is good because:

Areas for improvement include: the quality of risk assessments; young people’s attendance at medical appointments; and the safe storage of medication.

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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 protection of children standard the registered person must 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

Specifically, that new behaviours are acknowledged in risk assessments and preventative strategies are clear. 07/04/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 Ensure that each child's day-to-day health and well-being needs are met. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Good

Young people moved into this home in August 2016. They moved here, along with staff they knew, from alternative premises managed by the organisation. The staff team has been largely stable, enabling young people to establish positive relationships with those caring for them. Young people have also managed to maintain contact with staff who no longer work in the home, as they work elsewhere in the organisation. Staff demonstrate commitment to the young people by offering to work additional shifts when required, in order to prevent the need for bank or agency staff working in the home, as they appreciate that the use of unfamiliar staff causes disruption to the young people.

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Good

Social workers are positive about the home. One commented, ‘[Name of the young person] has made good progress both emotionally and academically whilst being at the home.’ Staff are knowledgeable about the history and needs of those that they care for. Young people benefit from personalised placement plans. These outline their needs, routines and plans for the future. Some minor updates were noted during the inspection, to improve these plans further.

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Good

Consequently, young people benefit from consistent boundaries and good routines. They have become confident in the quality of care they will receive. This reduces young people’s anxieties and enables them to make progress. Both residents are approaching the point of transition and are thinking about their future. One continues to engage positively with education, has a 100% attendance rate, is looking forward to starting college later this year, and has engaged in some work experience. However, the other has become generally disaffected with his position and his education. He currently receives online education, at the home, supported by personal tuition twice weekly. However, he is reluctant to engage and persistently refuses to meet with his tutor, despite staff encouragement.

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Good

Young people are registered with health professionals, and health-care plans outline their needs. However, one young person persistently refuses to attend any health appointments. For example, he has not had a dental check for a significant length of time and consequently is at risk of being removed as a patient. This does not ensure the identification of his health needs. While staff do engage in key- working sessions following the young person’s refusal to attend, insufficient emphasis has been placed on looking at alternative strategies to motivate the young person, relating this to his transition to independence. He has also resumed smoking, despite successfully giving this up a year ago.

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Good

Young people do not routinely take prescribed medication, and records demonstrate when they have taken non-prescribed medication, such as painkillers. These are stored securely. However, on examination during the inspection, the inspector identified that old tablets had been mixed with a new packet. The tablets were slightly different but the patient information leaflet and expiry date were not evident. The manager took action to dispose of these during the inspection, as there was the potential of young people receiving out-of-date medication and of staff being unaware of any contraindications.

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Good

Staff members ensure that young people are able to keep in contact with their family and friends. They appreciate the importance of maintaining these relationships and they will go out of their way to facilitate this contact.

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Good

Young people engage in activities with staff and with each other, on occasion. Activities currently enjoyed include going to Laser Quest and the trampoline park.

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Good

Both young people are considering the options available to them when they move on from the home. They are hoping to live independently in the community. Staff have started to prepare them for this difficult transition by supporting them to learn the skills they will require to live independently. Young people are learning to use public transport safely and to budget and cook for themselves. One young person said, ‘Staff are helping me learn the things I will need to know about. I am looking forward to living independently and to going to college.’ Staff hope that these skills will ease their transition.

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Good

Young people say that they feel safe, living in this home. They prefer it to the last property they lived in. They can identify a trusted adult that they could speak to if they did have any concerns. The children’s guide to the home includes contact details about agencies that they can contact for support if they wish to, and information on how to make a complaint. Some details in this document were updated as part of the inspection, such as the address for Ofsted.

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Good

Staff receive regular safeguarding training, as well as training in other pertinent areas, such as child sexual exploitation. This ensures that they remain alert to behaviours that may indicate the involvement of young people. Effective behaviour management training also ensures that staff are able to de-escalate the majority of challenging behaviours. There has been no need for any physical interventions in this home. This also indicates that young people are learning better ways to express themselves. Staff largely use rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviour. However, they also sanction poor behaviour on occasion. Sanctions imposed usually relate to the incident itself and are restorative in nature whenever possible, for example repairing an item that has been broken in anger. Young people feel this is fair. One young person commented, ‘I always get an explanation for why a decision has

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Good

been made and staff will review how I’m doing.’

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Good

Personalised risk assessments help to alert staff to specific areas of risk for each young person and how best to manage these. However, these do not acknowledge some new behaviours. Consequently, it is not clear that preventative strategies have been agreed or implemented to safeguard young people.

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Good

Staff perform individual work with young people so that they have the skills that they will require to keep themselves safe in the community. This includes discussing topics such as bullying, internet safety and stranger danger. Young people have not put themselves at risk by going missing from the home. Despite this, the registered manager keeps abreast of current issues by regularly attending forums with other safeguarding bodies, such as the police.

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Good

Safe staff recruitment practice ensures that only those suitable to work with vulnerable young people are able to gain employment in the home. Similarly, a range of health and safety checks ensures young people’s safety. These include practice in evacuating the home in the event of an emergency.

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Good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He has managed the home since it opened, and was similarly transferred here along with the young people from another home. He also has management responsibility for one other home in the organisation, and has some responsibility for undertaking training. A deputy manager, who has a level 3 management qualification, works in this home to support him. Together they provide visible leadership and are clear about the ethos of the home. The majority of staff working in the home have the required level 3 qualification for working with children and young people, and the remaining two are currently completing this qualification.

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Good

The home’s statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the organisation and staff team. The registered manager also has a development plan in place, which helps to drive forward improvements in the home. For example, staff have worked with young people to plan and decorate a room in the home that has become a dedicated games room. Monthly staff meetings ensure that staff are kept up to date with any changes, and the allocation of specific tasks to staff ensures that issues are taken forward in a timely way. Staff also use this venue to discuss any matters raised by young people, who then receive a written response to the matters that they raised.

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Good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. They report that this is beneficial to their practice and development. Managers use the organisation’s induction and probation procedures effectively, to ensure an individual’s competence for employment.

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Good

Liaison with other agencies and young people’s families is effective. Positive relationships exist between them. One social worker commented, ‘There is good communication from the home.’ In addition, a family member stated, ‘They always let me know what is going on, whether it’s good or bad, but at least I know what’s happening.’ This ensures that everyone involved with the young person is aware of the current position.

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Good

An independent person, who completes monthly reports on the operation of the home, reviews young people’s care regularly. These reports include regular consultation with young people, their families and involved professionals. The reports conclude by setting actions. This helps to improve practice in the home.

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Good

The home is located in a residential area but close to the town centre, giving easy access to community activities. It is warm, welcoming, and furnished to a good standard. Photographs of young people and staff are on display in the home. There is a warm and friendly atmosphere in 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’.

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm, or that 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 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 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 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 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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