Children's home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 1 Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Good

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Good

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

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Good

Date of last inspection: 21 September 2016

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff consistently place the safety of young people at the centre of their practice, irrespective of the challenges that this presents. They have a good understanding of their specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 2 action to address them. Young people become increasingly safe as a result of the actions that staff take to support and protect them. They are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm.  Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with the police, social workers, schools and other professional agencies to ensure that young people benefit from effective support, help and protection. Young people are kept safe and have a strong sense of personal safety.  Young people benefit from well-planned, individualised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives.

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Key findings from this inspection

They enjoy good relationships with staff and benefit from care provided by adults they trust.  Young people benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. They make good progress, taking into account their individual starting points across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural development. Young people enjoy regular contact with their friends and families. Consequently, they sustain their attachments and close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager is reviewing the home’s internal monitoring activities to ensure that patterns and trends are identified more clearly. A new independent person has been appointed to review the quality of young people’s care and the effectiveness of the home’s arrangements to safeguard them and promote their well-being.  Not all young people have an up-to-date care plan to take account of their changing needs and circumstances. While medical consent is in place, consent for the administration of suitable home remedies and first aid is needed to ensure that staff are clear about what health decisions and responsibilities are delegated to them.  Young people who are new to the home are not currently engaged in any form of education to help them to achieve their specific training and education goals.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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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Recommendations

 Each child should have permission for staff to administer first aid and non- prescription medication from a person with parental responsibility for them recorded in their relevant plan. For children looked after, this permission should be sought and arranged by the child’s social worker. Where appropriate, the child’s family should be involved in supporting their child’s health needs as well as in providing permission for treatment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 7.14, page 35)  Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. This relates specifically to obtaining a copy of the child’s care plan from the placing authority, where required. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.1, page 14)  Ensure that, when young people are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the

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Recommendations

registered person and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 5.15, page 28)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, there have been new admissions to the home. A young person’s placement was ended soon after the last inspection due to the intensity of their disruptive and challenging behaviour. Young people new to the home have settled in well, overall, and have been made to feel welcome by staff. One reported, ‘My social worker told me I was going to be moving into a care home. [Staff name] and [Staff name] came to visit me. It’s a nice environment to be in. The staff are really encouraging and it’s just really nice. I would rate the home eight [out] of ten. It would probably get a 10 if I was staying here. The plan is for me to move in July with my nan.’ Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 4 Young people enjoy warm and positive relationships with staff and have stability and consistency in their lives. They make good progress, taking into account their individual starting points, across all aspects of their physical, social, emotional and behavioural

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

development. They benefit from well-planned, individualised care that promotes their needs effectively and contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Young people are kept safe and develop a strong sense of personal safety. The home promotes contact for young people and their families. Young people receive the support that they need to help them to sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Consequently, they develop a positive self-view and ability to sustain their attachments and own identity. A foster carer who looks after a young person’s sibling reported, ‘She talks to her sister and likes her placement. She feels supported when contact is arranged. Staff work well with her and encourage contact. A family member reported, ‘She is doing really well and seems a lot happier.’ Staff maintain effective partnerships with the families of young people, their social

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

workers and schools, to ensure that they benefit from the best possible help and all- round support. Staff are positive role models for young people. Consequently, they benefit from interaction with appropriate adults they can look up to and learn from. The home provides for young people a positive learning environment that promotes their educational achievement. Young people are actively encouraged to attend school or alternative education provision, and they benefit from good support and encouragement from staff. One young person attends school regularly and is making good progress. However, another young person, a school leaver and new admission to the home, is currently without any form of education. However, there are plans for them to attend college in the near future. A young person reported, ‘I don’t run away as much. My behaviours changed. I can manage it now and stuff. I didn’t go to school and now I do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain effective partnerships with health professionals to promote young people’s good health. They ensure that young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and have access to these services when they need them. This includes access to any specialist services that they need to promote their emotional and psychological well-being. Young people are actively encouraged to lead and maintain healthy lifestyles. They are taught about key health issues, such as the negative effects of using drugs and alcohol. As a result, young people are aware of health issues and they learn to take responsibility for their own health. Young people receive effective support through one-to-one working. For example, they receive good support and advice about relationships and sexual health, exploitation and internet safety. Staff spend quality time with young people and show a genuine interest in their daily experiences. Consequently, staff know

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

what the young people are feeling and thinking, and this enables staff to support them with any concerns or anxieties they may have. Young people’s medication is stored and administered safely. Medical consent is in place. However, consent for the administration of suitable home remedies and emergency first aid is needed to ensure that staff are clear about what health decisions and Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 5 responsibilities are delegated to them. Young people are fully involved in all aspects of their care. They can contribute to their plans and are involved in key decisions so they influence how their lives are managed. However, not all young people have a care plan from the placing authority to take account of their changing needs and circumstances. Young people benefit from the positive activities, which they can plan and attend with staff. Staff promote their independence and allow young people to take appropriate risks to promote their growth

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

and natural development. Young people develop confidence and social and practical skills to promote their readiness for independence.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm, comfortable and homely environment. The home is consistently maintained to a high-quality standard for young people. Young people are encouraged to take ownership of their own bedrooms, which are highly personalised in accordance with their wants and wishes. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. Young people described the home as being ‘chilled, homely and sound’. A young person has decorated a wall in the home with some of her own artwork, in which she describes staff’s individual qualities. The young person said, ‘The wall just looked boring so I needed to change it.’ Words used to describe staff included, ‘cool’, ‘generous’, ‘laidback’, ‘extremely kind’, ‘bubbly’, ‘fab’ and ‘helpful’. Risks associated with young people using drugs and alcohol, offending or engaging in other forms of unsafe, risk-taking behaviour are known and understood well by staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s specific needs and vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Young people become increasingly safe and are less likely to suffer actual harm. Young people are kept safe and have a strong sense of personal safety. Staff are trained in child protection, so they know how to protect the young people from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff practice, irrespective of the challenges that this presents. If young people go missing or are absent from the home without authority, staff actively look for them and maintain effective partnerships with the police and others to promote their safe return. There have been no allegations of abuse or safeguarding referrals made to children’s and young people’s services, since the last inspection. The home maintains effective partnerships with all safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

young people. Staff effectively promote the development of young people’s positive behaviour. There is good use of praise, rewards and incentives and acknowledgement of positive behaviour. The use of consequences is rare and sanctions are kept to an absolute minimum. When sanctions are used, they are used fairly and proportionately. Restraint, if used at all, is only ever used as a last resort to protect young people from harm. There have been no Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 6 restraints since the last inspection. Young people know how to make a complaint, and their complaints are addressed effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager who demonstrates effective leadership of the operation of the home. The manager leads staff by example and is hands-on in their approach. The manager has good relationships with the young people and they champion their needs effectively. The manager is open and approachable and suitably addresses young people’s questions and acts on and responds to their reasonable requests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home meets the aims and objectives, as set out in its statement of purpose. The home delivers a good-quality service for young people and can demonstrate the positive difference and impact that it has made to their lives. The manager prioritises the needs of the young people and maintains highly effective partnerships with their families, schools and social workers to improve their life chances and outcomes for the future. The manager has a good understanding of the progress that the young people make and tracks their progress. They escalate concerns and work closely with other professional agencies to ensure that young people receive the services they need and benefit from the best possible help and all-round support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is consistently ambitious and energetic about sustaining the home’s improvement. They stimulate staff’s enthusiasm and they channel staff’s efforts effectively. They ensure that staff share and implement the home’s ethos, approach and philosophy in caring for young people. Staff benefit from appraisal of their practice and receive regular, good-quality professional supervision. Staff have access to good-quality training to develop their collective skills and knowledge in caring for vulnerable young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is appropriately staffed and is consistently well resourced. The home has recently recruited three new members of staff who will start work once all suitability checks have been made to assess their fitness and suitability. Safe recruitment practices are strictly adhered to, and this ensures that young people are safeguarded and protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They make good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to secure improvement. The home has recently employed a new independent person who visits to review the quality of young people’s care and the arrangements made to safeguard them and promote their well-being. Reports are consistently sent to Ofsted every month and these are available to social workers and other interested parties on request. Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lytham Care, 400 Longmoor Lane, Liverpool L9 9DB

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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