Children's home run by My Life - My Choice Ltd in Hyndburn

Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 1 SC489038 Registered provider: My Life-My Choice 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 accommodate up to eight children, irrespective of gender, aged five to 17, on a short-break basis. The home specialises in the care of children who have learning disabilities. It is operated by a private organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staffing levels have been inconsistent since a number of permanent staff have left the home. There has been a reliance on agency staff to provide care. As a result, children and young people do not benefit from continuity of support from staff who know and understand their individual needs well.  Activity planning is not regularly implemented during busy times within the home. This means that some young people do not engage in activities to enhance their social interaction and development.  The short-break residential home is registered for up to eight children and young people. However, during the day the home is accessed by other children and young people. Assessments in relation to matching and planning of the needs of young people is not routinely completed. This impacts on the overall group dynamics, resulting in some young people showing signs of increased anxiety due to noise within the building, while others choose not to access the

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Key findings from this inspection

 Leaders and managers know where there are weaknesses in the home’s practice and are implementing strategies to address them.  The home works in partnership with parents and professionals well. Parents value the support provided to their children and say they can see clear progression for their children.  Since the monitoring visit in April 2017, all individual risk assessments for each child and young person are in place. These are reviewed on each short break to the home, providing clear, relevant information regarding the needs and vulnerabilities of each child and young person.  Staff spoken with during the inspection have high aspirations for the children and young people who use the short-break service. They are committed to working as a team to promote positive outcomes for children and young people.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 10/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 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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Requirement Due date

9. The enjoyment and achievement standard

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— That staff help each child to participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s preferences. (Regulation (9)(1) and (2)(ii)) 30/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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(1) and (2)(b)) In particular, to ensure there is more robust matching of children receiving care and support. 30/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

13. The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that (a) helps children aspire to their full potential; and (b) promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— That the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation (2)(c)(e)) 30/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 4

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Recommendations

 Children who have disabilities can be disadvantaged and socially isolated from friends, especially if they attend a school which is not in their local community, such as a residential special school. The registered person in a short-break setting should ensure that the short-break service offers the chance for children to develop friendships, by carefully matching groups and, where possible, by arranging for children to frequently stay with the same group. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 40, paragraph 8.20)  The use of external agency staff can be a positive choice to complement the skills and experiences of the permanent workforce. Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in Regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications, and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. The use of agency

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Recommendations

staff should be carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16) In particular, ensure they have the knowledge and understanding of how to engage, communicate and interact with children who have complex needs.

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improvement to be good

The home is registered with Ofsted to provide a short-break service for a maximum of eight children and young people. It is also registered with the Care Quality Commission. Short-break care provides opportunities for the children and young people to learn and develop new skills, increase their confidence and benefit from secure attachments outside of their own homes. They are able to visit the home prior to attending, if this is something they wish to do. Information about the home is available in a range of formats to support them to understand about the service the home provides. They are able to choose which bedroom they would like to use when they stay overnight, and can also take personal items with them to help them to settle in during their stay. Facilities within the home support young people to access a range of activities, including a hydrotherapy pool. In addition, there is a range of toys, sensory games and

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improvement to be good

equipment. Activities within the local community include going for walks, visiting the park, use of the local leisure centre, shopping and going out for meals. Further activities contribute to developing independence skills. For example, one young person has learned to clean and tidy his room and make his bed, while another young person enjoys making drinks and simple snacks for herself and other people. Parents of young people speak very positively about the home and comment on the progress their children have Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 5 made during their time attending the service. During the school holidays, the number of children and young people using the home’s facilities significantly increases. This is due to the service providing day care, although this is not a condition of registration with Ofsted. The large dining area within the home is utilised to accommodate these additional children and young people. This means that

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improvement to be good

there are more than eight young people present during the day, which increases noise levels. During the inspection, some young people were showing signs of discomfort with the noise level, impacting on their overall experience. Furthermore, recent changes within the staffing levels have, for the first time, resulted in the service using agency staff. Although the number of agency staff does not exceed half the number the permanent staff, the use of agency staff does not provide continuity of care and support to the young people, and is also a barrier to them forming positive attachments. Some new agency staff were seen to minimally interact with the young people they were assigned to provide care for, which does not support sensory and emotional development effectively. However, the manager has taken action, requesting the agency only provides staff with the necessary experience and skills in supporting children and

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improvement to be good

young people who have complex needs. Following a period of recruitment, additional staff have been employed, and they are due to commence duty once all references and safeguarding procedures have been completed. The manager and permanent staff work proactively with other services, including social workers, child and adolescent mental health services, schools and specialist medical services. One social worker said, ‘Prior to [name of young person] commencing his short-break stays, staff from the home visited him within school and worked alongside school staff in relation to his behaviour management plans. This joint working supported his transition to the home and provided continuity of support, and this has helped form strategies to minimise the level of restraints previously used. As a result, he has settled at school and within his own home, with further plans for him to move on to adult services in the near future.’

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

Following a safeguarding concern in April, when a vulnerable young person was missing from the home for a short period of time, Ofsted undertook a monitoring inspection. The home was required to review and update risk assessments for all children and young people. The manager and the responsible individual have reviewed all safeguarding procedures. Risk assessments have been updated and recorded in an easy to understand format. These are kept under review and confirmed at each short-break stay to identify whether changes need to be made. Staff spoken with during this inspection demonstrated good knowledge and understanding of these. The individual risk assessments are shared with parents and social workers. Community resources risk assessments are in place, which all staff are working in accordance with. Additional safeguarding training has taken place. Staff meetings and individual supervision are used

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

effectively to discuss safeguarding, providing further reinforcement of the understanding and expectation on staff to follow and adhere to safer care policy and procedures. Staff work with parents and other agencies to make sure there is continuity of support to Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 6 children and young people in relation to behaviour management. This includes de- escalating behaviours by providing positive praise and redirection. One social worker commented, ‘[Name of young person] used to have a number of restraints each day prior to commencing here. Staff worked with his school to understand how his behaviour is managed. Since commencing his short breaks at this home, there have only been two occasions in seven months when he needed to be restrained to prevent him from harming himself or others. The positive praise linked to his star chart has also provided positive reinforcement of acceptable and safe behaviour. This has helped him develop

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

his own strategies to regulate his behaviour when he is at home, which is a reflection of the support and encouragement he has received from staff both here and at school.’ Since the last full inspection, there have been seven incidents of restraint, involving four children, in which restraint has been used to safeguard. Records of these provide clear and detailed information, which the manager maintains regular oversight of. This helps to evaluate whether behaviour plans are appropriate and supportive of promoting positive behaviour. The manager plans short-break stays and endeavours to match the needs of young people. However, there is an impact for young people using the short-break setting when there are other young people using the remainder of the home for day care. Although the manager states this is assessed, formal matching processes do not reflect this. The home has recently recruited a number of new staff to fill vacant posts. The manager

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

ensures robust recruitment practice is followed. This prevents unsuitable people from being recruited, who may pose a risk of harm to children and young people. Safeguarding concerns are raised with the appropriate people and followed up by the manager. One social worker said this is a particular strength of the management of the home, and provided a number of examples of when, through management’s communication and action, children and young people were safeguarded to prevent risk of harm occurring. The home is maintained to a high standard, with appropriate aids and equipment to support those children who have complex physical needs. Assessments have been completed by trained professionals when children and young people require specialist equipment and aids to support their care needs. These are serviced and maintained to make sure they remain safe and suitable for use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified to fulfil her role. She is committed to developing and improving the service to help children and young people benefit from their short-break stay, contributing to their overall progress and experiences. Following the safeguarding concern and subsequent investigation by the manager and responsible individual, ten members of staff have since left the organisation, resulting in the need to use agency staff while recruiting for permanent staff. Some planned care has been reduced or cancelled. However, robust consideration has not been taken into account regarding the number of children and young people accessing the home and service over the school holiday period. This impacts on the overall experience and Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 7 outcomes for some young people during this period. Staff receive regular supervision, which is detailed and provides them with the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

opportunity to reflect on their practice, develop their skills and identify any additional training and development needs. Their performance is also annually appraised. Regular training supports and underpins their practice. When it is identified that additional specialist training is required, the manager and responsible individual source this. This means the organisation is committed to providing staff with the skills to meet the individual needs of young people. The manager understands that the recent loss of staff impacts on children and young people’s experiences and planned outcomes. Therefore, new staff recruited are qualified and experienced in working with children and young people who have complex needs. A robust induction plan is in place to support the new staff in their role. Professionals and parents feel a strength of the home is the open and transparent communication. One parent said, ‘The manager and staff are exceptionally supportive;

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

they provide regular and clear information and updates about my child. Having been involved with a number of agencies previously, this is the best at supporting my child to manage behaviours. This means he can take part in a range of activities which he previously couldn’t, and when at home, he is managing so much better. Based on his experience and mine, I would say the home is very good.’ Another parent said, ‘The home is a central part of our children’s care. They enjoy coming here. The staff provide excellent support and care. This contributes to our children’s overall well-being and experiences.’ The manager has taken suitable action to address the requirement made at the monitoring visit with regards to reviewing all risk assessments to promote safety of children and young people. She continues to monitor the service and recognises the need to build a stable staff team to provide continuity of services to young people. The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

organisation is planning to open an independent and separate younger adult provision. This will reduce the number of people accessing the home, and contribute to planning care for children more effectively. The manager is currently reviewing the matching criteria to make certain children’s care is promoted with minimal impact on their short- break stay. External monthly monitoring provides an independent overview of the service, which supports the manager to understand the home’s strengths and areas for further development.

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 8 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: SC489038 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Life-My Choice Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Andrea Brighouse

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Inspector(s)

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Sarah Billett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC489038 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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