Children's Home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 1 SC454035 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

This privately owned home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is inadequate because

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people’s individual risk assessments are not robust. They do not assess all potential risks or identify appropriate safeguarding measures.  Staff do not take sufficient action to safeguard young people when they suspect that they are under the influence of a substance.  Staff do not help young people to keep themselves and others safe. In particular, they do not effectively challenge effectively young people’s abusive and threatening behaviour.  Staff have not appropriately reported and recorded all allegations made against staff. This includes prompt referrals to the placing authority, the local designated safeguarding officer and Ofsted.  Staff do not implement consistent boundaries and consequences. As a result, young people are not supported to improve their behaviour.  Staff have not recorded all physical interventions as required by legislation.  The home’s day-to-day care is not ensuring that young people are safe in the

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Key findings from this inspection

home.  Some fire doors in the home have not been maintained or repaired to ensure that they are fit for purpose. The home’s fire risk assessment does not include the monitoring of fire doors to ensure that any shortfalls are swiftly identified and actioned.  Young people do not benefit from regular constructive activities to develop their interests in more positive pursuits and divert them away from potentially harmful behaviour.  The home’s daily routines do not encourage or support young people’s re- engagement with education.  Poor maintenance and repair within the home have meant that young people have not been provided with suitable furniture to meet their needs comfortably.  Relationships between staff and young people are inconsistent.  Changes in the registered manager over the last year have significantly affected the quality of leadership and care and protection provided in the home. These

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Key findings from this inspection

changes have also led to shortfalls in staff supervision and training.  Continuity in care has been weakened by changes in the staff team.  Monitoring systems have not ensured continuous improvements in the home.  Not all of the requirements and recommendations raised at the previous two inspections have been satisfactorily addressed.  The home is not fulfilling the aims and objectives set out in its statement of purpose. Furthermore, Ofsted has not been provided with an updated statement Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 3 of purpose as required.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff engage constructively with a range of health professionals, such as drug, sexual health and bereavement services, in order to meet young people’s physical and emotional health needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Good 17/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/06/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and that they use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation (6)(2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is in relation to replacing the damaged furniture in young people’s bedrooms and ensuring that there is an effective home maintenance programme in place. 23/08/2017

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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 develop the child’s interests and hobbies; participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. (Regulation 9(1) and (2)(i)(ii)(iii)) 23/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual 23/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 5 respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff help young people to develop socially aware behaviour through constructive challenge and meaningful direct work.

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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:

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Requirement Due date

that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(b)(d)) 23/08/2017

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to:

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 23/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 6 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 23/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development and receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(a)(b)) 23/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes:

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

and within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure; has signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation 23/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 7 that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(b) and (c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; or there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(c)) 23/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the independent person produces a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independents person’s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded: and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the independent visitor must ensure that their assessment includes a rigorous review of the action taken by the home when children have been missing and or may be at risk of child sexual exploitation. In addition, the review must also consider whether adequate steps have been taken to address requirements and recommendations made at previous Ofsted inspections. 23/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must, in the interim, support the child to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child’s needs. Where appropriate, children should be involved in choosing and preparing meals, and opportunities to sit together and eat should be promoted. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.8) This relates specifically to ensuring that sufficient quantities of food are available.  Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 8 the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Poor safeguarding practice, ineffective and inconsistent management and a lack of staff stability have significantly affected young people’s overall experiences and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people’s views of staff are mixed. One young person stated, ‘Most of the nice staff have left.’ Changes in staff have affected young people’s ability to develop and sustain positive relationships with their carers. Furthermore, staff changes have weakened the continuity in care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people do not benefit from participating in enriching activities, despite such shortfalls being raised at the previous two inspections. As a result, young people are not participating in hobbies or pastimes that divert them away from negative and unsafe behaviour. Furthermore, staff miss opportunities to spend quality time with the young people in their care to support the development of respectful, trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people do not benefit from placement stability. One young person recently moved from the home in an unplanned way due to serious safeguarding concerns. The home took appropriate action when it was recognised that staff could not keep her safe. However, unplanned moves significantly affect young people’s care experiences and ability to establish lasting relationships. Although young people report getting along with each other, their friendships have not always been positive. Young people have gone missing together and have been involved in offending behaviour, both inside and outside of the home. At times, staff have struggled to take control and influence positive behaviour in the home. On occasion, it has been necessary for staff to involve the police, resulting in young people being arrested.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Young people do not make sustained progress in all areas of their lives. Despite staff members’ attempts to overcome barriers to education through partnership working with schools, home tutors and education departments, young people are not achieving their full potential. Young people do not benefit from having daily routines and constructive activities in place that encourage and support them to re-engage with their learning. Ineffective boundaries and poor routines are affecting young people’s ability and willingness to engage with their education and to progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 9 Boundaries are unclear and ineffective because staff do not consistently challenge young people’s inappropriate behaviour, such as displaying unsuitable posters in their bedrooms and using offensive and discriminatory language. There is little evidence of staff undertaking any direct work with young people to help them to develop an

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

awareness and understanding of socially acceptable behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls found, staff have ensured that young people are linked in with specialist health services that support their individual health needs, such as drug and bereavement counselling and sexual health services.

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

Young people’s individual risk assessments lack significant information and clear guidance for staff. One young person’s risk assessment failed to assess the risk of potential sexual exploitation, despite such concerns being identified in his referral documentation. Furthermore, risk assessments fail to identify safeguarding measures when young people return home under the influence of a substance. There was no evidence of staff monitoring or seeking medical guidance when they suspected that a young person was under the influence of a substance.

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

Staff do not take appropriate action to protect young people from potential harm. A young person failed to return home at the agreed time, and staff reported her missing to the police. While she was missing, an incident occurred at the train station that placed the young person in danger, which resulted in her being escorted home by the transport police. The following day, staff gave the young person ‘bonus’ money to go back to the area where she was at risk the previous evening. They did not put any safeguards in place to prevent this incident from recurring.

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

Staff are not supporting young people to recognise risk and keep themselves and others safe, in particular, when young people are verbally aggressive, threatening and using discriminatory language in the home towards staff and other professionals. There is no evidence of staff challenging young people, in any meaningful way, when such incidents occur. Staff and young people reported that such aggressive outbursts occur at the home on a ‘daily basis’. Staff members’ lack of intervention, support and guidance on such matters is preventing young people from developing insight into their aggressive behaviour and its potential impact on themselves and others.

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

Shortfalls in the reporting and recording of serious safeguarding incidents weaken safeguarding practice and, at times, have caused delay in matters being investigated. Not all allegations made against staff have been reported swiftly to the relevant safeguarding professionals, or recorded appropriately in the home. Professionals reported concerns regarding the home not sharing information as required. In particular, these concerns were about allegations made against staff and information in relation to child sexual exploitation not being shared with other placing authorities.

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

Staff have failed to make a record of all incidents of physical interventions as required. These shortfalls in the home’s records weaken scrutiny of the measures of control used Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 10 by staff. Furthermore, they hinder any potential investigation into staff practice, should a young person make an allegation against staff following such incidents.

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

The home lacks a daily routine that alerts staff when young people have potentially dangerous items in their bedrooms. There was evidence of young people smoking in their bedrooms; one young person had burn holes in his bed sheets. Staff fail to take any action when young people refuse to hand lighters in at night. As a result, the risk of potential fire in the home is increased. Fire risks are further compounded by poor maintenance of the home’s internal fire doors. Some fire doors in the home, including those to young people’s bedrooms, have not been satisfactorily maintained. The home’s fire risk assessment does not include checks on fire doors to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.

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

Staff have not always been successful in ensuring that young people comply with their youth offending referral orders. This has placed young people at further risk of criminalisation and of the prolonging of their orders. In addition, young people are not developing a full understanding of the impact of their offending behaviour.

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

Ofsted has not been informed of all serious safeguarding concerns, for example, when young people have been at risk of child sexual exploitation and of allegations made against staff. This has prevented the service regulator from evaluating how the home responds to these concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has resigned and there is no permanent manager in post. The service manager is currently overseeing the management of the home. However, her other responsibilities within the company, including being the registered manager of another home, impact on her ability to manage this home effectively. A new manager has been recruited and, once all checks have been completed, he will take up his post and apply to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has experienced a period of instability. The registered manager resigned from her post with little notice, and this significantly affected the leadership of the home. The service manager stepped in at short notice and has taken some steps to stabilise the home. She has redeployed experienced staff from other homes and recruited a new manager. Notice was given on a young person’s placements due to safeguarding concerns and, as a result, this young person is now more suitably placed. Furthermore, the service manager has restricted placements from five to three young people, and she intends to continue with this number until the new manager is in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor maintenance and repair of the home have resulted in young people not being provided with suitable furnishings. Bedroom drawers were broken, mattresses were heavily soiled and the shower room floor was dirty. This detracts from a welcoming, well-cared-for and homely environment where young people feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although the home has kept its statement of purpose updated to reflect the changes in Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 11 management and staff, it has not provided a copy to Ofsted as required. This has prevented the service regulator from evaluating the suitability of the changes made at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management of the home have not ensured that the aims and objectives of the home, as set out in the statement of purpose, are achieved. The statement of purpose states, ‘Where young people are not in mainstream education, a short term range of flexible, needs led educational opportunities will be offered to each young person by care staff that have complementary skills, while mainstream is sought…’ There was no evidence of this being in place. Some staff were not aware of or familiar with the statement of purpose and its aims, objectives and theoretical approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff reported that, since the service manager took over, they now feel supported and listened to and are confident that things will improve. Nevertheless, gaps were found in staff’s training, such as safeguarding refresher and child sexual exploitation. Additionally, not all staff have benefited from regular professional supervision. Staff are not therefore being wholly equipped with the knowledge, skills and guidance to enable them to fulfil their roles competently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monitoring systems are weak and failed to identify the shortfalls found at the inspection. The requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection have not been actioned satisfactorily. This does not demonstrate effective monitoring and review systems that promote continuous improvements in the quality of care provided to young people.

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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: SC454035 12

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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, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 9DB

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 13 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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