Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 1 SC441717 Registered provider: Partners in 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 is a privately run children’s home that provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The children’s home forms part of a large social care company.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2017 Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 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

 Staff do not consistently adhere to safeguarding practices and procedures. In some instances, safeguarding policies are not in place.  Staff do not always understand young people’s needs and all potential risks.  Risk assessments are not robust enough. They are often ambiguous, generic and do not address previous and current risk factors.  The arrangements for admissions are not robust enough. Referral information does not always include the relevant information to understand and manage young people’s needs and risks accordingly.  Staff do not routinely access specialist support for young people.  The training available to staff does not always meet young people’s needs. There are gaps in staff’s knowledge on key safeguarding concerns.  Staff do not receive regular individual supervision.  The monitoring and reviewing of practice are weak. There are limited internal systems in place to review and evaluate practice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have clear routines and boundaries, which have a positive impact on their development and progress.  Young people and staff have positive relationships.  Staff have a commitment to support young people to progress. Their approach is caring and nurturing.  Staff ensure that educational provision is available for all young people. They work proactively with partner agencies to ensure that all young people have access to the correct education to meet their needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/11/2016 Full Good 21/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/05/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 3

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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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10: Health and well-being

The health and well-being standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff —

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10: Health and well-being

meet the health and well-being needs of children; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well- being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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10: Health and well-being

In particular, ensure that young people’s physical and emotional health needs are met. That these needs are responded to in a timely way and that the relevant provision is put in place to address the young people’s needs. 28/09/2017

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11: The positive relationships standard

The positive relationships standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff — meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans and understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) and (2)(a)(ix))

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11: The positive relationships standard

In particular, ensure that staff have the required knowledge and skills to support young people to explore their experiences and emotions, through discussions and specified key-work sessions. 28/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 4

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12: The protection of children standard

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure — 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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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12: The protection of children standard

In particular, ensure that all risks are identified and understood, and that this informs effective safeguarding and risk management. 28/09/2017

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13: The leadership and management standard

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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13: The leadership and management standard

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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)(c)(h))

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13: The leadership and management standard

In particular, ensure that staff have training to meet the needs of individual young people; and that the management and monitoring of case recording are robust so that young people’s assessments are accurate and they record the progress they are making. In addition, ensure that missing from home return procedures are in place and followed, and that case record are accurate. 28/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 5

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improvement to be good

Staff provide young people with individualised care and support. Staff have developed clear routines and boundaries, which have a positive impact on the development and progress of young people.

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improvement to be good

Young people and staff have good relationships. Young people speak positively about living at the home. One young person said that she liked living at the home and said that it is ‘amazing’. Staff have a commitment to support young people to make progress. Their approach is caring and nurturing. Staff endeavour to build trusted relationships and seek to support young people to engage and see the home as a place where they can feel safe. However, staff do not always have a full understanding of all the young people’s needs. For example, some young people arrive with complex emotional and mental health needs. Staff are not always equipped to support young people and manage their behaviours effectively. Consequently, young people’s behaviours heighten and risk-taking behaviour increases.

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improvement to be good

Young people access education. Some young people are very settled in their education and their attendance is 100%. Furthermore, they are doing well in their attainment. Staff ensure that educational provision is available for all young people. They work proactively with partner agencies to ensure that all young people have access to the correct education to meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Young people are actively involved in the running of the home. Young people and staff meet together regularly and young people are encouraged to contribute to discussions about the home and be fully involved in the decision-making process. Staff encourage young people to explore their wishes and feelings. One example of this included a discussion about ideas for the summer holiday and trips out. Young people said that they are looking forward to spending time away from the home with staff. Young people also talked positively about the variety of trips they have the opportunity to go on and the wide range of activities. Young people were having fun taking part in a baking activity during the inspection. They said that they enjoy baking and that they ‘loved making their own pizzas’. Staff will explore interests with young people and organise activities and experiences accordingly. Young people readily share their wishes and feelings and they

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improvement to be good

have an understanding of the complaints procedure should they need to make a complaint.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that the arrangements for young people moving into the home are sufficiently robust. On occasions, referral documentation does not include all relevant details to help staff understand and manage young people’s needs and identify all potential risks. Subsequently, young people display challenging and unsafe behaviour and the management of this behaviour is not effective. Consequently, this has had a negative impact on some young people. For example, young people have been disturbed Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 6 at night and due to tiredness have failed to attend school the next day. Furthermore, placements for some young people have ended. When placements do break down, the manager escalates the risks to the relevant professionals and agencies. However, these are not always responded to in a timely way. This has delayed the decision-making process and left young people in an unsafe environment. The manager has identified the

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improvement to be good

referral process as an area that requires improvement. Positively, admissions that are more recent have received the correct management oversight and young people have subsequently settled well.

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improvement to be good

The home is in need of some maintenance and repair. There has been some work completed on the house and there are plans in place to make further improvements. The outside also requires particular attention. There are areas of the garden that are unsafe, which restricts young people using the garden as a space to play and relax. One of the young people’s bedrooms was very reflective of the young person. However, other young people’s bedrooms were less warm and inviting and there was no sense of individuality or ownership by the young people. In one young person’s bedroom, there was a dangerous loose wire, which the inspector highlighted. This was remedied on inspection.

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improvement to be good

Young people have regular contact with their family and they benefit from this. They enjoy seeing their family and staff facilitate the contact well. When young people have negative experiences of contact, staff support young people to express their wishes and feelings and additional support is readily available. This ensures that young people maintain contact with important people in their lives.

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improvement to be good

Young people who live in this home are, in the main, safe. Young people say that they feel safe and that they know staff care about them. However, staff do not consistently adhere to safeguarding practices and procedures. In some instances, safeguarding policies are not in place. For example, young people do not have a missing from home procedure in place, despite reference to this being in their risk assessment. This means that the strategies are not clear and subsequently practice is not consistent.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not detailed. They are often ambiguous, generic and do not address previous and current risk factors. Staff do not have a full understanding of the behaviours that all the young people display, thus safeguarding measures are not always in place. Consequently, young people participate in risk-taking behaviour that could have been prevented. One example of this is where young people have gained access to hazardous objects and as a result have subsequently caused harm to themselves.

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improvement to be good

When staff do have an understanding of young people’s needs and associated risks, young people receive good support and help. Some staff spend individual time with young people to help them understand their needs and explain the support that staff can provide to help them improve their emotional well-being and self-esteem. Nonetheless, this is not consistent and consequently staff miss key opportunities to explore feelings Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 7 and concerns with young people. This means that not all young people receive the support they need in understanding why they feel the way they do and what support they can access to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have the required training needed to understand and manage all presenting behaviours. Furthermore, they have not had training in key aspects of practice, for example emotional and mental health. This has not ensured that all staff have the skills necessary to understand the needs of some young people and the most appropriate way to respond to potential situations. When staff do receive the correct training, they are able to implement what they have learned and keep young people safe.

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improvement to be good

Young people are clear about the standards of behaviour that are acceptable. Staff promote positive behaviour through good relationships and positive messages. Staff use good de-escalation techniques to defuse situations and thus physical interventions are minimal. When physical interventions are used, the recording is clear. However, the manager has failed to ensure that a full debrief has taken place consistently with both staff and young people.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment and selection process of staff is good. Responses to complaints made against staff are good. They are in line with safeguarding practice and all relevant people are kept informed. Investigations are completed well and records are clear. Staff are vigilant and take appropriate steps to verify visitors’ identities to protect young people. The location risk assessment identifies the risks and the safety measures in place to keep young people safe in their local community.

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

The registered manager and the majority of the staff team have been working at the home for a considerable amount of time. They are suitably qualified and experienced. The home operates in line with the aims and ethos of the statement of purpose. Staffing levels are good and are in line with young people’s care plans.

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

Staff say that they enjoy working at the home. Staff have good relationships with each other and they work together to ensure that young people feel safe and well cared for. However, communication and information sharing between staff are not consistent. Consequently, staff do not always share key information that will keep young people safe. This area requires improvement.

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

Relationships with other agencies are good. One social worker said, ‘Staff communicate well, and it is evident they strive to ensure that documentation is clear, correct and timely.’ The manager and staff advocate on behalf of the young people. However, this does not always achieve the desired outcome. Consequently, young people do not always receive effective and consistent support and protection from vulnerable and unsafe situations.

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

The registered manager has an understanding of the young people’s needs and the progress that they have made. However, there is limited understanding of some of the Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 8 behaviours that young people display and their vulnerabilities from the potential risk associated with these. Following information provided by the education provision for a young person, staff failed to complete an assessment of the information and no immediate strategies were identified to support and help the young person. This did not demonstrate that effective action had been taken by the provider to maintain and monitor the safety and well-being of the young person.

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

The monitoring and reviewing of practice are weak. There are limited internal systems in place to review and evaluate practice. Consequently, staff do not complete important pieces of work with young people. For example, young people do not routinely receive the support and help they need via key-working sessions. Furthermore, limited management oversight means that records are not always accurate and up to date.

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

Some staff receive individual supervision. However, this is not consistent across the team. Some staff members had not received individual supervision for a number of months. In some instances, the registered manager has used the team meetings as a form of supervision for staff. However, the meetings do not allow staff to share any individual issues or concerns. Furthermore, these arrangements do not give the manager an opportunity to have an oversight of individual staff practice and to explore any health and well-being issues that staff may have. In addition, the manager does not receive regular and consistent supervision.

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

Staff training is available; however, the training provided is not fully reflective of the young people’s needs. As a result, staff do not have all the required knowledge they need to understand young people’s needs and presenting risks. This is particularly in relation to mental health and emotional well-being.

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

There is a development plan in place. However, this does not fully reflect the current situation of the home. Furthermore, information in it is not accurate. The manager has some understanding of the strengths and the improvement areas, and the plan includes a list of actions. However these are not always implemented and furthermore no time frames are agreed. Consequently, there is a delay in the improvements.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 9 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: SC441717 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, 2 Wyther Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC441717 11 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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