Children's home run by New Start in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 1 SC409738 Registered provider: New Start

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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 one of three owned and managed by a private company. The home is registered to care for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning difficulties.

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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: 1 February 2017

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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: SC409738 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

 Behaviour management in the home is not robust. This has contributed to a number of incidents occurring in the home which have placed staff and young people at risk.  Young people do not benefit from a homely environment that has appropriate decoration and furniture to meet their needs and promote their well-being.  A risk assessment failed to identify the high level of risk in relation to fire-setting by a young person. This potentially places staff and young people at risk.  Placement plans are not regularly updated. They do not demonstrate the progress and experiences of young people.  The home has had a period of instability, with no registered manager being in place for several months. The new manager is implementing rules and boundaries which the young people are struggling to adhere to.  The home does not have the legal documentation for young people placed in their care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home’s response to safeguarding incidents is good.  The home is proactive in ensuring that there is a multi-agency approach to safeguarding which reduces the risks to young people.  The new manager is working with the staff and young people to improve the young people’s behaviours and the expectations in the home.  Collaborative working is a strength of the home. Regular communication between the home and relevant professionals ensures that young people receive the most appropriate support to meet their needs.  The therapeutic support for the staff and young people is good. The company has its own psychotherapist who works with all of the young people. The psychotherapist is aware of each individual young person’s needs and has developed personalised plans to ensure that their needs are met.  Consultation with young people is good. Their views are ascertained regularly through weekly young people’s meetings and direct work sessions.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure that— that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; treat each child with dignity and respect; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)and(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) In particular, the home conditions and environment should be nurturing and supportive for young people. 29/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

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— 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; 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; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located 29/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 5 so that children are effectively safeguarded; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(b)(c)(d)) 13: The leadership and management standard The leadership and management standard requires the registered person to— 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(a)(c)(h)) 29/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out the measures of control, discipline and restraint, which may be used in relation to children in the home. 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— a description of the measure and its duration; and the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used. (Regulation 35 (1)(b)(2)(vi)) 29/09/2017

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Recommendations

 All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely whilst they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 6

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improvement to be good

Although young people make progress from their starting points, they do not always have a positive experience. Recent shortfalls in behaviour management have contributed to incidents in the home that have placed young people at risk. The home does not provide young people with a nurturing and supportive environment. Parts of the home’s environment is poor. Some young people’s bedrooms were unclean. In one young person’s bedroom, his belongings were strewn across the floor and there were remnants of food. The young person’s bed was very unstable. The mattress had holes in it and the young person had removed part of the padding. The wardrobe had no hanging rail, which meant that the young person was unable to hang up any of his clothes. In another young person’s bedroom, there were computer games that were rated 18, and the young person had written inappropriate words on the wall. In addition, in the downstairs lounge area, a door had sustained damage. This caused a potential

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improvement to be good

hazard to young people and staff. During the inspection, the inspector brought to the attention of the leaders and manager, the condition of the young people’s bedrooms and the home environment. They acknowledged that the rooms were of a poor standard and took immediate action to improve the conditions. Extra staff who were brought in cleaned the home thoroughly. While immediate action was taken to rectify the issues raised during the inspection, the home’s daily routine had not enabled staff to take effective action sooner. Young people are making progress in some aspects of their lives. However, there was limited evidence in the home to demonstrate young people’s overall progress and experiences. For example, young people’s placement plans are not up-to-date and lack details of each young person’s specific need and their progression. This fails to demonstrate young people’s achievements and journey through care. Furthermore, the

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improvement to be good

home does not have the legal documentation, including the local authority care plans and placement plans, for some young people. Therefore, staff at the home cannot be certain that it is providing care in line with each young person’s individual plans. Staff at the home are proactive in ensuring that the education needs of young people are met. They have developed good relationships with education professionals in schools and with the local authority virtual headteacher. This ensures that young people receive the most appropriate support to meet their educational needs and have improved outcomes in education. Unfortunately, one young person was excluded from his education provision. However, the home took immediate action to ensure that suitable alternative education provision is in place for the young person when the school term begins in September. Staff at the home are also supporting another young person to

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improvement to be good

identify suitable education or training now that she has finished her formal education. The manager recently accompanied two young people to an education awards ceremony, where they received awards for their engagement and progress in education. However, plans in the home do not clearly outline the education arrangements, targets and achievements in education for young people. Consequently, although staff at the home have been proactive in sourcing appropriate education for young people, they do not update education plans to include the young people’s overall progress. Staff understand the health needs of each young person. Young people are encouraged Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 7 to attend health and development appointments, and staff will support them with this. Furthermore, staff ensure that young people get expert advice and guidance from specialist services, including substance misuse services and sexual health professionals.

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improvement to be good

However, healthcare plans do not demonstrate the current health and development issues for young people, or the support and intervention that is in place to meet their health needs. Consequently, although staff take action to address the health and development needs of young people, the plans and records in the home do not demonstrate this. Relationships between the staff and young people have become very strained due to the unsettled behaviour in the home. The manager and staff recognise that measures need to be put in place in order to improve relationships. They have identified a number of ways that they can achieve this. A meeting has been arranged for staff and young people to discuss the current situation atthe home and how they can work together to improve this and make the home a much happier place to live and work. A young person said, ‘This is not a happy home to live in. Some staff are fun and happy, but others are

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improvement to be good

not. It is boring living here.’ Another young person said, ‘We need to do more activities as it is very boring in the house.’ A member of staff said, ‘We try to keep a family environment in the home, but this seems to have been lost recently.’ The young people engage in some activities, including visiting the beach, going to the cinema and to other local attractions. However, the staff and young people all agree that this is an area that requires further improvement. Young people lack the motivation to engage in social and recreational activities, whether individually or with their peers or staff. The staff are aware of the individual interests of young people, such as mixed martial arts and football, but they struggle to get young people involved in regular activities relating to their particular interests. However, plans are in place to implement a new activity incentive and reward programme to support young people to engage in

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improvement to be good

regular activities. The aim of this is to build relationships between the staff and young people and build the young people’s self-esteem and confidence. The therapeutic support for young people living at the home continues to be good. The company psychotherapist is actively involved with all of the young people and meets with them regularly to offer appropriate support. Furthermore, the psychotherapist ensures that the staff working in the home offer appropriate care to the young people to support their emotional health and development. The psychotherapist accompanies young people when attending specific appointments in relation to their emotional health and well-being. In addition, the psychotherapist collaborates with other professionals to share information and ensure that appropriate support services and interventions are in place to meet the young people’s emotional health and development needs.

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improvement to be good

The views, wishes and feelings of young people are a central part of the home’s functioning. Staff obtain young people’s views through day-to-day discussions with them, as well as in key-work sessions. Young people receive support from staff to attend their weekly meetings in order to share their views about the home. Attendance at these meetings is good and the records demonstrate that all of the young people have a voice in the meeting. Records demonstrate that effective action is taken in response to the views, wishes and feelings shared by young people in young people’s meetings, as well as key-work and direct work sessions. Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 8 The home fully supports the young people in relation to contact with people who are important to them. Staff communicate regularly with the family of the young people to ensure that contact arrangements and expectations are clear. The contact for one young

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improvement to be good

person with his family is currently suspended. This is to enable the local authority to undertake a contact assessment as the home had identified potential risks during the current contact arrangements. The mother of one young person has begun to visit the home. This is due to the positive relationships that the manager and staff have built up with her. The home clearly supports the young people to have quality contact with their family and friends. The planning and preparation that is in place prior to young people moving into the home is good. The home liaises with placing local authorities to gather the relevant information for young people. This enables the home to undertake assessments as to whether the home is the most appropriate placement to meet the young people’s needs. The home also considers the impact that the placement will have on the young people already living at the home. One young person recently moved into the home on a short-

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improvement to be good

term basis to prevent a permanent family breakdown. Staff provided an intensive package of support and intervention. This resulted in a smooth and successful transition into the home for the young person.

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improvement to be good

There have been a number of safeguarding incidents relating to the young people living in the home. These have included incidents both in the home and in the local community. Behaviour management is not robust. The manager and staff are struggling to implement the strategies outlined in individual behaviour management plans. Young people openly disregard the rules and boundaries of the home. They can be verbally abusive and threatening to staff and have caused damage in the home. The staff and young people agree that the home environment is not as good as it previously was and they are willing to work together to make improvements. The police have attended the home to support staff in managing incidents that have escalated and resulted in young people being placed at risk of harm and involved in criminal behaviour. The manager and staff acknowledge that the involvement of police for behaviour management is not

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improvement to be good

appropriate and will only call them when there is a significant risk to staff and young people. There has been a significant safeguarding incident in the home. The manager and staff recognise the severity of this incident and the risks to the young people. The police and ambulance service were requested to support the staff in managing this incident and ensuring that appropriate safeguards were in place for the young people. Following the incident, the leaders and managers at the home worked tirelessly to ensure that appropriate safeguards were in place for the young people. A member of staff took one young person away for the weekend to deal with the immediate risk, while collaboration with other professionals took place to ensure that safety plans were in place. Staff at the home are currently working with the placing local authorities to consider whether this home is the most appropriate place to meet the young people’s individual needs and to

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improvement to be good

ensure that they are safeguarded. Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 9 Staff take the appropriate action to locate young people when they go missing and ensure their safe return home. When young people return, staff speak to them to ascertain information relating to why they went missing and identify any further risks. Independent return home interviews take place with young people in line with statutory guidance for children who go missing from care. Key-work and direct work sessions are carried out with young people. These highlight clearly the risks to the young people and the strategies in place to safeguard them and avoid any further missing from care incidents. The procedures in place for when young people are missing clearly have a positive impact on the young people, as the number of incidents of young people going missing has reduced. Risk assessments are in place for each of the young people and are reviewed and

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improvement to be good

updated. These assessments, in the main, reflect most of the known risks. This supports the staff to safeguard the young people from substance misuse, criminal behaviour and risks in the community. However, for one young person, the risk level for fire-setting was recorded as being low, when it is known to be a high risk. The manager accepts that the risk assessment does not truly reflect the level of risk, which potentially places staff and young people at risk in the home. The use of restrictive physical intervention is only used as a last resort at the home. One record of a restrictive physical intervention lacked sufficient information, including the length of the intervention, the effectiveness, and the manager’s evaluation. In addition, there is currently an investigation taking place into an allegation made by a young person about the use of a restrictive physical intervention. Although the young person

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improvement to be good

stated he did not want to make a formal complaint, the manager explained that an investigation was required. Appropriate action was taken and all professionals were notified. Consequently, staff at the home have taken appropriate action to ensure that restrictive physical intervention is appropriate and that young people are safeguarded. Staff at the home take appropriate action when it is suspected that the young people may be at risk due to inappropriate items being brought into the home. Records of room searches demonstrate that the searches undertaken appropriately safeguard the young people. When items of concern have been found, they are removed and documented. Staff have spoken to young people about the inappropriate items to ensure that they are aware of the expectations in the home and the risks the items pose. Consequently, staff at the home take appropriate action to ensure that young people do not have items in

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improvement to be good

their possession that pose a risk to themselves or others. The home has a review of the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises in place. This incorporates information from safeguarding professionals in the area, including the police, health and education professionals, and the youth offending service. The review outlines all known risks in the community and the strategies in place to manage these to ensure that young people are safeguarded.

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

The home has had a period of unsettlement due to the registered manager leaving his post unexpectedly. This resulted in the home not having a day-to-day manager for several months. However, the new manager is now in post and is trying to establish a Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 10 consistent level of care for the young people living in the home. The new manager is suitably qualified and experienced and is keen to make improvements in the home, in particular in relation to behaviour management. The home does not have its full complement of staff at present and it is currently recruiting for new staff to fill the vacant posts. In the interim, the home is using regular agency staff to fill any gaps in rotas. Furthermore, the new manager and staff are covering shifts to ensure that a consistent staff team is in place. It is anticipated that the home will become more settled when the home is fully staffed, so that the manager and

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

core staff team can work together to ensure a consistent level of care. The monitoring and review systems in the home support the leaders and managers to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the home. The new manager is working on addressing the weaknesses in order to make the required improvements. The home’s statement of purpose has been updated to reflect the changes in staff. The statement of purpose clearly outlines the home’s ethos, aims, and objectives. However, due to recent incidents, including a lack of effective behaviour management and an increase in safeguarding incidents, the ethos is not implemented to the best standard. The manager understands that this requires improvement. The manager has planned a meeting with the staff and young people to focus on the home’s policies, procedures, and the improvements that are required. Recording systems in the home are not robust. Some relevant plans are not in place and

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

some records and plans lack sufficient detail. Furthermore, plans and records do not always include details of the author or the views of the young person. Furthermore, the plans and records are not signed by all staff to demonstrate that they have read and understood them. Consequently, the manager cannot be assured that all staff understand the needs of the young people and the support they require on their journey through care. The training and development of staff is an integral part of the home’s functioning. The majority of staff hold, or are working towards, the recognised qualification in children’s residential care. The manager and staff recognise the importance of their continuous professional development to ensure that they continually meet the needs of young people, and to provide them with a good quality of care. The home’s training matrix demonstrates that the staff take part in regular training and development opportunities

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

to improve their practice. Furthermore, staff regularly reflect on their practice in team meetings and discuss current pieces of research and the learning from any training that staff attend. The company’s responsible individual and psychotherapist also attend team meetings to share information with the staff team that will support them to improve their practice. Consequently, the staff are provided with regular opportunities to improve the quality of care that they provide to young people and enhance their knowledge and skills. The staff team feels supported by the leaders and managers of the home. A member of staff said, ‘The management support for staff is good. The responsible individual is in constant contact with the home and is supportive.’ Furthermore, the member of staff said, ‘The core staff team works well together and provides a consistent level of care.’ Team meetings and supervision take place regularly. However, for one month, there was

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

a shortfall in the supervision of staff due to there being no manager in post. Since the Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 11 new manager has been in post, supervision has taken place regularly. Records of supervision demonstrate that supervision offers the staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice and the needs of each young person. Furthermore, it addresses the individual development needs of staff. Consequently, the staff team feels supported. Collaborative working is a particular strength of the home. The manager, responsible individual and staff have developed effective relationships with other professionals to ensure that they receive updates about individual young people. For example, the home maintains regular contact with placing social workers, health, education and safeguarding professionals to ensure that young people’s needs are met, outcomes are improved for them, and that they are safeguarded. A social worker said, ‘The level of

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

communication from the home is good. I receive weekly written updates and regular telephone and email correspondence to ensure that I am kept fully up to date on the young person’s circumstances.’ Managers and staff complete weekly and monthly reports for each young person and share the details with social workers and other professionals. The collaborative working of staff in the home supports young people to receive the most appropriate support to meet their needs and improve outcomes for them.

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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 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: SC409738 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Job Bank, 4 Tunnel Road, Liverpool L7 6QD

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Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC409738 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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