Children's home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 1 SC063673 Registered provider: After Care (NW) 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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is good because:  The interim manager, deputy manager and staff team have turned around a service that was struggling to provide good care, and the home is almost unrecognisable because of the significant improvements that have been made since its inspection earlier this year.  The interim manager and deputy manager have demonstrated a commitment to improving the care and safeguarding arrangements in the home. They worked transparently with Ofsted and made considerable progress in recognising the shortfalls and addressing the requirements and recommendations that were raised at the last inspection.  The young people living in the home were extremely complimentary about the home and how this has positively impacted on their lives. They reported feeling ‘very safe’ and ‘happy’.  Education is now given a high priority. Staff stay in close contact with teachers and education workers, including virtual headteachers.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young people enjoy good health and there is a high level of support offered to them to ensure that their health needs are met.  The young people are fully involved in the running of the home and have good opportunities to have their views heard.  Staff promote contact for the young people so that they sustain their close relationships with the people who are important to them.  Two requirements and three recommendations are made, mostly in relation to recording. These minor shortfalls do not detract from the very good progress that the young person has made.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:  Staff training needs to be updated to ensure that staff are able to address the individual needs of the young people as set out in their care planning documents.  Records need to be accurate, signed and dated and to have rigorous management overview.  The children’s guide requires to be written to provide young people an insight into the day-to-day routines of the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2017 Full Inadequate 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 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

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure: that staff: have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the staff are trained in areas which enable them to meet the individual needs of young people.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically the statement of purpose must accurately reflect the conditions of registration and, when revised, a copy must be sent to Ofsted.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that like in any family home children have access to all shared areas of their home. This is in relation to the Yale locks on the doors of communal areas in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual young people in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about young people should always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to them now or in Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 5 the future. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.4 and 14.5)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the children’s guide is produced so as to help children understand what the day to day routines are within the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 24 paragraph 4.22)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the previous inspection in May 2017, the home was judged as inadequate. A monitoring visit took place on 14 June 2017 to assess the home’s progress in meeting its action plan. The senior managers, the interim manager and staff team demonstrate commitment and determination to improve their practice and the services provided to young people. The atmosphere of the home is calmer and there is a significant reduction of incidents in the home. A young person commented, ‘This is a nice place to live. I feel relaxed in here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make significant emotional and social progress. Interactions between the staff and young people are warm and considerate, and observable attachments exist. A social worker was able to confirm that a young person is ‘very quickly forming attachments’. A parent said, ‘It is a very nice home and feels very welcoming.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people have benefited from making a positive contribution to the home and their care plans through a variety of forums, such as key worker sessions, young people’s meetings, and placement planning and statutory reviews. Young people confirmed to the inspector that they know how to make a complaint if they are unhappy or have any concerns about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people do go missing from the home. However, staff now have a robust protocol in place. This includes doing as any good parent would and searching for the young people. A social worker commented, ‘The missing episodes are still happening but they have drastically reduced for my young person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Admissions to the home are planned and involve young people visiting the home and staff visiting them before they come to live at the home. This enables a robust assessment to be undertaken to gain a view of the potential impact on other young people. As a result, young people meet staff and other young people, look around the home and are provided with information before coming to live at the home. This ensures that young people’s needs are clearly identified and are met by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two young people have moved out of the home. Both young people moved out in a planned move. One young person returned home after completing his GCSEs. He enjoyed a meal out with staff and other young people to celebrate his exam results and as a planned ending to his time living at the home. Another young person moved in a Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 6 planned way to a semi-independent setting. Both young people were given memory books, containing photographs of their time living in the home. This ensures that, as they move into adulthood, young people have a physical record of their memories, which gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home presents as a lived-in family home. It is warm, welcoming and comfortable. The quality of furniture and decor is very good. However, the presence of Yale locks on the living room door distracts from this family home feel.

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

The safeguarding concerns present at the last inspection have decreased. The risk assessment and management plans have been reviewed. The interim manager has been monitoring them to ensure that they accurately reflect the young person’s known and emerging risks.

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

Education is now given a high priority. Staff stay in close contact with teachers and education workers, including virtual headteachers. For example, staff have been proactive in sourcing an education provision for a new young person who has previously been out of education for two years. A new education planning document has been created, which enables staff to clearly identify each young person’s ongoing education needs. The document clearly sets out individual provisions and strategies to encourage young people to attend education. This will ensure that a planned approach is taken in relation to young people’s education, and their individual needs will not be allowed to drift. Consequently, staff at the home are now equipped to promote the importance of learning and education for all young people.

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

Information in relation to safeguarding has been shared among the staff team members who are now much clearer about their safeguarding responsibilities. For example, clear protocols have been discussed and agreed to ensure that any allegations from young people are reported to the local authority designated officer within the required timeframes and the conditions of the home’s own safeguarding policies. This has been effective as demonstrated when staff acted appropriately to safeguard a young person who made an allegation, and they followed the protocol appropriately. A local authority designated officer commented, ‘The home has used the systems appropriately when they have any concerns.’ This means that young people living at the home presently and in the future will be afforded sufficient protection and support to ensure that their risks and vulnerabilities are effectively managed.

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

Staff have a calming influence when young people become anxious or struggle to manage their behaviour. Behaviour management plans have useful de-escalation strategies that support young people. Young people agree to the consequences given, which are in relation to minor issues. Consequences are proportionate and not punishments. A parent said, ‘The staff phoned me when they gave a sanction. I thought it was very fair and I was glad that they stuck to boundaries.’ The home operates an incentive scheme for good behaviour, which works very well, and young people have Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 7 fully engaged in the scheme.

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

All medication is stored and recorded appropriately. Consent for medical treatment and first aid is in place for each young person. The registered manager has a robust auditing system in place for overseeing the safe administration of medication.

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

The physical environment is safe and protects young people from accidental injury. Health and safety processes are robust. Each young person has a detailed individual risk assessment that staff understand. As a result, the home is able to take all necessary steps to reduce the likelihood of young people being at risk of harm.

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

Environmental risk assessments accurately reflect identified risks and potential hazards. Young people and staff understand fire safety systems and know how to respond if emergencies occur. The safety of young people is promoted further through good environmental health and food safety processes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is currently no registered manager for this home. The home is being managed by a very experienced and qualified interim manager, who is in the process of applying to Ofsted to become registered manager. She is assisted by an experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager routinely monitors, evaluates and analyses the work undertaken by the staff. Daily, weekly and monthly monitoring takes place and has enabled her to identify weaknesses and to take remedial action. As a result, the quality of some of the records has improved since the previous inspection. The provider is in the process of introducing a ‘paperless’ system for holding records and moving towards computerised recording. During this transition, some records are unclear. For example, records of physical interventions were incomplete on the paper form; however, the missing information was entered on the computerised system. The presence of two records for the same incidents could lead to confusion for staff. However, the close working relationships between the workers, and the other communication systems in place, mean that there is little impact on young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the staff have received good training opportunities. The staff spoken to said that training and learning opportunities provided since the last inspection have been helpful. They said that they have learned to consider different approaches when responding to the young people’s presenting behaviours and needs. However, some staff have not received training specific to the needs of the young people living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff members receive regular supervision by the interim manager or deputy manager. Supervision sessions take place each month. This enables the members of staff to discuss matters that are important to them. They discuss the young people in some depth, and how they are caring for them. A staff member commented, ‘We get really Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 8 good support from the managers and our team work[s] well to make sure we do all we can for the young people.’ Staff members discuss their developmental and training needs and ways in which any identified gaps in training can be addressed. Rotas demonstrate that there are adequate staffing levels to meet the needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The development plan for the home has been recently reviewed by the interim manager, and this is appropriate and realistic. The home is achieving its aims and objectives as stated in the statement of purpose, which has been reviewed and updated. However, the children’s guide needs to be clearer on the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team, and has plans to develop these. Staff commented that they feel supported by the manager and encouraged to bring new ideas to her. This demonstrates that managers and staff have ownership in supporting the young people to continually progress and have positive experiences.

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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: SC063673 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Kensington Road, Southport, Merseyside PR9 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

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Inspectors

Elaine Allison, social care inspector Chris Scully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063673 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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