Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 1 SC440309 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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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 local authority home that offers care and accommodation for up to six children who may be experiencing social, emotional or mental health difficulties. Most placements are short-term.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children‟s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children‟s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home is outstanding because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Managers ensure that the assessment function of the home is achieved, and that the assessment makes a significant difference to children‟s futures. They work seamlessly with a range of professionals to ensure that children‟s identified needs are met.  Children say, „This is the best children‟s home‟ and „I like living in this home because the staff are so good.‟ Staff are highly skilled in creating nurturing and positive relationships with them that build their trust and self-confidence.  Children achieve outstanding progress through staff‟s positive care. They make great strides in their education, social relationships and independence because they feel settled and secure in the home.  Managers and staff demonstrate expertise and enthusiasm in every aspect of their roles. They confidently place children front and centre of all development and review of the conduct of the home. They measure their success by children‟s achievements

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Key findings from this inspection

and progress.  Children say that staff care about them, and do everything they can to help them to stay safe. Staff help them to see themselves as important and this improves their sense of security and well-being.  Staff develop and use highly imaginative and effective educational programmes to help children to understand the dilemmas and risks associated with growing up and becoming independent. Children grow in awareness and confidence about how to stay safe and how to ask for help to stay safe.  Staff use highly effective good parenting skills to maximise the progress children make. Children are proud of the progress that they make, and this drives them on to see themselves as successful in their future lives.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children‟s home‟s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.  Ensure that all records of investigations into staff conduct, including misadministration of medication, capture first-hand accounts and demonstrate how managers reach decisions and conclusions. Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/12/2016 Full Outstanding 09/12/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 01/06/2015 Full Outstanding

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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, the 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

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. In particular, that the complaint is considered separately from any parallel investigation into staff conduct. (Regulation 39(3)) 15/12/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the arrangements in place to maintain effective management when the manager is on leave include senior management evaluation of records relating to complaints and investigations into staff conduct. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  Ensure that the home‟s record of any serious event includes a description of the action taken, including any staff interviews, and the outcome of any investigation. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 63, paragraph 14.14) Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff believe that every child is unique, valuable, vulnerable and full of potential. They work tirelessly to ensure that children come to learn this for themselves. Children say that staff see them as important, individual, and deserving the best. They flourish in a warm and highly nurturing home. Children say, „There are a lot of good things here, not just one.‟ A headteacher said, „(Child) was vehemently opposed to going into care. Now (child) would happily stay there, but is also ready to move on.‟ Children are looking forward to their futures with increased confidence because of the positive experiences that staff provide.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home offers short assessment placements. Children usually stay for 10 to 16 weeks. Staff quickly build really good relationships with children. One young person said, „This is a really good place, they help you through everything.‟ Children gave examples of how the staff support them and care about them: for example, being offered lots of different things to eat when they had a sore mouth; staff really listening to them when they had been upset or angry; making sure that they got a college place when they first came to the home. The home‟s mental health link worker said, „Staff really understand that it‟s okay to get emotionally attached to children who are only staying a short time. This means that children can build better attachments in the future.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff take great care in supporting children to move into the home. Most arrive after a programme of planned visits and introductions. Even when children are admitted in an emergency, children feel cared for and supported. For example, one child described the respect and kindness he was shown when he arrived in the night, and said that the biggest problem was that staff made him a cup of tea with the wrong amount of sugar. All described the atmosphere as calm and „homely‟. Several children talked about their plans for moving on. They were looking forward to taking the next step, and could see how that fitted in with the step after that. For some, the long-term goal was to help them return to their families or to foster families, while for others it was to move to more independent accommodation. Whatever their personal goals, children said that staff helped them to feel settled, and look to the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff use a sound knowledge of children‟s emotional and developmental stages. They take great care to find out about children‟s histories and experiences. They talk to children, to their families and carers, and to the professionals who surround them. They use this knowledge to plan individual work with children that meets their needs. They identify when children need further specialist assessment, and support children to engage with those experts. This means that children have accurate and detailed descriptions of their needs, so that the best options for them can be discussed and agreed. Social workers say that these efforts mean that children get a chance of happy and settled futures where their needs are identified and met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are very aware of their long-term plans. Staff help them to break down their plans into achievable steps. Staff are skilled at listening to children. They help children to Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 5 talk and think about the things that matter most to them. For example, one young person is learning to get the bus back from her friend‟s on time as part of becoming independent and making safe choices. Another has been working with staff and other professionals to understand the impact of their behaviour on others. Children can recognise the excellent progress they are making. One young person said, „I understand why I did that (behaviour), and I have learned what I should do.‟ This progress means that children are helped to overcome past difficulties and are getting ready for the next steps in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff and children work together through fun activities, to learn about a range of social issues such as: homelessness; sexuality; policing. They gain recognised awards in food hygiene. They work through age-appropriate independence programmes that help them to understand the importance of good personal routines. They gain practical skills in cooking, or opening a bank account. They explore how to give and take in their personal relationships. Staff talk to them about current news items, so that they begin to understand the wider world. This provides them with safe opportunities to think about and develop their own views and beliefs, and learn to share them appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff encourage children to continue and develop hobbies and interests. One child said, „I thought I would be bored here, but there‟s always plenty to do. Staff found out I like doing drama at school. They have found me a really great drama club, and I have loads of fun there.‟ Staff encourage children to stay for after-school clubs and join football clubs, and they support contact with friends after school and at weekends. Because children can stay in touch with their communities, they have more success at returning to them. This helps children to have important continuity while learning new skills and having fun. This enriches their life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have exceptional skills in engaging children and supporting them through difficult times. Children talked to the inspector about how they have learned to trust staff. One young person said, „They let me say the things I want to first, they don‟t take over. They listen. Then they tell me things; they have important things to say. It makes me feel they really care.‟ Another said, „Staff always say yes, when I ask to talk to them. Sometimes we just go for a milkshake and a chat. I really like that.‟ Simple actions like staff being around at the end of the school day, to ask about their day and give them a hug, helps children to feel cared for and about. A teacher said, „The home has helped (child) to put themselves first. For the first time, (child) can think about their needs without worrying about the rest of the family. This is helping to improve their emotional health and well-being.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children and young people are in full-time education. Whenever possible, they continue in the same school as before they came to the home. Teachers who know them can support them to minimise disruption to their learning. Children can continue with important friendships in a time of upheaval. Staff forge excellent links with schools, and use the virtual head service to solve any problems about transport or planning. Staff know each child‟s education plan, and how to help them to do their best. The success of this approach can be seen in the solid educational progress that all children and young people are making. One child proudly told the inspector, „I am doing really well at Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 6 school; my grades have gone up since I got here. I come home and say to staff that I came first in my test, and they say, “Brilliant!”‟ Others enthusiastically spoke about the work they are doing towards their future careers in mechanics or childcare. They say

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

that, since coming to the home, they have been helped to think about the things they want, and how to get them.

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

Children are exceptionally safe in this home. They say that they feel safer and happier since moving there. They say that it is because staff listen to them, have fun with them, care about them, and teach them to be safer.

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

Staff use creative thinking, highly positive relationships with children and competent practice to ensure their safety. From pre-admission planning and throughout placement, they identify risks and create care plans that recognise children‟s age and specific vulnerabilities. They understand how children‟s history, needs and experiences affect their ability to make positive and safe choices. This means that the way risk is managed is unique to each child. They work closely with children, to review how progress is being made.

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

Staff adjust any restrictions to independence as children learn to stay safer. For example, mobile phone contracts are reviewed so that children have greater freedom of use as they demonstrate that they understand the risks associated with them. As trust builds, children talk to staff about any misuse of social media, and help each other to report concerns. This approach to proportionate risk management means that children have opportunities to make mistakes without compromising their safety. It helps them to gain a range of skills they can use to stay safer in the future.

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

Staff offer exemplary social education through learning modules that they complete together with children. These include, for example, thinking about extremism and radicalisation; emotional and mental health; and issues of prejudice and intolerance in sexuality and faith. Difficult subjects like domestic abuse and exploitation are broken down into understandable bite-sized parts, so that children can learn at their own pace, and staff can measure how their understanding is helping them to stay safer. Staff use a non-judgemental approach to help children to talk about their views and opinions. This provides a valuable opportunity for staff to offer balanced guidance and support. It increases children‟s tolerance and acceptance of ideas, and improves their knowledge about safe and appropriate behaviour.

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

Staff use clear and consistent ways to support children. These include: relentless positivity; highly individualised and detailed support programmes that are reward-based; planned discussions and chats that focus on helping children to understand their choices; modelling of how to resolve group and individual relationship difficulties; individual chats and chances for reflection and problem-solving. This means that children feel supported to improve. All children are making great strides in the way that they manage their relationships, upset, and overcome life‟s ups and downs. As a result, staff rarely use restraint. When it is necessary to ensure children‟s safety, staff forensically examine the Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 7 incident, so that they can learn from children what they might do better next time. Children are asked to contribute to this learning, so that staff can rebuild any

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

relationships that may have been affected by the restraint.

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

Staff say, „Behaviour is a way of demonstrating unmet need, not a challenge to authority. We just have to work out what children need.‟ Their behaviour settles into much safer routines because they trust staff to help them to manage their anxiety and anger. They learn other ways of showing upset. Behaviour that has previously got them into trouble with school or the police is replaced by talking about their feelings, asking questions, or taking themselves off for a few minutes. One young person said, „Staff take all of my anger. They never shout. They are there afterwards, when I am calmer, and we talk about it.‟ Another said, „I am building trust, I talk about things now. I never did that before.‟ This means that children are learning that safe adults play an important role in their emotional welfare, and in their personal safety. This will help them build better relationships with their future carers.

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

Staff say to children, „Every day is a new day.‟ This helps children to feel that they can try again to make things better, and that most things can be helped by talking to a trusted grown-up. Staff use very few sanctions. Instead, they help children to put things right. This creates a welcoming and accepting community, where children feel relaxed and safe. One young person said, „It‟s safer here, I feel more protected, because staff helped me to talk to the police about people.‟ A social worker said, „(Child) has faith in people supporting her. They are helping her, but she still feels in control of what she is doing. They are promoting her independence, but this is her safe base.‟

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

There are very clear policies in place regarding the administration of medicines. All staff are trained to give medication safely to children. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of misadministration of medication. Staff took immediate action to ensure the child‟s health and welfare. Managers put additional measures in place to strengthen staff practice. However, records relating to how the subsequent investigation was conducted are poor.

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

Children are rarely missing from home. They see it as comfortable and homely, and somewhere that they want to return to. This is because staff demonstrate from the start that they want children to be safe, and that there is no problem they aren‟t able to talk about. On the rare occasion when children are missing from home, staff take the matter extremely seriously. They search for the young person, follow up social media activity, speak to family and friends, and do not rest until the child is safely back. Sensitive follow-up work ensures that staff and the child work together to explore the reasons why they went missing, and what can be done in those circumstances in the future. Practical advice such as how to make a reverse charge call means that they are able to contact the home at any time. When children ask to see their friends, staff make safe arrangements for them to visit their homes, and friends are always welcome at the

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

home. Emotional support, such as very strong and nurturing evening and bedtime routines, helps children settle to sleep having thought about all of the day‟s challenges. A social worker said, „(Child) is so much safer now. Staff have helped to settle (child) so that there is no missing from home.‟ Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 8 Children have the continuing support and guidance from staff that helps them to become increasingly safe. Staff use their strong relationships, positive role modelling and safe care and nurture to transform children‟s self-belief, and empower them with knowledge and understanding. This improves their emotional and mental health, and gives them the starting blocks to make their lives safer and happier.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Under the leadership of the charismatic registered manager, the management team offers strong, decisive and inspirational direction and example. This enables staff to offer exceptionally high-quality care to complex and vulnerable children. Children are front and centre of the service. Staff are highly effective role models who promote a tolerant, equal and diverse society. Children say the only rule is that they respect each other. The team balances children‟s needs and risks with their potential, and their right to experience pleasure and positive regard from others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

High expectations mean that children make significant progress, in happiness and understanding of their situation. This transfers to success at school, improved safety and stronger relationships. Managers are hands-on. They get involved in children‟s lives. They listen to them, talk to them and have fun with them. This helps them to know children‟s needs, and champion the best plans they can to help them to find permanent homes in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have appropriate training, continuing seamlessly from induction, through probation and ongoing as necessary. Recent training in autism and learning difficulties, and how adolescent brains differ from young children‟s, has equipped staff to think carefully about how to approach the challenges and difficulties children demonstrate. They offer reflective group and individual supervision opportunities that stretch and challenge staff care practice. Staff are continuously learning about techniques and approaches to working with children that can improve children‟s lives. Initiatives such as integrated therapeutic and developmental approaches and strong social role modelling mean that children receive care from highly knowledgeable staff who are skilled in helping them to reflect on their history and experiences. This helps children to get the help they need in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff all say that they enjoy healthy professional challenge and support from managers and colleagues. They are motivated to provide continuously improving care to the children who live there. They appreciate the opportunities for individual and group training and evaluation, because this helps them to feel confident that they can offer the best possible care. All staff work exceptionally well with a wide range of professionals supporting each child, to achieve a thorough assessment of their needs. Teachers, social workers and a mental health worker all described staff as committed, energetic and dedicated to getting the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that the assessment function of the home is achieved, and that the assessment makes a significant difference to children‟s futures. Because managers work so seamlessly with other professionals, they get children the help they need such as Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 9 specialist psychological services, transport to school, or a positive profile that is shared among prospective foster carers. Managers are not afraid to escalate their concerns if other professionals are not delivering the quality of service that children need, but, because of their collaborative approach, they rarely need to take these steps. They willingly share good practice and develop new ways of working. Recent initiatives have been to foster closer working relationships with schools, and work within the local area to help social work managers understand the range of residential opportunities available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This improves the way they match children‟s needs to the services available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most parents and other adults who are important to children say that staff offer exceptional support in helping to make and sustain contact with their children. It is very rare for parents to complain. When they raise concerns, the manager reviews why and identifies actions to resolve the matter and prevent any repeat. A complaint has been made about an incident that occurred in her recent absence. Records do not provide a full account of the actions taken by her deputies, or the advice and oversight provided by external senior residential managers. The manager is conducting a review to enable learning to improve staff actions in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers follow up children who have moved on from the home. Staff are delighted to talk about the children who have returned to live with their families, are thriving in positive foster placements or specialist schools, or have productive working lives. When a minority of placements end in an unplanned way, they work hard to identify what they could do to avoid such a crisis in future. This review and reflection is captured in a detailed monitoring and development report completed by the registered manager. The findings of the monthly independent visitor report are closely scrutinised to ensure the smooth running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are active partners in planning for themselves and for the home. The sense of community is strong, and children all say that they are listened to, and enjoy living together with staff. Choices and options are part of everyday life. External professionals say that staff expertise in consultation makes sure that outstanding planning outcomes are achieved for children and the plans are what children want.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 10 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: SC440309 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lancashire County Council, PO Box 78, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Denise Jolly, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC440309 12 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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