Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and learning disabilities. The home is part of a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 December 2017

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making good progress across all aspects of their development.  Young people are making and sustaining strong relationships with a committed staff team.  Staff ensure that young people are able to have a voice and influence their day- to-day care experiences.  There is a clear emphasis on supporting young people to achieve in education.  Healthcare planning is effective. Young people have made good progress in achieving good physical and emotional well-being.  Staff support the young people to access positive structured activities and explore their interests and talents, which reduces the likelihood of them engaging in risk-taking behaviour.  Incidents of challenging behaviour and young people going missing from the home have been well managed. Staff have sought appropriate assistance from other agencies to minimise risk of harm wherever possible.  A competent and experienced leader manages the setting well.

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Key findings from this inspection

 This service is highly regarded by placing authorities and families, who have provided very positive feedback.

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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

 One allegation made during an incident was not sufficiently notified to appropriate external agencies. This does not allow the local authority designated officer or the regulator to provide independent scrutiny.  Young people should be supported to understand their background and heritage and any decisions taken in relation to contact arrangements.  The risk assessment devised for ensuring the safety of young people when intoxicated could be enhanced to include arrangements for monitoring their recovery.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 31/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 3

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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

12: The protection of children standard In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(v)) 26/01/2018

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Recommendations

 The importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or direct work. Staff in children’s homes should support children to talk about and help them address any concerns they have. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.14)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). With particular regard to ensuring that the appropriate risk assessment contains the details of the steps that staff must take in the event of a young person being intoxicated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one young person has moved out of the home and one young person has moved into the home. Both transitions were managed well. Staff work hard to build strong and positive relationships with young people. Young people report that they enjoy the company of the staff and that the staff take great interest in their lives. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and to spend time with the staff and each other. As a result, they develop and sustain appropriate bonds and friendships. Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 4 Young people are provided with a guide to the home and are given information about their rights and entitlements, including how to complain. One young person made a complaint about the behaviour of a former resident of the home. This was resolved sensitively and appropriately. Consultation is at the heart of the service. Staff actively encourage young people to make choices about day-to-day aspects of their care,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

including their views on the staff, education, health, food and activities. Consequently, young people feel empowered to have influence over their own lives and this increases their ability to build valuable relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people with a history of disruptive behaviour in educational settings have made good progress in both attendance and attainment. One young person has notably reduced risk-taking behaviour in school. Staff at the home have devised a homework timetable and there is a wealth of evidence to demonstrate that they are actively encouraging young people to take their education seriously and develop career aspirations for the future. An educational professional said, ‘Home-wise they are great, they (staff) support everything we do. We have regular contact with them (staff) and communication is great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are registered promptly with local healthcare services. Staff promote a balanced and nutritious diet and an active lifestyle. Young people have been referred to specialist services when necessary to ensure that their healthcare needs are met. One young person has started to attend the local gym. Another young person with a history of alcohol misuse is accessing an appropriate service to assist her in understanding the impact on her health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to develop the skills they need for independence. This includes budgeting, cooking and undertaking basic household tasks. Young people are given opportunities to access a wide range of positive activities. These include cinema trips, local events and outings, bike rides and trampoline activities. Staff also promote nurturing activities in the home such as baking and crafts. This helps young people to develop a sense of belonging and increases their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to have regular contact with people who are important to them. Contact is promoted in accordance with the local authority’s plans. Staff are helping one young person to work towards returning home through a progressive contact plan. A family member said, ‘They have been fantastic.’ One young person has not had regular contact with a family member and does not fully comprehend the reason why this has not taken place. A recommendation is made to assist him further in understanding the rationale for the placing authority’s decision.

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

One young person was persistently missing from home over the summer holidays. Staff took appropriate action to search the local area and reported him missing as detailed in the home’s protocol. Staff worked in collaboration with the placing authority to try a number of strategies to prevent and reduce this behaviour. This included sanctions, Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 5 incentives, distraction techniques, direct work and the involvement of external agencies. Independent return interviews were requested on every occasion. Unfortunately, none of the interventions were successful. The manager took appropriate action to request a review of the young person’s care plan, which resulted in him moving to another home. This course of action was necessary to safeguard the young person from potential harm.

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

Young people have comprehensive risk management plans that outline the steps that staff must take to reduce risks to young people’s safety. One young person was suspected to have drank alcohol recently. A risk assessment has been devised but could be further enhanced to detail the actions that staff must take in the event of her returning home intoxicated. A recommendation is made regarding this matter.

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

Staff are trained to de-escalate confrontation and defuse challenging behaviour. On occasions where young people have placed themselves or others at risk, staff have intervened physically. There is clear evidence of effective evaluation and debriefing practice with staff and young people. Any practice issues are highlighted to staff to ensure that they learn from incidents and improve their future practice. One incident of physical intervention resulted in an allegation being made about the conduct of a member of staff. This information was shared with the local authority social worker but was not referred to the local authority designated officer or notified to Ofsted. The registered manager was not in post at that time and has already taken steps to refer the matter to the local authority designated officer. Leaders have also addressed this matter with the member of staff who dealt with the situation. A requirement is made to ensure

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

that all staff recognise the importance of making the appropriate referrals in the event of an allegation being made. This is to ensure sufficient external scrutiny and oversight of such matters.

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

The physical environment in the home is well maintained. Staff and young people practise regular fire evacuations which contribute to ensuring their safety. Young people feel safe at the home and their parents and placing authorities agree that young people are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the organisation in September 2017. The new manager of the service has transferred from another part of the organisation and has recently registered with Ofsted. He is a competent and enthusiastic leader who is suitably experienced and qualified to undertake this role. Staff report that the service is well managed and have remarked upon the registered manager’s supportive nature. One member of staff said, ‘He is well into his job and always a phone call away.’ Staff receive comprehensive training to assist them in providing individualised care for young people at the home. Supervision is taking place regularly and the registered manager receives support and supervision from a senior leader in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders routinely monitor and evaluate the progress that young people make. The manager demonstrates a keen ability to advocate strongly for the young people in his care and works in a collaborative manner with other agencies. Young people make good Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 6 progress from their developmental starting points. Where the progress of one young person was hindered, there is clear evidence of leaders constructively challenging other services to review his care plan and take steps to provide the young person with a higher level of support. On this occasion, this resulted in the young person moving to another home but this move was planned and well managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders are aware of the strengths and development areas in the home. The registered manager is committed to continuously improving the service offered. The setting is achieving the aims and objectives as defined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Placing authorities have provided positive feedback about this service. One social worker said, ‘The service has worked closely with myself. They will send updated plans should an incident occur or they feel I need to see anything. They have attended all meetings, are available on the phone and are working well with [name of young person]. They have been able to support [name of young person] with contact with her friends, contact with family as well as being able to increase her independence skills.’

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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: 1224251 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Nicola Thomas: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1224251 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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