Children's Home run by New Horizons NW Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 1 Registered provider: New Horizons (nw) Limited 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 two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 30 November to 1 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: 23 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager is suitably qualified and has managed this home since its registration in 2017. She is a good leader. She consistently leads this home effectively, and provides a good quality of care to the young people.  Young people’s needs are at the centre of the care that staff provide. They are looked after by a dedicated team of carers. The quality of care that staff provide is nurturing, sensitive and bespoke to the individualised needs of each young person.  Young people are looked after by a team of staff members who demonstrate genuine care for them. The registered manager and her staff know and understand well young people’s individual personalities and needs.  Achievements by young people, regardless of how small, are recognised and celebrated.  Relatives and other professionals working with young people are exceptionally pleased with the care and support that are provided to the young people. One

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Key findings from this inspection

professional said, ‘This is the best home that I have ever worked with.’

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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

 The registered manager needs to continue her professional development to ensure that the home is working towards evidence-based research that underpins her practice.  The Regulation 44 visitor needs to provide better evaluation of her visits so that the registered manager and the care team can learn from the scrutiny of her monitoring.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: - detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; - detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); - detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; - detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home.

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Recommendations

The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, this is a good home. The registered manager and the care staff consistently provide young people with nurturing and well-planned care. Staff demonstrate genuine care for the young people. Staff know well young people’s needs, preferences and individualised characteristics.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is registered to care for two young people. Young people’s needs are assessed, and decisions are made carefully with regard to young people’s ability to live Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 4 with others or as a solo occupant. Young people have opportunities to share activities and spend time with local friends, which helps to promote their social development. All young people benefit from receiving a continuity of care that is tailored to meet their individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate with young people to ensure that they can make choices and communicate their views. Young people choose activities that they would like to engage in and what they would like to eat. They are also helped to express how they are feeling. Relationships between care staff and young people are warm and thoughtful. This approach helps the young people to feel safe, and reduces their anxieties and worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and care staff work closely with the young people’s home tutor to ensure that behaviour management approaches are consistent for the young people while at home or school. For some young people, engaging in education has been difficult. The registered manager has overcome a number of barriers that young people have had to learning. For example, some young people who totally refused to engage in any form of education, will now engage in education worksheets assisted by a local authority home tutor. Social workers and young people’s relations are extremely pleased about this progress. The registered manager acknowledges that there is still some way to go in one young person engaging fully with their education, but the registered manager has shown determination and creativity in exploring all possible avenues and is not giving up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A grandparent made contact with the inspector during this inspection. She was eager to share how the registered manager and the care staff have helped her grandson. She said, ‘My grandson has achieved so much in the last year. The care staff really care for him. They really do provide young people with good-quality care and support. The staff who care for my grandson go above and beyond. He is doing things we did not think were possible. His behaviour has improved and we are looking forward to our first overnight contact visit with him since he moved into the home. It’s a huge step but it is what we all want.’

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

Young people are helped to take age-appropriate safe risks. They are encouraged to try new activities. For example, one young person went to watch their home football team play against a local team for the first time. This was possible because the key worker managed the young person’s anxieties exceptionally well. He planned the event with the young person, and offered him reassurance prior to and during the activity. This activity was successful, and the young person has since asked to attend another football match. The registered manager uses care plans and risk assessments well. These documents comprehensively detail the needs of each young person, and provide staff with clear strategies to meet the young person’s needs. Risk assessments are graded so that care staff can identify what indicators to look for, and how to respond if a situation should occur that places the young person or others at risk.

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

Staff manage behaviour well. On occasions, care staff may use physical intervention to Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 5 keep young people safe. Interventions are mainly used to redirect and guide young people. Sanctions are not typically used for most young people. Young people are kept safe here. Satisfactory staffing ratios on each shift mean that each young person receives the level of supervision that they need to make sure that they are kept safe at all times. Young people have been missing from home, but these incidents have been managed well. Where necessary, strategy meetings have been arranged and professionals have come together to formulate a plan to reduce the episodes of going missing.

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

There has been one referral made to the designated officer since the previous inspection. The outcome of this referral concluded that no further action was required. The registered manager maintained contact with all agencies throughout, and took appropriate action to ensure that the young person was safeguarded.

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

Care staff are supported by external multi-agency professionals, for example a youth offending officer. Consultation with these professionals provides staff with a clear understanding of why young people behave in a certain way, and the best ways to manage and respond to their individual behavioural traits. This ensures that key information is shared, and contributes to supporting and protecting the young people at all times.

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

Young people live in an environment that is safe and well maintained. The registered manager has established and maintains good working relationships with external agencies to ensure that regular servicing and repairs are carried out in a timely manner. Young people are looked after by care staff who are carefully selected and vetted. The files of recently appointed staff are well organised, and show that appropriate checks have been carried out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has managed this home since its registration in August 2016. However, she has been a registered manager since 2008. Her substantial experience and good knowledge of working with young people who have challenging behaviours underpins her effective leadership of the staff team. The registered manager is well supported by senior managers in the organisation and in the home by its cohesive care team. This home delivers a child-centred service that strives to provide a good standard of individualised care to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager shows a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas of competence and the progress and experiences of the young people looked after. The registered manager does not currently keep up to date with the latest evidence-based research and then use this information to drive forward the standard of care provided to the young people. Although she completed the registered manager’s award in 2007 and previously the NVQ level 3 in children and young people in December 2004, she has not undertaken any formal learning since this time. This fails to ensure that the registered manager continues to develop professionally. Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 6 The whole staff team is ambitious for the young people who they look after. Staff, in agreement with other professionals and parents, try new ways of working aimed at making positive differences to the young people’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is detailed in their oversight of care practice, to ensure that every young person is well looked after and safe. She scrutinises records to assure herself that young people’s needs are appropriately responded to by all staff. They make sure that the young people receive the help and support that they may need when new behaviours or needs emerge. The Regulation 44 visitor regularly visits the home but provides poor evaluation of her visit. A recent visit that was to focus on the education of young people resulted in a two line paragraph in the report. This does not provide effective and meticulous scrutiny of the service and as a result does not evaluate the work being undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is well managed and organised. Effective systems are in place that are well understood, and the delegation of responsibilities within the staff team results in a well- run home. Staff take pride in undertaking their specific roles and accountabilities and they increase and develop their expertise and skills in particular areas of their work with the young people, for example helping young people to cook.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has developed an induction programme to meet the needs of new employees working in this home. It is a comprehensive programme that staff find valuable in supporting them when they commence working in this home. Regular staff performance reviews, supervision, team meetings, house meetings and training support staff in undertaking their work effectively with young people. Staff morale is high. The team works well together and staff feel extremely well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Positive working relationships exist between the home and parents, education, other professionals and services. Strong partnership working is effective in providing good- quality and consistent care for the young people. Professionals emphasise partnership working as a strength of this home. They said, ‘Staff have a very good relationship with the young person’s relations,’ and, ‘Liaison from staff has improved to provide a continuity of care for the young person.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home and garden continue to be refurbished and improved to provide good-quality accommodation. They provide the young people with a pleasant, comfortable and safe environment to live in.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 7 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: 1235384 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizons (nw) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, 18–20 Coronation Walk, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1RE

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Inspector(s)

Elaine Clare: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1235384 9 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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