Children's home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 1 Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned and managed.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people continue to receive a good standard of personalised care and support in a safe and nurturing home. The caring, experienced and very competent registered manager and staff are making a positive difference to young people’s lives. Based on their starting points, young people are making pleasing progress across their developmental needs. This is often despite the complexity of their needs and the challenges that they face. Over time, young people appear happier and are increasingly safer. They are less likely to go missing from home and to be at risk of exploitation or involved in criminal activity. Young people are more able to manage their worries and frustrations constructively and, as a result, their relationships with their parents are improving.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager closely monitors the arrangements for young people’s care. This means that she has a clear understanding of the progress that they are making. She identifies when young people are struggling to make progress or their plans are no Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 2 longer fully meeting their needs. She makes sure that social workers and other partner agencies take the necessary action to provide young people with the best possible support. At the time of this inspection, both young people were not in full-time education. However, the registered manager and staff are making strenuous efforts to help young people return quickly to suitable education. One of the young people is starting introductions to a new school. Young people’s daily routine reflects the school day. Staff encourage and support young people to take part in learning experiences: for example, a young person is researching how to care for a guinea pig and has been

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

involved in choosing the colour scheme to decorate the house. The registered manager has challenged schools to provide young people with consistent education programmes that meet their assessed learning needs and abilities. When young people are reluctant to take part in education or training, the registered manager works effectively with education providers, social workers and the youth offending service to find the right course to spark young people’s interest, such as football coaching or woodworking, alongside English and mathematics.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager only agrees to look after young people once she is satisfied that the staff have the right skills to support them and that they are compatible with other young people living there. Staff use individualised care planning effectively to meet young people’s personal needs. They follow consistently each young person’s up-to-date local authority care plan and education and healthcare plans. For example, the staff work effectively to achieve the local authority’s plan to improve family relationships so that young people can return home. The staff have helped one young person to live permanently with his parents. Young people benefit hugely from the staff’s ability to build positive and supportive relationships with their parents. Staff help young people and parents to see each other and repair their relationships. This has included offering advice and support about activities that parents and young people can do together so

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

that seeing their parents is a safe and positive experience for the young person.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and members of staff also work successfully with young people to help them find ways to deal with their worries and frustrations safely. This has included a young person listening to music or going for a walk when she is upset. A social worker said:

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff understand (young person’s name’s) mood and when it escalates they know how to help her. They allow her space outside, while making sure she is safe and helping her come back and talk. They know how she functions and how to talk with her.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have helped the young person to say when she does not understand something or is feeling anxious. She is now less likely to shout, swear or be aggressive, and is more able to deal with stressful situations. For example, she is now more able to take part in meetings about her future, listen carefully to what is being said, and put across her views.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people have a strong sense of belonging. A social worker said, ‘(Young person’s name) is settled and feels at home. It’s a safe place for her.’ The registered manager and staff provide young people with stability and safe and reliable relationships. A parent Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 3 said, ‘Staff are so patient with (young person’s name). They understand her and have built a trusting relationship with her. When she runs off when she’s upset, she comes back because it’s her safe place.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff have a clear understanding of risks to each young person’s safety and take effective action to protect them from harm. They work in partnership with social workers, the police, the local authority, the youth offending team and support services to develop a clear strategy for managing the risks to the young people. The registered manager and staff effectively applied a safeguarding plan to reduce the risks of a young person persistently going missing from home and becoming involved in crime. This young person no longer goes missing and is cooperating with the youth offending service. The registered manager has identified when a young person was at risk of continued sexual exploitation in the local area and made sure that the local authority found different accommodation that was more able to meet the young person’s specific needs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has obtained up-to-date local authority care plans for each young person, and relevant permissions for staff to administer first aid and non-prescription medication.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, the internal and independent scrutiny of the home does not provide an in- depth assessment of the arrangements for safeguarding and promoting young people’s welfare or show the impact that the quality of care is having on the experiences of young people or their outcomes. The independent monitoring focuses on describing what has happened and that records are being kept, but it does not evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the support young people are receiving. Also, the independent visitor does not seek the views of young people, their parents or relatives, social workers or independent reviewing officers about the quality of care to inform the assessment of the home’s effectiveness. This insight into how young people experience the care they receive is crucial in helping leaders and managers to understand the quality and impact of what they are doing. The lack of thorough and evaluative monitoring is limiting

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

managers’ understanding of the quality of the care and their ability to identify and make further improvements.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people live in a homely environment, which is in the process of being decorated. This needs to be completed as soon as possible to enhance young people’s living environment. Also, repairs are needed to some internal doors and the bathroom needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2017 Full Good 21/09/2016 Full Good Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 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

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(f) and (h))

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Requirement Due date

This means making sure that the independent person’s monitoring reports, under regulation 45, include the views of children, their parents and relatives, social workers and other people supporting the children, such as their independent reviewing officer to inform the independent person’s assessment of the home’s effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s reports and the internal review of the quality of care should provide a detailed evaluation of the quality of care and childcare practice, the experiences of children living there and the impact this is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. 31/03/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of children, they will, in most cases, be homely domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15) This is about making sure that the house is decorated and maintained to a good standard. In particular, ensure that the decoration of the house is completed, repairs are made to the internal doors, and the Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 5 bathroom is well maintained and clean.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lytham Care, 400 Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 9DB

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Interim Inspection report children’s home: 1234432 6 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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