Children's Home run by New Foundations Care Homes Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 1 SC406636 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes 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 children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people. This includes children and young people who have suffered abuse and neglect. The registered manager left on 9 March 2018. An acting manager is in charge of the home while the organisation is recruiting for a permanent manager.

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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: good

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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 3

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Statutory requirement

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 registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (4)(a)) 20/05/2018

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Recommendation

 Ensure that each child’s placement plan clearly shows their assessed needs in relation to their identity, gender, religion, ethnicity, language, cultural background, and sexual identity; and sets out the arrangements for meeting these needs on a daily basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people live in a calm, nurturing and comfortable home. They have opportunities to enjoy life and have fun. Staff give children and young people a very high standard of personalised care that is making a positive difference to their lives. Children and young people are increasingly happier, safer and healthier. They are taking part in education, managing their feelings and making positive choices. Children and young people are well prepared and supported to move on to live in their own accommodation. Children and young people have positive relationships with members of staff. The staff get to know children and young people well and staff know what is important to them. They genuinely care about what happens in children and young people’s lives, want to help them and want them to do well. Children and young people said that staff are good at listening to their wishes and that staff act on their wishes. Staff support children and young people to have a real say in

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

what happens in their lives, including choices about education, seeing their family, and where they are going to live in the future. Staff sensitively balance each child or young person’s wishes against what staff judge is in their best interest and work out the best Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 4 way forward. Children and young people get the help that they need to take part in education and training. They are supported to study, and get extra help when they need it, such as support when revising for their GCSEs. A young person has been supported well to gain qualifications after he left school. Staff helped him to find the right course and then to also find a job. The manager and staff keep a close eye on children and young people’s progress at school. They take decisive action when children and young people are struggling. The manager challenges education providers and the local authority to put in place the right

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

support to meet children and young people’s needs and aspirations. Children and young people’s health and emotional well-being continue to improve. Staff have an excellent understanding of children and young people’s specific health needs. They make sure that children and young people are healthy, and that they always get the medical advice, treatment and psychological support that they need. Children and young people’s case records provide a detailed picture of their views, needs, experiences and progress. The case records include important information that helps staff to understand a child or young person’s life and informs the plans for their individual care. However, children and young people’s placement plans do not always show their needs in relation to their identity, gender, religion, ethnicity, language, cultural background, and sexual identity. Nor do the plans set out the arrangements for meeting these needs

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

Children and young people live in a safe home and are protected from harm. Staff identify and understand the risks for children and young people. They use detailed management plans effectively to reduce the risks of abuse, neglect, exploitation, self- harm, criminal activity and episodes of going missing from home. Staff use carefully planned and reflective key-work sessions to help children and young people understand risk and how to keep themselves and other children safe. Children and young people are developing a greater awareness of healthy relationships and recognise the signs of harmful or exploitative relationships. They tell staff when they are worried and they know that staff take their concerns seriously and will help them. Staff balance carefully protecting children and young people, while enabling them to take reasonable risks to promote their personal growth, including using technology and

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

social media safely, and spending time with friends outside of the home. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep children and young people safe. They provide children and young people with a suitable level of supervision and are alert to signs of bullying or harm. The manager and staff take prompt and effective action when they have concerns about children and young people’s safety. Staff work together successfully with other safeguarding professionals to identify the risks facing children Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 5 and young people and they take appropriate action that protects them. Staff work positively and confidently with children and young people to find the best possible ways to help them manage their feelings safely and to moderate their behaviour. Staff try to find out and understand the reasons why children and young people are upset and they work together to find a solution. A child said, ‘I used to get

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

angry and kick off and break things. I don’t do that now. It’s calm here and that helps me be calm. Staff help me to be calm. I walk away from things and go and chill.’ New members of staff go through an extremely thorough and careful recruitment and selection process. This reduces the risk of unsuitable people working at the home. Managers collect and scrutinise all of the available information to make sure that the person has the right personal qualities, enthusiasm, experience, skills and values to work with children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The organisation is taking prompt action to appoint a new permanent manager. In the meantime, the acting manager is providing clear and effective leadership. She leads a team of caring, enthusiastic and skilled staff who have high aspirations for children and young people. The staff provide positive experiences that lead to better outcomes for children and young people. The leaders and the acting manager have created the right environment for staff to provide children and young people with a high standard of care and consistency. The staffing arrangements ensure that there are always enough knowledgeable, experienced and qualified staff available to meet children and young people’s needs. Staff work together cohesively and the day-to-day care of children and young people is well- planned to provide the best possible support. Managers provide each member of staff with excellent support, guidance and encouragement. Staff have regular opportunities through practice-related supervision,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

team meetings and meetings with a psychologist to reflect on children and young people’s progress. Every member of staff is supported to develop professionally, through good-quality relevant training and completing childcare and management qualifications. New staff complete well-designed induction programmes that equip them well to carry out their roles. Leaders and managers have a realistic understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They take action to improve things. For example, since the last inspection, the bathrooms have been decorated and refurbished. The independent scrutiny of the home has also improved. The monthly reports now include a clear statement about the home’s effectiveness in safeguarding children and young people while promoting their welfare. The reports are in-depth and evaluative assessments of the quality of care, staff practice, and the children’s progress and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The review of the quality of care is a thorough and critically reflective review of the Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 6 professional practice and identifies key priorities for improvements. However, Ofsted has not had a copy of the quality of care report covering the last six months of 2017.

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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: SC406636 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool L10 6LZ

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 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 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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