Children's Home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 1 SC454035 Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people. There is a manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 September 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2017 Full Inadequate 09/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 05/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 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

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 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) and (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive regular professional supervision. 25/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure consistency in obtaining a reference from the person’s most recent employer, a full employment history and overseas criminal record checks for staff who have lived abroad. 25/05/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when children are not participating in education, the registered person and staff must support the child to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. In particular, staff must be consistent when responding to young people’s negative and harmful behaviour. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14) Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 4  Ensure that records of restraint enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that there is a sufficient number of suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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improvement to be good

Young people make steady progress from their starting points. However, their progress is not always sustained. Although young people’s attendance at school and college improves, poor daily routines plus the lack of structured educational activities and inconsistent staff practice hinder their continued progress.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s experiences and views of their home are varied. Some young people are happy and content. They develop positive relationships with staff and enjoy living at the home. However, not all young people share this positive view and they want to move nearer to their family.

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improvement to be good

Staff try to help young people to eat healthily and staff encourage young people to help prepare and cook meals. At times, young people choose not to eat the food prepared, which leads to them skipping meals, losing routine and unhealthy eating.

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improvement to be good

Despite being offered opportunities to take part in community-based activities, young people often refuse, choosing to spend time with their friends. Staff are eager to develop this area of practice. A staff meeting has been arranged to explore more creative ways of getting young people involved in activities to enhance their interests and sense of community.

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improvement to be good

Young people are fit and well because staff make sure that all of the young people’s health needs are attended to. Young people benefit from having access to a wide range of health professionals.

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improvement to be good

Staff arrange appropriate contact with family and friends. For some young people, contact has increased and involves them meeting up with extended family. This helps young people to maintain their family identity and to sustain their attachment to significant people.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to make a complaint and who to talk to if they have a concern. They are given opportunities to share their views about their care and daily routines. Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 5 Young people’s voices can be strengthened further by reflecting their views in their placement plans and assessments.

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improvement to be good

Overall, improvements have been made in safeguarding practice. Risks are comprehensively assessed and include clear, protective strategies for staff to follow.

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improvement to be good

However, young people do not yet benefit from consistent, effective boundaries or consequences. As a result, young people do not always learn about the effects of their negative actions. Therefore, some unsafe behaviours continue, such as smoking in bedrooms.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is rarely used and restraint records have improved. Restraint records can be strengthened further by providing a thorough review of the incident and exploring possible patterns or trends and/or staff training needs.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s offending behaviour reduces because they are encouraged to engage well with the youth offending service. One young person successfully completed his referral order within the required timescale.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers undertake a range of training in safeguarding matters. In addition to attending the local authority’s safeguarding training, staff undertake online courses on a range of topics, including health and safety. This ensures that staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and duties.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of young people going missing from the home are reducing. Staff follow missing from home procedures well. On most occasions, return home interviews are carried out with young people, providing them with an opportunity to talk about the reasons why they went missing and thus preventing reoccurrence.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff is not yet robust. Some shortfalls in safer recruitment practice places young people at potential risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The company has struggled to recruit a suitable manager. Consequently, the home has not had a registered manager for over 26 weeks. For this reason only, leadership and management has been judged inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In the absence of a manager, the service director has provided regular support to the team and young people. Her support has enabled some improvements to be achieved, such as the recruitment of a new manager and three new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Changes in the manager, combined with changes in staff, have weakened the home’s improvement journey. Additionally, such changes compromise the continuity of care Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 6 provided to young people, thus, preventing them from developing long-lasting relationships with all staff. As a result, some staff struggle to manage young people’s challenging behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is not always a sufficient number of experienced staff on duty, which potentially compromises young people’s welfare and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

All staff said that they feel supported and that they are optimistic about their new manager. They have regular team meetings that help to keep them updated on important information and to plan for young people’s changing needs. Effective team planning and detailed handovers enhance the continuity in care provided to young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A workforce development plan is in place, which evaluates the team’s learning and identifies staff’s training needs. All staff are currently completing a level two behaviour management course to improve how they all respond to young people’s behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Gaps were found in staff’s professional supervision, including newly appointed staff. Staff’s professional development, support and guidance can be strengthened by ensuring that they all receive regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

External monitoring has improved. A new independent visitor to the home provides a detailed overview of the quality of care and protection provided. Effective external monitoring supports the service development and improvement plans.

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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: SC454035 7

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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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Inspectors

Marina Tully: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC454035 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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