Children's Home run by Care Afloat Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 1 SC006011 Registered provider: Care Afloat Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered for this home since January 2018.

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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: 24 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Following the inspection on 24 January 2018, an inadequate judgement was made. As a result of the visit, two compliance notices were served on the registered manager. A monitoring visit on 12 March 2018 found that the compliance notices had been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2018 Full Inadequate 16/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/04/2016 Full Good 23/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii) and (b)) 31/05/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress and are safer as a result of living at the home. Young people’s progress is a result of their positive relationships with staff. They invest in their relationships with staff and enjoy the rewards and praise that they receive for their efforts. There is mutual respect between the young people as they help each other to work towards and accept the firm boundaries that prevail throughout young people’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are confident in the manager’s and staff’s ability to listen to and resolve any concerns and complaints that they may have. Young people’s views are canvassed in monthly house meetings and key-working sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff work hard to address young people’s educational needs. However, young people are not always receptive to staff members’ encouragement. As a result, young people are not accessing full-time education, and this may limit their future outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a range of activities. One young person’s need to play on the computer gaming console has reduced. His acceptance of boundaries is much improved, with calmer behaviour as a result. He now enjoys going to football training and going out to eat with other young people who are living in the home. These new experiences mean that the young person grows in confidence and develops good social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good support to develop their independence skills. They enjoy budgeting and shopping for food with staff and complete a range of worksheets to help their understanding of employment, banking, using public services and the challenges that they will face when living independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from good health, as staff support them to eat healthily and take exercise. Young people’s health needs are protected with effective medication administration procedures and by well-trained staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a comfortable home. They appreciate the recent improvements and invest in the physical environment because they have been involved in choosing colours and themes for each room. Young people enjoy the privacy of well-furnished and personalised bedrooms.

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

Young people are safer since coming to live at the home, due to a thorough and consistently reinforced safeguarding framework. The staff are well trained and have easy access to clear guidance about how to identify, respond to, report and record any safeguarding concerns. Management oversight is effective and partnership working is strong. Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 5 There are no concerns about child sexual exploitation. The manager has been quick to respond to concerns about the potential exploitation of young people through social media.

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

The extensive risk assessment and management format feeds into individualised management plans that guide staff in their day-to-day support of young people. Young people are progressively more accepting of staff interventions. Young people improve their behaviour and take more responsibility for their safety.

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

Young people are protected by a thorough and quick response to any concerns about bullying. Staff challenge is in-depth with focused key-working sessions about the consequences of potentially hurting and threatening others. Staff work well with young people and support them to make positive attempts to resolve their differences and live together harmoniously.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are implemented effectively in order to protect young people living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager strategically and successfully manages her staff team. The core staff appreciate clear benchmarks for staff performance and conduct. As effective leadership embeds throughout the home, there has been some staff turnover. However, staffing arrangements meet the needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff are motivated and well inducted. The members of the staff team embrace the management team’s vision for the home. They have high aspirations for the young people and themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people are looked after by well-trained staff. Performance and progress are closely monitored, with good-quality staff supervision. Training is focused on meeting the needs of the young people, including safer internet use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The care planning framework is well organised and provides concise and informed guidance for staff to follow. Records are factual, accurate, and there is helpful cross- referencing. The recording is child-centred, and meaningful for the young people, who can understand their experiences and their journey while being cared for at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of her monitoring responsibilities. On- going monthly audits by the registered manager are consistently carried out according to the regulatory framework. Independent monitoring reports are comprehensive, positive, and the management and staff team quickly address any recommendations. Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 6

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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: SC006011 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Afloat Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 158 Birkrig, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 9HP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Fletcher

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Inspector

Elaine Clare: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC006011 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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