Children's home run by Inspire Children‟s Services

Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people, both boys and girls, aged five to 17 years who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Any young people aged over 17, dependent on individual circumstances and in consultation with statutory agencies, may on occasion remain at this home for an agreed period of time if this supports the young person in their transition process. The age difference between the youngest and oldest child will be given very careful consideration when matching to ensure that the needs of both children and young people can be met and there are no safeguarding concerns.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There are no staff who work for the company who will deliver health or therapeutic work.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 4 January 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 2 The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: This is the home’s first inspection following registration.

p.2

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.2

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 3

p.2

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 with the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met and—

p.3

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to—

p.3

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 01/06/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 01/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the first inspection of this home since it was registered with Ofsted on 3 January 2018.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the child with a high level of care and support, which helps them to grow and flourish. The child’s individual needs and plans are understood well by the staff team and the close working relationships between the staff and child help positive and respectful relationships to develop.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning for all children joining the home is a real strength of the manager and staff team. The manager and staff are aware of the anxieties that moving home can cause children and they have a real skill in supporting them to move into this home. Good use of assessments and planning documents, along with positive relationships with commissioners and social workers, mean that children and young people move into this home positively.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team work hard to make sure that this home is a safe and homely environment for the child living in this home. Staff have paid attention to detail in respect of the internal furnishings and the overall design. They have listened to the child’s voice to make sure that the child’s personalised space is something that they are proud of and reflects their own individuality.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value education for children. Staff support the child well to attend school regularly and on time. Positive relationships with education staff mean that any barriers to learning are quickly identified and addressed. This ensures that the child continues to make good progress from their starting point.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate and support the child well to maintain a strong sense of identity. The manager and staff work tirelessly with the child and their family members to ensure that contact is positive. As a result, contact has increased in frequency. Professionals involved and the child confirmed the high levels of support provided by the staff and how this has helped improve the experience for the child.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the manager and staff ensure that children are registered and have access to local health services. Arrangements for meeting the child’s known health needs, and the arrangements for managing medication, fall short of the requirements. This is because the present medical needs of the child are not clearly recorded in the home’s healthcare plan. This means that the manager and staff are not fully aware of the child’s needs and therefore these are not being met. Furthermore, not all the prescribed medication kept in the home is recorded in the medication records. Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 5

p.4

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

Staff working within the home are clear about the procedures that are in place should they need to respond to concerns about the safety of a child in this home.

p.5

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

Staff provide the child with a safe place to live and do their best to keep the child safe. The staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and use well-written and clear risk assessments that support the child’s safety. These individual, up-to-date risk assessments address effectively any known vulnerabilities for the child and set out what action should be taken by staff to address the risks.

p.5

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

The child is supported well to gain a good understanding of the wider world. Appreciation of tolerance and difference is explored well through conversation with the child. This helps the child to understand the importance of treating others with respect.

p.5

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

The child’s views are carefully considered by the staff when developing plans to encourage positive behaviour. Incentives are meaningful to the child and assist with this.

p.5

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

The physical environment for the child and staff is safe and secure because it is checked regularly. This, along with the risk assessments which are reviewed and updated frequently, protects the child and staff from the risk of harm.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager is supported well by a deputy manager and a staff team who share the manager’s high expectations and aspirations for the child in this home. This shared vision, and joined-up working between the managers, staff, child and other professionals, means that the ethos and objectives that are identified in the home’s statement of purpose are demonstrated in practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are clear responsibilities and accountabilities for the staff team and the staff share a sense of ownership about the practice in this home. Staff report that they are well led and managed and there is other evidence to support this.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with the child’s social worker and other professionals who are involved in the child’s care. A professional spoke very positively about how well the registered manager works with them, the child and other professionals to ensure that the child’s needs are fully listened to, understood and acted on.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides staff with regular and effective supervision and has suitable arrangements in place to support staff’s development through annual appraisals. This, in addition to suitable training opportunities and monthly team meetings, means that staff are supported well and have the necessary skills to carry out their roles.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are clear and detailed, and reflect the work that is undertaken with the child. Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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: 1263248 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, 121 Church Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1AJ

p.7

Inspector

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1263248 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8