Children's home run by Pebbles Care Limited in Hyndburn

Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 1 SC456271 Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

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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 home is privately owned and run. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager registered in October 2017.

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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: 2 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/09/2017 Full Inadequate 02/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who - take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives (Regulation 7 (1)(c). This is with particular reference to young people being fully involved in their plans and goal setting. 30/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year (Regulation 33 (4)(c). 30/06/2018

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). This is with particular reference to the repair of kitchen cupboards and professional repair of damaged plasterwork.  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4). This is with particular reference to staff recording work on independence skills in one accessible place, maintaining full records of the outcome of complaints and keeping detailed records of room searches.  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles

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Recommendations

and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29). This is with particular reference to missing from home procedures being individualised and information being drawn together in one document. Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people feel that staff listen to them and regularly take their views into account, and said that they receive lots of support and help. Those that have been at the home for some time make progress in all areas of their lives. Those new to the home settle quickly and are offered good routines and clear boundaries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff fully support the diverse identities of the young people. Appropriate advice, guidance and encouragement are given by staff to enhance young people’s self-esteem and growing sense of self. Where appropriate, staff involve parents fully in the care of their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from the time that staff spend with them. Through this attention, young people have fun, become healthier, develop positive use of leisure time and enhance their skills and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to improving all aspects of young people’s lives and providing care that enables them to reach their full potential. This is especially the case with regards to young people’s education. Some are soon to sit exams, and staff give high levels of encouragement and support so that young people are best placed to achieve their aspirations. For young people who are new to the home, staff quickly identify suitable educational provisions and liaise effectively with the local authorities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are able to quickly build trust with young people, offering good role models and a sense of safety. As a result, young people learn to manage any disagreements or differences in a more positive and socially acceptable way. Young people understand the rules of the home, consider them to be fair and straightforward and, on the whole, quickly adhere to these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are fully encouraged to develop age-appropriate skills of independence, and these are integrated into their daily routines. The recording of this work by staff, however, is not concentrated in one focused document that would offer a clear overview and evaluation of their progress and the areas that require work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from living in a quiet, rural location. The home on the whole is well maintained, although there are areas of repair that need attention, including broken kitchen cupboards and damaged plasterwork.

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

When young people have lived at the home some time, the risks associated with their previous behaviours significantly diminish. They become emotionally resilient and learn, with the support and advice from staff, to resist the negative influences of others. Young people begin to focus on taking positive steps towards fulfilling their potential. Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 5 Drug or alcohol use does not feature in the young people’s lives. Incidents of missing from home are infrequent and for short durations. When young people have gone missing, staff are active in searching for them, liaising appropriately with other agencies and ensuring their safe return.

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

Staff understand well the histories and vulnerabilities of each young person. Although risk assessments are detailed, information regarding reporting and searching procedures is spread over a number of documents. While this is a recording issue, as all relevant data is available in the home, the dispersed arrangements for the records mean that staff cannot promptly access one definitive document to guide their practice in what might be an urgent situation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She was registered to manage the home in October 2017 and since that time has worked hard to address previous requirements and recommendations. The great majority of these have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Complaints are infrequent and are resolved quickly by the manager. However, full recording of the outcome is not yet in place as required. In addition, records of room searches do not clearly indicate that the young person was made aware of the search, and, if items were removed, for how long they were held by staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

As a result of the attentive care that staff offer, young people make progress through living at the home. Their views are sought and there is regular consultation regarding the day-to-day running of the home. However, young people are not involved in having direct input into the goals and areas of work that staff identify.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is present in the home on a daily basis and makes herself available to staff and young people. She has a thorough understanding of the plans for young people and their progress and is active in reviewing and monitoring the care that staff give.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision of staff takes place formally and informally and is sufficiently flexible to accommodate ad-hoc discussions when required. However, not all staff have received annual appraisals. This is a missed opportunity to review staff progress and identify areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the staffing complement has increased and lone working is no longer a feature of staff rotas. The managerial team has been strengthened by the appointment of an assistant manager. Recruitment of staff has been conducted in a way that ensures that young people are not exposed to adults who may present a risk to their safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals reported the receipt of focused and timely information from the manager and staff, and parents feel listened to and responded to. Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 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: SC456271 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 71 Edge End Lane, Great Harwood, Blackburn BB6 7QD

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456271 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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