Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Children Limited

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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 two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The manager is suitably qualified and experienced having registered with Ofsted in October 2017.

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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 good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A compliance notice under regulation 12 was served following a monitoring visit to the home on 24 January 2018. At the monitoring visit on 23 February 2018 the provider had taken all necessary steps to comply with the notice. Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 2

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Recent inspection history

First full inspection following registration Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— promotes their welfare. 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)(b) (2)(c)) 30/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(a) (2)(a)). In particular, that appropriate information is sought about children and fully evaluated by the manager prior to their admission to the home. 30/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and understand and promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(2)(a)(ii)(iv)) In particular, that staff enable children to utilise the psychological advice made available. 31/07/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 4

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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) In particular, that the kitchen floor covering is replaced and garden fencing is either replaced or repaired.

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Recommendations

 When a child returns home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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improvement to be good

When young people join the home they make progress in various areas of their lives, including education and emotional well-being. This progress, however, is not sustained over the longer term. As a result, young people have experienced unplanned moves from the home.

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improvement to be good

Planning for young people to join the home is hindered by insufficient detailed information being sought from the local authorities. This means that the manager and staff are not fully informed about young people’s needs and cannot make reliable decisions on whether the home can adequately care for the individual young person.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to offer young people interesting and fun activities that correspond to their expressed interests. The young person new to the home has rapidly been introduced to clubs of his choice and feels welcomed and valued by the staff. In addition, he has quickly entered full-time education.

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improvement to be good

Young people who have recently left the home made variable progress in education. Staff worked hard at identifying suitable educational placements and offered appropriate levels of encouragement; however, early enthusiasm and progress made by young people was short-lived.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager create and maintain good working relationships with professionals and families. Parents, when appropriate, have felt included in the care of their children Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 5 and report an open and welcoming environment when they visit. As a result, some young people benefit from increased family contact.

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improvement to be good

Staff act as appropriate advocates for young people and actively listen to their views.

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improvement to be good

The services made available to young people include therapeutic input; however, young people do not always access or make full use of this service. As a result, their emotional progress and their behavioural responses to boundaries and expectations vary.

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improvement to be good

Young people benefit from a small and reasonably well-maintained home. There are some areas that require repair that detract from its otherwise homely feel.

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

Staff respond well to any incidents of missing from home. They are active in continuously searching for missing young people and trying to remain in contact. The young people are always spoken to by the staff following any missing incidents and advised and offered guidance with regard to staying safe. There is active liaison by the staff with appropriate agencies in order to safeguard young people.

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

On the whole, young people have been away from the home for only short periods of time and staff have up-to-date assessments to advise them on where to search for young people. However, systems do not exist to track or evaluate when independent return home interviews have been offered to young people. As a result, opportunities to better inform risk assessments are missed.

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

The risks posed to young people’s safety are well understood by the staff. However, some opportunistic behaviours, such as self-harming, that pose a risk to young people’s welfare, although recorded, do not inform written risk assessments.

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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. Since that time, the manager has improved systems of recording and introduced increased managerial oversight of staff activity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

She is present within the home and offers a good level of both formal and informal support to staff. Her understanding of young people and their plans is detailed and she quickly establishes relationships with them that appropriately continue after their discharge. This makes young people feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager encourages a reflective and self-critical approach to reviewing the care offered by staff, learning from incidents and when young people’s placements have come to an end in an unplanned way. A newly established staff team is encouraged to continuously improve. Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 6 The manager is aware of the problems identified in previous admissions of young people and is open to learning and improving the services offered to young people. Although there is a well-planned training schedule available to staff, the skills, training and knowledge-base of staff have not reflected the needs of young people placed in the home. For example, staff are not trained regarding mental health issues for young people.

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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: 1240843 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Care 4 Children, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury Park Industrial Estate, Bredbury, Stockport SK6 2SR

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Inspector

Pauline Yates, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240843 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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