Children's home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 1 SC037181 Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care and accommodation for two young people who have complex needs and behaviours.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2014.

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

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 31 October 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2017 Full Good 01/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/10/2016 Full Good 16/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 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 within the given timescales.

p.3

Requirement Due date

If the person who is in day-to-day charge of the children’s home proposes to be absent from the home for a continuous period of 28 days or more, the registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI of the proposed absence. Except in the case of an emergency or unforeseen absence, a notice under paragraph (1) must be given no later than one month before the proposed absence commences, or within such shorter period as may be agreed with HMCI; and specify with respect to the proposed absence—

p.3

Requirement Due date

its length or expected length; the reason for it; the arrangements which have been made for running the home during the absence; the address, name and qualifications of the person who will be responsible for the home during the absence; and in the case of the absence of the registered manager, the arrangements that have been, or are proposed to be, made for appointing another person to manage the home during the absence, including the proposed date by which the appointment is to be made. (Regulation 48 (1) and (2)(a)(b)) 29/06/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 29/06/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 29/06/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce plan, which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 4 completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the on-going training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of care provided by the home. The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weaknesses in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how these actions

p.3

Recommendations

will be addressed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The home must have clear arrangements in place to maintain effective management when the manager is absent, off duty or on leave. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and

p.4

Recommendations

acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality Standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11) In particular, ensure that a detailed record of young people’s meetings is made, with young people being provided with a response to their views and requests.  Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that placement plans provide details of the young person’s journey through care, their current needs and how these are being met.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in all areas of their lives from the time that they first move into the home. In particular, they achieve improved outcomes in their education, health, behaviour and contact with their friends and family. Young people said that they are happy and settled living at the home. A young person said, ‘Nothing could be better about the home.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 5 Young people benefit from good routines that support their regular attendance and engagement in education. Staff support young people with their homework and revision for exams. As a result, both young people are currently completing GCSE examinations which, due to their previous gaps in education, is a significant achievement. Young people are also helped to plan for their future when moving on to further education. Furthermore, good levels of communication and positive professional relationships

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

between the home and school staff contribute to young people’s improved outcomes in education.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have a good understanding of young people’s health and development needs. Young people are encouraged to attend routine health appointments and they receive specialist support, such as counselling and speech and language therapy, when necessary. Consequently, their health needs are well met.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are committed to helping maintain and nurture young people’s positive relationships with their families. They support and encourage young people to remember and celebrate important family events by giving cards and gifts to family members, such as for birthdays, Mother’s Day and Christmas. Staff supervise contact sessions sensitively and offer helpful emotional support to young people following contact, when necessary, so that young people can make sense of any emotions that contact may raise.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between the young people and staff are very good. The young people benefit from regular discussions with staff on issues that are relevant to them, such as self-harm and family relationships. Staff offer young people helpful advice and guidance, and this helps raise young people’s awareness and understanding of issues that may impact on them. However, recent young people’s meetings have tended to focus on menus and activities rather than using the opportunity to discuss with young people how they feel about the quality of care they receive and the development of the home.

p.5

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has experienced an unsettling time recently. The manager and staff are aware that this is due to the number of changes the young person is currently facing, for example a change to their social worker, school and the management at the home. The registered manager has now returned to work at the home and has measures in place to support the young person through this difficult period of change.

p.5

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

Young people feel safe and are kept safe from harm. The staff’s thorough safeguarding practice has meant that there have been no incidents of young people being missing from the home. Neither has there been any need to use physical intervention or to implement room searches. Furthermore, the risks young people face in relation to child sexual exploitation have reduced significantly from the previous high risk to low.

p.5

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

Young people can identify a trusted member of staff who they can talk to about any concerns, and they also know how to make a complaint and are confident to do so if Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 6 necessary. For example, one young person did make a complaint about the number of staff changes in the home. Consequently, suitable action was taken in response and staff changes are now kept to a minimum.

p.5

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

Young people have detailed and effective risk assessments that demonstrate the reduction in risk that has occurred over time. Strategies are in place to manage and reduce the risks young people face, while still encouraging them to take age-appropriate risks in order to increase their independence and ability to keep themselves safe.

p.6

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

Good health and safety practice in the home and a thorough location risk assessment help to make the home a safe place for the young people to live. Furthermore, safe recruitment practice ensures that only the most suitable staff work at the home. However, there is no evidence to confirm that all staff are suitably trained in safeguarding and other important training that helps them to keep young people safe from harm.

p.6

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

Behaviour management in the home is good and promotes positive behaviour from the young people. Rewards and incentives are in place that encourage the young people’s positive behaviour and engagement. Sanctions are fair and restorative and help the young people to change negative behaviour for the better.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. The registered manager has been off work for over 28 days, and the registered provider has failed to make arrangements to maintain effective management during her absence. Furthermore, the registered provider did not inform Ofsted of the registered manager’s absence as required.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager have high aspirations for the young people living at the home. They do all that they can to make sure that the young people receive a good quality of care. Consequently, outcomes for the young people are good. A professional said, ‘All the staff and management are offering the young person a safe, nurturing and welcoming home and this is reflected in the positive outcomes she is achieving. I have no issues with regard to this placement whatsoever .’

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is diligently addressing the recent shortfalls that arose during the period that she was off work. She has measures in place to address the shortfalls and make improvement, for example, she is ensuring that all staff receive regular supervision and that the quality of young people’s meetings is improving.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent monitoring of the home is thoroughand helps the manager to identify themes and trends, and areas for development. There is a detailed development plan in place for the home that demonstrates the registered manager’s vision for the home. However, the home does not have a workforce plan in place, and the quality of care review for the home lacks evaluation and a clear plan of action. Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 7 The registered manager and staff are aware of each young person’s needs and the strategies in place to meet them. However, placement plans for the young people are lengthy and do not adequately set out their journey through care, their current needs and how these are being met. The registered manager is aware of this and has plans to improve the quality of placement plans.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose is regularly updated to reflect changes and is sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. However, the statement of purpose includes old photographs of unknown children, with no consent in place for this. Furthermore, photographs of the home’s living room do not reflect how the room now looks.

p.7

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.7

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: SC037181 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Kensington Road, Southport, Merseyside PR9 0RT

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

p.8

Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC037181 9 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9