Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Sheffield

Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 1 SC066010 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Knowsley House is owned by a private company. The home can accommodate up to four children or young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home can provide care and accommodation for those who may have criminal records and/or be subject to legal orders.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The staff are committed to working with other relevant services so that children and young people receive the right level of care. The overall aim is to provide a high-quality, consistent and child-centred approach so that children and young people fulfil their potential. This includes giving children and young people opportunities to work and play together in a nurturing and safe environment

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The current manager has been in post for approximately one year. He has applied to Ofsted for registration. The application has been delayed and it is in the final stages of the decision-making process.

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: 19 June 2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 2 Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/09/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/04/2016 Full Good 23/11/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 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, the 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

Full and satisfactory information must be available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 31/08/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing 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)

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit from relationships with the staff that are sincere and positive. The young people experience responses from the staff that are warm and compassionate. Consequently, the young people feel that the staff care about them. The young people are supported to learn and reflect about their experiences and think about what they want for their future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As well as providing a nurturing environment, the staff prioritise the education of the young people. Links with local agencies help the young people to access educational programmes that meet their individual needs. The staff are successful at improving educational outcomes for the young people. If a young person is excluded, every attempt is made to ensure that the young person continues to learn until they return to school. Creative use is made of a gardening project and garage renovation to develop the young people’s practical life skills. There is a plan to extend this to automobile mechanics in the future. Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 4 The young people learn to undertake household chores and become proficient at using public transport independently. Financial budgeting is promoted and takes account of the risks that the young people may spend money inappropriately. The range of experiences

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that the young people have helps them towards the transition to adulthood. The staff appreciate that the young people benefit from a holistic approach to their education.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people have a good say in how the home is run. Through day-to-day conversation, regular meetings and key-work sessions with staff, the young people’s views are taken account of. The young people’s wishes are reflected in the decor, items for the home, the garden project and their care plans.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are supportive at promoting contact and helping the young people maintain and develop important relationships with their family and friends. This is especially important as the young people are placed out of area and it promotes their sense of identity and family belonging.

p.4

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

The young people have a safe place to live. The staff know and understand the young people’s individual vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to protect them from harm. The staff realise that they need to promote the young people’s independence and support them to take appropriate risks as well as keeping them safe.

p.4

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

Through regular discussion and use of resources, the staff help the young people to understand risks and how inappropriate behaviour can lead to difficulties. The staff are tuned-in to the young people’s emotional well-being and provide good levels of support. Care practice is based on well-written risk assessments that support the young people’s safety.

p.4

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

Behaviour management is personalised to each young person and the staff are successful in reducing the level of challenging behaviour. The staff will stand by the young people when others have let them down. This is supported through regular, informal police visits to the home.

p.4

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

The manager ensures that the matching of young people is appropriate. This takes account of risks in the local area as well as balancing all the young people’s needs and their individual risks to each other.

p.4

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

The young people go missing from the home much less than they used to. When it does happen, the staff consistently follow the young people’s individual action plans and ensure that they return safely. The manager is proactive at ensuring that the young people have someone independent to talk to about the times they are missing from home. Feedback from these discussions is not available, even in summary form, to inform future care plans and risk assessments.

p.4

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

The staff undertake training in a range of safeguarding issues, which increases their knowledge about the ways that the young people can be exploited, for example through gang affiliation. There is good information-sharing with the local police about the young Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 5 people and any local risks, such as dangerous locations and unsuitable adults to be avoided.

p.4

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

There is a thorough recruitment process in place. When the registered provider’s own reference form is not used, the information about the suitability of staff is not of as good a quality. This is particularly so when staff have previously worked with vulnerable children and young people. These gaps in information-gathering are uncommon and at this inspection did not place the young people at risk of harm, but has the potential to do so in the future.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and was previously registered with Ofsted. He has a strong commitment to improving the lives of young people and has improved the management of the home since he started a year ago.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Under his leadership, he has developed a cohesive staff team that has high aspirations for young people. The staff are motivated to support the young people to do well. The staff have a good understanding of the young people’s needs and use this knowledge to individualise the care that the young people receive.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has firmly established himself, and his leadership is supported by a deputy manager. The decision-making about referrals is better, the support and supervision of the staff have improved and there is a new system for tracking the progress and achievements of the young people.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are systematic arrangements for monitoring the standards of practice and management of the home. Consequently, the manager has a good oversight of the day- to-day care of the young people. He ensures that recommendations from independent and internal monitoring are followed up and he has complied with the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with other professionals, placing authorities and local services to secure good all-round support for each young person. He advocates well for young people and will challenge others when necessary to ensure that the young people’s needs are promoted.

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 Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 6 after.

p.5

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: SC066010 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

p.7

Inspector

Simon Morley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066010 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