Children's home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Preston

Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 1 SC058622 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who have a mild to severe learning disability. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2007.

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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: 27 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2017 Full Good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/12/2016 Full Good 22/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 3

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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.

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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)) 27/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46(1)(2)) 27/07/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a workforce development plan in place that details the arrangements in place in relation to the workforce related requirements of regulation 16. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Staff should record information on individual children that will be helpful to them and others. (‘Guide to children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4.) In particular, this is in relation to the transition of young people from the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with a high level of care and support, which helps to improve their overall experience and progress. There are warm, nurturing relationships between the young people and staff that help young people to thrive. A parent said, ‘My son is doing amazing. He is happy, settled and calm. He has made a lot of progress in such a short space of time since moving into the home.’ The young people have learning disabilities and/or complex needs. Staff support young people to attend school regularly with the necessary equipment to successfully support their attendance. Young people make measured progress in education based on their academic ability. School staff say that young people’s confidence, independence and social skills have significantly developed. Staff work collaboratively with other professionals to produce in-depth education healthcare plans that make sure young people’s special educational needs are fully supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand young people’s complex health and development needs. All of the staff have completed specialist learning disability training. This training helps them to make sure that young people’s health and development needs are met well. The involvement of the company clinical psychologist provides vital support and intervention. The clinical psychologist has oversight of young people’s plans and assessments and contributes to these. She has a very good understanding of each young person’s needs and she helps the manager and staff to plan care in a way that best helps young people to progress and develop. The manager receives clinical supervision that he finds very beneficial and which assists him to support the staff team and young people well. Transitions for young people moving into and out of the home are carefully planned. The manager and staff are aware of the anxieties that moving home can cause young

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

people, so they make sure that transitions are as smooth as possible. Good use of assessments and planning documents means that young people usually experience very positive moves. However, one young person moving out of the home did not have a written transition plan. This was not helpful to the young person or his new carers. Staff spend a considerable amount of time with young people. They understand how each young person communicates and they regularly seek their views, wishes and feelings about the care that they receive during young people’s meetings and key-work sessions. Staff encourage young people to take part in a wide range of activities that are not only fun for them, but help to build their confidence, independence and social skills. Staff have established positive relationships with young people’s families. Very good arrangements are in place for young people to spend quality time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family members value the efforts that staff make to enable them to spend meaningful time with their children. Staff make sure that young people can celebrate important family events with their families, such as birthdays and Christmas. Staff create a warm and nurturing environment. Young people’s bedrooms are personalised and decorated to their individual taste. The manager accepts that the Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 5 home’s decor is tired and worn. However, the home is relocating to new premises, so all efforts are focused on making the new home a nice place for young people to live.

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

Young people are safe and protected because staff give the highest priority to their safety and well-being. All staff are trained in safeguarding young people who have learning disabilities and/or complex needs. Staff provide a high level of supervision and support, which helps to keep young people safe. Individual risk assessments for young people are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that any changes are assessed and recorded. This information is shared with the staff team, other professionals and family members. This contributes to young people receiving a consistent level of care that keeps them safe from harm. Staff know when young people are anxious because they know them well. Individual positive behaviour plans help staff to identify when young people are unsettled or anxious and set out the actions that staff must take to support young people appropriately. This helps young people to manage their behaviour in a calmer way, and

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

for one young person it has helped to reduce the frequency and the severity of incidents of self-harm. Staff have a good knowledge of the safeguarding issues in the community that could impact on the safety and well-being of the young people. The manager has good links with safeguarding professionals, such as the local police community support officer and the local authority safeguarding board, who share information and intelligence about the local area. However, the home’s location risk assessment has not been updated with this information in line with regulation. New staff who are employed at the home are subject to safe recruitment procedures. They do not start to work at the home until all appropriate checks are complete. These checks ensure that only the most suitable people who are assessed as safe care for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a very experienced and suitably qualified manager. The manager has a very good understanding of the young people’s needs and is fully involved in their care. He is well supported by a long-standing, highly committed and competent staff team that shares his motivation for achieving the best possible outcomes for the young people. Staff feel very well supported by their manager. They receive regular supervision that allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people in their care. Monthly staff meetings provide a forum for staff to discuss young people’s needs and to progress and plan their care appropriately. Furthermore, staff receive a good level of training and a range of development opportunities that help to improve their practice and the quality of care that they provided to young people. The manager and staff have established strong working relationships with all of the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 6 professionals and family members who are involved in the young people’s care. Staff work closely with schools, social workers and family members to make sure that young people receive the most appropriate care and intervention to meet their needs. Feedback from professionals and family members is positive, praising the manager and staff’s commitment, young people’s progress and the effective communication between them. The home’s statement of purpose is child focused and specifies how the home provides individualised care to meet the quality standards for the young people in their care. However, the statement of purpose was not updated when a new member of staff started work at the home. Furthermore, the most up-to-date statement of purpose was not sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. The registered manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

action is taken to address shortfalls and build on strengths quickly. The manager has a clear vision for the home and for developing the service, but he has not recorded this in a formal development plan. There is no current workforce plan in place that fulfils the workforce-related requirements of regulations for children’s homes.

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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: SC058622 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Families@Familycare Ltd, Old Mill House, 60 School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston PR5 6QE

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Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC058622 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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