Children's Home run by Milestones Care Homes Ltd in Wirral

Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 1 SC065780 Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes 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

This is a privately owned children‘s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 15 February 2016.

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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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 2 23/05/2017 Full Inadequate 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/04/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 3

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Statutory requirement

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 maintain records (―case records‖) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)(c)) 06/08/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff recognise the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or other direct work. Staff in children‘s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  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: – detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home‘s Statement of Purpose; – detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction,

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Recommendations

probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); – detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; – detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33(4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 4 The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing 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)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a safe, nurturing and comfortable home. They are receiving a good quality of care that is bringing structure, reliability and emotional security to their lives. Young people like living in the home. and describe it as ‗a great place to live‘ and ‗chilled‘.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive relationships exist between staff and young people and this has contributed to the progress that young people have made. The emotional attachments young people have formed with each other and staff are very apparent. A young person said, ‗I feel loved.‘

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have an in-depth understanding of the barriers to education. They work closely with education professionals and never give up, despite the young people‘s reluctance to attend education provisions. An education professional commented, ‗The staff put the young people‘s education at the forefront, they listen to young people and are proactive at looking at what works for individual young people.‘

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to the progress and welfare of young people, whatever the challenges that the young people‘s behaviours may bring. The young people are given positive and affirming messages about their self-worth and value to others. A young person commented, ‗The staff here fight your corner for you, they really care.‘

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning for all young people joining the home is a real strength of the manager and staff team. The manager and staff are aware of the anxieties that moving home can cause young people and they have a real skill in supporting them to move into this home. Good use of assessments and planning documents, along with positive relationships with commissioners and social workers, means that young people move into this home positively. The manager is assertive and challenges placing authorities to ensure that young people have pathway plans, and that they are supported appropriately with the transition out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well prepared for independence. Staff ensure that each young person has an individual independence plan. This plan provides the detail of what young people can do and what areas they still need to develop. As a result, they learn a wide range of skills that they will require for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consultation with young people is a strength of the service. Their input is sought in all Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 5 aspects of the work undertaken. Young people said that they value this and feel listened to.

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

Young people live in a safe place and are protected from harm. They feel safe and can talk to members of staff if they are worried or upset. The registered manager and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting young people.

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

Staff undertake a good range of direct work with young people on how to keep themselves safe, such as internet safety and the safe use of social media sites. This direct work ensures that young people are educated about the current risks and are supported to keep themselves safe from harm.

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

There are occasions when young people go missing. Protocols are in place for such events and these are precisely followed by staff to safeguard young people as swiftly as possible. An arrangement is in place for an independent organisation to meet with any young person who has been missing on the young person‘s return. This takes place on each occasion, and is an opportunity to support young people to understand the risks that they may expose themselves to and talk to them directly about other support systems that are in place.

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

Staff promote acceptable behaviour based on positive relationships with young people. They provide young people with clear and unambiguous expectations regarding their behaviour. Staff continuously praise, reward and celebrate young people‘s achievements. Staff are acutely aware of the young people‘s anxieties and the stresses in their lives. Staff work tirelessly to help young people to overcome these anxieties. A parent said, ‗The staff are excellent at very quickly and kindly managing to deal with very bad behaviour.‘

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

Staff have created photograph journals for a young person who is due to leave the home; these show activities, day-to-day achievements and celebrations that the young person has attended. However, the journals are created near the end of a young person‘s stay in the home, not as part of ongoing life-story work. The journals are not only a lasting memory for the young people, but they can also be used very effectively to the show progress young people have made.

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

The physical environment is safe and protects young people from accidental injury. Health and safety processes are robust. Each young person has a detailed individual risk assessment that the staff understand. As a result, staff can take all necessary steps to reduce the likelihood of young people being at risk of harm.

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

Staff recruitment is safe. All staff are carefully vetted before starting in the home. This ensures that young people are cared for by people who are assessed as safe. It was pleasing to see young people take part in the recruitment process by interviewing prospective staff members. Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively and efficiently by a permanent, suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. She leads by example and is actively involved in all the home‘s operations. This enables her to monitor everyday practice at the home because she works alongside colleagues and young people. The young people, fellow professionals, parents and staff spoke highly of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they feel supported in their roles. They say that managers are approachable and freely give advice and guidance. The registered manager undertakes good-quality practice-related supervision with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency working is evident in the home. Professionals and parents were all highly complimentary about the quality and standard of care provided for all young people. Staff have high, but realistic, aspirations for the young people. They confidently challenge others when they feel that a young person is not getting the support that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although there had been some improvements in the records, this is an area that requires improvement. For example, relevant paperwork had not been completed after a room search had been carried out. This was at odds with the home‘s policy on room searches. This recording oversight did not detract from the good safeguarding response that led to the room search. Furthermore, the home‘s workforce development plan needs to show the current qualifications and training completed by staff, and would benefit from evidencing consultation with stakeholders and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems at the home help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team. Action to address shortfalls and build on strengths is taken quickly.

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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 Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 7 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: SC065780 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 32 Fieldway, Maghull, Liverpool, Lancashire L31 5NB

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Inspector

Elaine Allison: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC065780 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 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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