Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 1 SC010090 Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has two houses on one site. It is registered to take up to four children and young people of either gender with a variety of needs. The home will consider children and young people who:  are victims of abuse, whether physical, sexual or emotional  are going through some form of crisis in their lives  have complex behavioural difficulties which have an impact on their well-being  are at risk of exploitation  have offending or anti-social behaviour.

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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/08/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 11/07/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 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

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

p.3

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. That the home’s day-to- day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(b)) 29/08/2018

p.3

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 —

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (2)(f)) 29/08/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.3

Requirement Due date

that there are arrangements in place to ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(ii)) 29/08/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 4 In particular, that all young people’s needs are fully assessed and considered when placing new young people in the home.

p.3

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child needs additional health or well-being support, staff should work with the child’s placing authority and other agencies to enable proper and immediate access to any specialist service and that specialist advice is used to inform practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards, page 34, paragraph 7.10)

p.4

Recommendations

 The ethos of the home should support each child to learn, emphasising the value of independent study and reading for enjoyment. The home must make available suitable facilities, equipment and resources for learning. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18) In particular, ensure that each child receives an educational daily routine and has access to educational resources during the school day if they are not accessing full-time education.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people make good progress living here. Children and young people recognise the progress that they make. They enjoy a nurturing environment and have strong and trusting relationships with staff. Children and young people say that they are happy living here.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer consistent care to the children and young people. They work effectively together to ensure that children receive positive messages. Staff empower children and young people to take responsibility for their behaviours and choices and, as a result, children learn to self-regulate their emotions. Children and young people say that this makes them feel happier.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s records are maintained to a good standard. They are child- focused and provide the reader with a good insight into the child’s journey. However, the information contained in the records is not always analysed. In particular, this relates to initial referral information and care planning. Consequently, key information is not adequately assessed and understood.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children and young people to establish and maintain positive friendships with their friends and family. Young people also have access to a variety of activities that help build their social skills, confidence and self-esteem. Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 5 Children and young people attend education, with one young person successfully finishing school who now has plans in place to attend college. Although some children and young people have access to a reduced timetable, this is due to their previous disengagement from school. In these instances, children and young people make good progress. However, they do not benefit from a structured daily educational routine at times when they are not in school.

p.4

improvement to be good

The home’s response to several recent serious incidents at the home was not robust enough. Some decision-making increased risks for vulnerable children and young people, which resulted in children and young people not feeling safe.

p.5

improvement to be good

Risk assessments and plans do not always contain all the relevant information to manage risks. Because of this, risk-taking behaviours escalate and the plans in place to reduce these risks are not effective.

p.5

improvement to be good

When staff understand the risks to children, they manage these well. They work with partner agencies and their plans are clear. As a result, children reduce their risk-taking behaviour and their outcomes improve.

p.5

improvement to be good

The majority of the children and young people move on from the home in a planned way. However, when emergency moves have been necessary, placements have ended suddenly. This has been in relation to safeguarding concerns. Managers have missed opportunities to manage these concerns in a planned and supportive way.

p.5

improvement to be good

Children receive the support and help that they need to meet their health needs. Staff recognise the improvements that children are making. However, in some instances external support is not always considered, or accessed, in a timely way.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team is passionate about and committed to delivering a high standard of care and support. Its members lead by example and show good leadership and management knowledge and skills.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of practice is of a good standard. However, in some instances management decisions have had a detrimental impact on the outcomes for children and young people. Managers demonstrate an ability in these instances to reflect on their practice and take remedial action.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are complimentary about their managers. They feel supported and valued. They benefit from regular supervision, and day-to-day support is also good. Children and young people also speak highly of managers and staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 6 In addition, professionals are complimentary about the home. One social worker said, ‘The thing that has stood out for me has been the staff’s commitment to [name of young person]. They have supported her through difficult times and never given up on her. The staff all strive to ensure that [name of young person’s] needs are met and promoted, but also that she achieves to her potential. [Name of young person] is now ready to move on to semi-independence due to the work and commitment of the team that has supported her.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive effective training that enhances their practice. The training helps staff to have a good insight into children and young people’s needs. This provides staff with the confidence that they need to understand complex behaviours. As a result, they are able to help children and young people work through these.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff strive to promote positive outcomes for children and young people. They recognise that each child is different, and they support children to achieve their goals. As a result, children and young people grow in confidence and make good progress.

p.6

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.6

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: SC010090 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, 2 Wyther Lane, Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS5 3BT

p.7

Inspector

Lisa Gregoire-Parker, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC010090 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