Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 1 SC039683 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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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 home is one of several operated by the local authority. The home provides accommodation for up to six children between the ages of 11 and 17. The registered manager has been in post 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2017 Full Good 05/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 29/04/2016 Full Good 09/12/2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 4

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Recommendations

 Staff must also be familiar with information sharing requirements relating to the children they care for. They should have access to the information sharing policy and procedures specified by the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) for the area where the home is located. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.7)

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Recommendations

This is in particular regard to the role and remit of the designated officer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a nicely decorated home with bedrooms that are decorated to reflect the individual style and taste of children. Young people personalise their bedrooms with the support of staff, and this helps them to develop a sense of belonging in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make very good progress in their educational achievements. Some children have refused to attend school in the past, but since they have been living at this children’s home their attendance has improved. Children are encouraged and supported to engage with work placements and experiences. One child is working in a hairdressers and another at an animal shelter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make very good progress in developing their skills in independence and are encouraged and supported to develop their skills in budgeting, cooking and preparing for the world of work. One child who does not have English as their first language has support from an interpreter to further support his development and understanding of independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities on a day-to-day basis to learn, meet friends and have fun. Children take part in activities such as driving experiences, concerts and attending a youth club. Staff understand the children’s likes and dislikes and ensure that children have one-to-one time with staff, as well as time with their friends. Staff also encourage group activities with other children in the home, and this further develops a sense of belonging and ‘family’ within the home. All children enjoy holidays that are planned specifically in line with their own individual interests, such as a pony trekking holiday, and they will all also attend a group activity holiday with all the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At times, there are difficulties between the children and in their group dynamics that can lead to incidents of bullying. When this happens, the manager and staff undertake group and individual work with children, including mediation. Additionally, the staff liaise with social workers and families to encourage and support relationships restoratively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly update and review care plans for children. However, some plans for young people are inconsistent, duplicated or confusing. Children’s records are also Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 5 disorganised, which can make finding the most relevant up-to-date information difficult.

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

Staff help children to understand risk and how to stay safe. They have a good understanding of the children’s needs and use well-written and clear risk assessments to support children inside and outside of the home.

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

The registered manager is proactive in responding to safeguarding incidents and takes decisive and effective action. The manager and staff work well with other professionals to ensure that there is a collaborative approach to keeping children safe. However, sometimes information is not shared with the appropriate professional. For example, information shared with the police was not sent directly to the missing from home coordinator. This can result in a delay in agencies getting the right information immediately.

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

A strength of this home is the work undertaken with children to help them to manage and understand their feelings and to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe. Creative work is undertaken in the form of direct work and ‘look books’ to help children to develop their awareness and confidence in relationships, sexual health and identity.

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

One child is diagnosed with epilepsy and has daily medication for this. Staff and the young person undertook training together in how to manage epilepsy and how to administer medication to ensure that they are all aware of best practice in managing this condition. Despite this, the inspector found an incorrect entry in the recording of medication and found that there is insufficient management oversight and monitoring of medication by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a qualified social worker, who is experienced and has a strong commitment to improving outcomes for children. She is supported by two equally experienced and dedicated deputy managers. Together, the management team members lead a team of staff who have high aspirations for children and a good understanding of children’s needs, and who are motivated and passionate in the support they provide to children. Because of this, relationships between the children and staff are sincere and positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have well-developed and intuitive skills in engaging with children who have experienced significant trauma and abuse. One member of the child sexual exploitation team told the inspector that she observed staff cleverly engaging with a young person and having the ‘right balance’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A parent told the inspector that she has seen improvements in her child in a short space of time and that she has good relationships with the manager and the staff. ‘If they need to tell me something, they do so straight away. If I have a problem, I can sit down with Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 6 the managers and they listen to me.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers and have regular supervision. An area of development recognised by the managers is to improve the quality of the de-brief process for staff following serious incidents to help staff’s learning and reflection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training is good. Staff undertake regular training including specific training to meet the needs of children, such as training in relation to self-harm. Recruitment processes are robust, which means that children are cared for by suitably checked and verified staff.

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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: SC039683 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC039683 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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