Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 1 SC063103 Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Ltd

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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 run by a privately owned company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children or young people who have learning disabilities.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 14 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2017 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 30/11/2016 Full Outstanding 25/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 2

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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 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‘s home— that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential, and; promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to— ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. This is with specific reference to recruiting a sufficient number of staff to the core team and reducing the over-reliance on the manager covering shifts. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2(d)) 14/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

Behaviour management policies and records The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child‘s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (―the user‖), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person

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Requirement Due date

to do so (―the authorised person‖)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and 14/09/2018 Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 3 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i–viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Review of quality of care The registered person must— supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(1)(4)(a)) 14/09/2018

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Recommendations

 Specifically relating to direct work. Under regulation 6(3) it is expected that in establishing whether the care meets the child‘s needs, the child will be appropriately supported throughout the care and given opportunities to discuss the impact of the care, or any changes they feel they might need to it. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 18, paragraph 3.31)  Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home‘s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that written plans outline young people‘s needs, and detail how young people are being prepared for independence.  Ensure that all children‘s case records are kept up to date. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive consistently good care which meets their day-to-day needs and supports their ongoing progress. They are provided with a high standard of accommodation and regular opportunities to enjoy fun and fulfilling activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from security and stability. There is a low turnover of staff, which means that young people are cared for by people who know them well and understand their needs. Careful consideration is given to the needs of any new young people and the impact that they will have on the existing group of young people, before agreeing to Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 4 offer them a place. As a result, young people‘s placements do not break down.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of young people‘s needs. They are able to confidently describe the support that young people require in all aspects of their daily lives. Comprehensive care plans are in place that provide staff with guidance and help in tracking young people‘s progress. Work is currently ongoing to streamline these documents to reduce the risks of information being duplicated and make them easier to navigate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff from the home work effectively with schools, to ensure that young people benefit from consistent learning. All the young people are in full-time education and achieve good attendance consistently. Their learning programmes, which are based on areas such as independent living skills, are supported in the home environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that young people are supported to express their views and opinions about their care. Staff have a good understanding of young people‘s individual methods of communication and ensure that information is available to them in meaningful formats. For example, pictorial staff rotas, menus and care plans are in place, and are used regularly by the young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The standard of direct work carried out with young people is variable. There are some good examples, such as sessions recently carried out with one young person who is due to move on to adult services. However, other areas that are important to young people are not addressed consistently. The registered manager has identified this as an area for development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A young person recently moved out of the home in a planned move to adult services. The registered manager and staff worked closely with the young person‘s new service, assisting them to get to know him and develop his care plan. A similar level of support has been provided for a young person who recently moved into the home. The registered manager ensured that an effective assessment took place so that staff had a good understanding of her needs. An external professional involved in this process said, ‗They have supported her through a difficult transition, which has resulted in the development of good and trusted relationships and enabled her to settle very quickly into placement.‘

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

Staff ensure that young people are safe and that their well-being is consistently promoted. Young people benefit from well-planned care which is provided in a safe environment.

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

There are effective safeguarding arrangements in place. All staff receive safeguarding training at the start of their employment, which is regularly updated. Staff demonstrate understanding of the organisation‘s whistle-blowing procedures, and report that they have confidence in the management team‘s ability to deal with any safeguarding Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 5 concerns appropriately.

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

The registered manager and staff know young people well, and are able to identify risks to their safety and well-being. Risk assessments are in place which provide guidance in maintaining young people‘s safety inside and outside the home. These could be improved by ensuring that they are updated with new information as soon as it is known.

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

Staff have good insight into young people‘s behaviours. Individualised support plans provide staff with clear strategies around how to approach young people‘s behaviours. This consistent support assists young people to develop safer and more appropriate behaviours over time.

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

There are clear records of any incidents that result in physical restraint. All incidents of restraint are recorded and reviewed by the registered manager. However, records of debriefs provided for staff who have been involved in incidents are inconsistent and require improvement. Effective debriefs support a consistent and professional approach and help to safeguard young people from inappropriate or excessive restraint.

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

Young people are encouraged to reflect on negative behaviours and, on some occasions, are requested to make reparation. In most cases, any such measures are clearly recorded and monitored by the registered manager to ensure that they are fair and proportionate. However, a small number of examples were identified where consequences had not been appropriately recorded. A recommendation is raised to support improvement in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager who has been registered since October 2012. The registered manager consistently demonstrates strong leadership and good outcomes for young people in her care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback about the registered manager is highly positive. Young people‘s families and external professionals speak highly of the registered manager and express confidence in her ability to manage the home safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they feel well supported and express satisfaction with the standard of training and supervision they receive. They describe the registered manager as approachable and express confidence in her leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has experienced some ongoing difficulties with the recruitment of staff. This has resulted in the registered manager losing some management time, as she has been required to work care shifts in the home. To her credit, this has not significantly impacted on the quality of her day-to-day management or the quality of care provided for young people. However, this has been an ongoing issue which must be addressed to ensure that the management of the home remains safe and effective. Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 6 The registered manager makes effective use of most internal monitoring systems. However, the six-month formal review of the service remains outstanding. This is an important process which enables the registered manager to identify the home‘s strengths and areas that would benefit from further development. A requirement is raised in relation to this matter.

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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: SC063103 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley: social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC063103 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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