Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in Sefton

Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 1 SC040785 Registered provider: PIC Children‟s Services 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 one of several owned by a private company. The home is registered to care for two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager for this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/07/2017 Full Good 23/01/2017 Interim Not judged 07/07/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure ─

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished, and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(d)) 24/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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 young person‟s home that— uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1) and (2)(h)) 24/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the young person‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (1) and (3)(a)(b)) 24/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles 24/09/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 4 appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 44: Independent person: visits and reports

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person‟s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‟s opinion as to whether— (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and (b) the conduct of the home promotes children‟s well-being. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent report to HMCI

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b) and (7)(a) 24/09/2018

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improvement to be good

Currently, there are no young people living in the home. The last young person left the home on 18 August 2018. Her overall progress since living at the home has deteriorated. Leaders and managers worked with the local authority to find an alternative placement because her needs could no longer be met in this home.

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improvement to be good

Although the young person made initial progress, this declined significantly in the last six months. Staff were unable to meet her complex needs and keep her safe in the local community. A social worker confirmed this and said, „They couldn‟t have done any more. Extremely difficult risks to manage in the local area in relation to [the] young person and risks of sexual exploitation. We applied for a deprivation of liberty order and the home could not work within the confines of the order.‟

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improvement to be good

In the main, the home presents as clean and tidy with a domestic, homely feel. However, the carpet in the young person‟s bedroom had burn marks on it and the back garden of the home is cluttered with rubbish bags. The responsible individual should ensure that these matters are addressed prior to any other child or young person coming to reside at the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff were not provided with clear strategies to safeguard the young person while she was living in the home. A directive from the family court instructed that the young person be cared for on a 2:1 staffing ratio. This was not identified in the home‟s placement plan, nor did the rotas within the home clearly show that this directive was being followed. Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 5 Staff said that they enjoyed working with the young person, but also said that they found the complex behaviours and related risks difficult to manage.

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improvement to be good

Members of staff and the previous registered manager worked alongside other professionals, agencies and parents in reviewing strategies to try to reduce risk-taking behaviours. Despite this, members of staff were not always able to prevent prolonged absences of missing from home, which compromised the young person‟s safety and well- being.

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improvement to be good

The transition for the young person into her new home was well managed. Staff explained the reasons for her move sensitively and explained to her the reasons for the deprivation of liberty order. This helped to allay any fears that the young person had of moving out of the area she resided in.

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

The home does not have a registered manager. The previous registered manager left her employment in the home on 27 July 2018. Since her departure, there has been no monitoring of the quality of care provided. Records about the young person‟s care are not scrutinised for errors or factual inaccuracies. Written records completed by staff do not have any management oversight, for example missing from care and serious incident records. The lack of monitoring and oversight of these records means that it is not possible to identify possible trends and patterns in the young person‟s behaviour and/or in staff‟s practice.

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

Staff supervisions have not taken place within the provider‟s own timescales. This does not provide sufficient opportunities to review whether, or how, staff are contributing to young people achieving improved outcomes.

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

Internal monitoring and auditing of the home and evaluation of the quality of care have not been consistent. Reports relating to the quality of care have not routinely been received by the regulatory body and within the required timescale. This compromises the ability of the manager to identify shortfalls and areas for improvement.

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

Core members of staff have remained committed to the young people; however, members of staff from other homes have covered shifts, and this affected the quality of care and engagement with the young person. There is a focused effort to recruit to the manager‟s post, and the responsible individual indicated that the plans were for a young person to move from one of the provider‟s other homes with his present staff team. Furthermore, the home‟s statement of purpose has not been updated to show the management and staffing details.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 6 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: SC040785 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children‟s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Elaine Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC040785 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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