Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 1 SC477853 Registered provider: Inspire 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

This privately run children’s home can accommodate two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified manager in post, who was registered with Ofsted on 16 February 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 December 2018

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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: 14 September 2017

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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: SC477853 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/09/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Full Good 29/09/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/02/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  Staff should understand their important role in encouraging the young person to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage young people to keep appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living in the home and help them record significant life events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) This relates to one young person in the home, who is not yet ready to complete any lifework. However, with continued encouragement from

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a warm, friendly environment. Staff support and encourage the young people living in their home to personalise their bedrooms. One young person loves to use gadgets. In his bedroom he has an Amazon Echo voice-controlled device called Alexa, using this, he can change the colour of his light bulb and he was keen to show this to me during inspection. The other young person loves her bedroom and she also has a pet rabbit, which she cares for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people very well and have positive relationships with them. Throughout the inspection, good relationships were observed between the staff and young people. The staff ensure that there are clear, consistent boundaries in place. This helps the young people to develop strategies to manage difficult feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend school, and both have excellent attendance and punctuality. Staff take the young people to school and collect them. Both young people have made progress in school over the last year. School staff are complimentary about the support offered by the staff team. The pastoral teacher at one young person’s school said, ‘The fantastic nature of the children’s home really helps. She has developed good relationships with the staff team. Living in the home really suits [Name].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people enjoy good health, and staff support them to attend all appointments. Staff ensure that the young people have detailed health plans in place which identify their individual needs and the ways in which staff will meet these. Staff have supported one young person through a time where he ceased taking his medication. However, Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 4 following a medication review, the young person showed maturity and realised he needed to start taking it again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people are regularly consulted on their views and they feel listened to. Staff have key-work sessions with the young people. They discuss a selection of topics, including keeping safe. The young people take part in their house meetings. Both young people spoken to during inspection reported that they do feel listened to. The young people in the home know how to make a complaint if they need to. They have been offered the services of an advocate but have chosen not to take this up.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the young people to access activities in the local area. One young person attends ‘hook and jab’, a boxing fitness class and Cadets every week. Another young person uses his free time to volunteer in the local cat protection league service and he has secured a part-time job at weekends. Both young people enjoy their activities and feel supported by the staff to attend and take part in these. The young people also enjoyed a recent holiday abroad with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One of the young people currently living in the home moved in after a detailed plan was put in place. This plan involved introductory visits and the opportunity for the young person to choose the decor of her room. This young person’s social worker commented, ‘The transition plan was very good. [Name] was concerned about moving into a children’s home, but the staff have worked tirelessly with her. This has ensured she has settled in well and feels completely at home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff transport the young people to see their family members and they collect them. Staff also ensure that the young people can keep in touch with their families by telephone and also using a video and audio calling application called Facetime.

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

Staff know the young people well. Staff understand and manage their risks. Risk assessments are comprehensive and regularly updated. The young people reported that they feel safe living in the home.

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

Staff show good insight into the needs of the young people. The young people know who their key workers are, and they can talk to them about issues affecting them. Young people are taking age-appropriate risks as part of the development of their independent living skills. For example, one young person has secured a part-time job and a voluntary position. The young person has ensured that he is able to travel independently to these places of work. Staff will still support and collect him if needed.

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

Since the last inspection, there were a small number of incidents when young people went missing from the home. Staff know what to do if young people go missing. They follow procedures. Staff search for the young person. They inform police, placing authority and the young person’s family and record all required information. The young people who currently live in the home are settled and they have not gone missing. However, there are risk assessments in place with clear actions for staff follow if young Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 5 people were to go missing.

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

The staff know the young people well and know their triggers. The young people have incentives and positive behaviour is encouraged and rewarded. Incidents in the home are well managed and staff use appropriate de-escalation techniques. There has been minimal use of physical interventions since the last inspection. These were low level and used to ensure the safety of the young people. Internet safety is a top priority in the home.

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

The home environment for the young people is safe. Staff recruitment is rigorous and is carried out in accordance with safer recruitment policies. This helps to ensure the safety and well-being of the young people living in the home. The staff ensure that medication for the young people is stored safely and securely. Medication is given to the young people according to their individual health plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A suitably qualified manager runs the home and has the support of an experienced deputy. The manager has high expectations for what young people can achieve. He ensures that staff provide an excellent standard of care, which contributes to the young people making good progress. The manager has a very child-focused approach and knows the young people very well. He has high but clear standards for his staff and, as a result, the home is fully meeting the aims and objectives in its statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that plans for individual young people identify their needs. He works positively with other agencies and professionals. The manager monitors the progress of the young people and can demonstrate the positive effect that living in the home has had on them. Case recording is good and reflects the young people’s everyday lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The members of the staff team are all appropriately trained and feel supported in their roles. The staff team members work well together. Supervision and appraisal are regular and of good quality. All staff have received mandatory training and additional training specific to caring for the young people in the home. Team meetings are held monthly, and the staff have the opportunity to discuss research.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively reviews the quality of care. He values the role of the independent visitor to the home. He identifies areas for development within the home. The manager has ensured that effective action has been taken to address the requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection. The manager has reflected on a previous transition for a young person who was only living in the home for a short time. The manager has identified learning from this experience and a recommendation has been made to reflect this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that notifications of significant events are made to the appropriate authorities. The manager has close links with the community police offer. This officer visits the home monthly and gives crime statistics for the area. The manager works Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 6 closely with the placing authorities for the young people in placement. He will challenge local authorities if key documents are not provided for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager actively promotes equality and diversity in the home. Young people have plenty of opportunities to discuss issues in these areas. Lifework is ongoing for one young person to help him understand his journey while living in the home. Similar work has begun for another young person but needs further development. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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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: SC477853 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Jenny Brady, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC477853 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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