Children's Home run by Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 1 SC063284 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since October 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 December 2018

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 20 September 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/12/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 3

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the knowledge, skills and training to enable them to play a full role in undertaking life story work to help children understand who they are, where they come from and what has happened to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people receive exceptional individualised support that has given them stability and improved their lives. All the young people have lived here for over a year. During this time, young people with complex emotional needs have made remarkable and sustained progress in every aspect of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff’s friendly and compassionate way of working has helped them to build positive relationships with young people who have previously found it difficult to trust adults. The staff put young people at ease and this is instrumental in young people having a strong sense of belonging. A young person said, ‘This is a good place to live, it’s not like a care home, it’s my home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff listen to young people and respond appropriately to their wishes and feelings. Young people are very much involved in the decisions affecting their daily lives, and have a say about how well staff are looking after them and about what happens to them in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff build positive relationships with young people’s parents. They work together effectively to support the young person. Seeing that their parents get along with staff has helped young people to trust staff and accept their support. Staff have also helped parents to improve the way that they work with social workers and other services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work successfully with young people and their parents to repair and improve difficult or strained relationships. A young person said:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

‘Staff have helped me sort things out with my dad. They let him know how I’m getting on, and really include him in everything. We’re getting on better now and I stay overnight with him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff work tirelessly to support young people’s education, with remarkable results. For example, a young person’s participation in formal education increased incredibly, from 2% to 100%. He said: Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 4 ‘Staff helped me get back into education. They sorted out problems at school. I was not coping at high school and the manager got me into a place where I’ve done my English and maths.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff push education providers to ensure that they give young people the right opportunities and support. As a result, young people who have previously missed a lot of education are purposefully engaged in learning, developing their skills and gaining qualifications, and as a result they have improved their future chances of employment. Taking part in traineeships and work experience has helped young people to feel confident in their skills and abilities. With the support of staff this has meant that young people have found things that they are good at and enjoy doing and importantly they have ambitions for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff make sure that young people understand about their health needs and the importance of healthy lifestyles. As a result, young people have significantly improved health outcomes, including having healthier diets and better dental care. Staff respond appropriately to young people’s health needs and help young people to manage long- term conditions, including diabetes and hypermobility. The arrangements for dealing with young people’s medication are safe and make sure that young people always receive the medicines and treatment that they require.

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

The manager and staff make sure that young people live in an extremely safe, calm and supportive home. Young people see it as their safe place. They are happy and comfortable. They trust staff and know that staff listen to them and always try their best to help them.

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

Staff’s knowledge and professional practice protect young people from harm. Over time, young people have become increasingly safer from the risks of going missing, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Staff recognise any signs that may indicate that a young person may be at risk of harm and take decisive action to protect the young person.

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

Staff have an in-depth understanding of each young person’s vulnerabilities and any concerns about their safety. Staff continually assess the risks for each young person and take every necessary step to make sure that young people are protected.

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

Some excellent work is taking place to help young people to be aware of risks, recognise healthy relationships and manage their safety. This means that young people are making positive choices to avoid people and places that may place themselves and other young people in danger.

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

Staff help young people to understand safe and healthy relationships. Staff know young people’s friends and their parents well. They can see the positive influence these friendships are having on young people’s self-esteem and well-being. Staff support young people to spend time with their friends, including staying overnight with them. Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 5 They work closely with their friends’ parents to make sure that the young person will be well cared for and safe.

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

The home is a friendly place to live, where everyone gets on. Young people are kind to each other and considerate when someone is having a tough time. The manager and staff understand the way in which young people’s experience of abuse, neglect and trauma may affect their daily lives and relationships. Staff work sensitively and confidently with young people to find the best way possible to support them when they are upset, so that they can find out what is wrong and help them to feel safe.

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

Staff make sure that young people have clear and appropriate boundaries and expectations of their standard of behaviour. Staff deal with negative behaviour creatively using restorative approaches, which help young people to understand the impact of their actions on other people and to find constructive ways to sort out problems. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘The young person now responds rather than reacts to situations. He shows maturity and ability to calm things down.’

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

Some young people are feeling safe enough to want to find out more about their experiences and the reasons why they do not live with their families. Staff would benefit from opportunities to build their knowledge and skills in life-story work to enable them to help young people understand who they are and where they come from, and to make sense of what has happened to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides inspirational and highly effective leadership. He leads an extremely caring, passionate, skilled and well-organised staff team. Together, the manager, deputy managers and staff have created an exceptionally positive and aspirational culture. The manager and staff make sure that young people live in an incredibly safe, warm, settled and fun family home that meets their needs and enables them to reach their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a detailed understanding of the progress that each young person is making and makes sure that they are always cared for in line with their agreed plans. The manager is quick to identify when young people are struggling and takes suitable action to make sure that they get the best possible help. He uses productive working relationships with social workers as well as education and health service colleagues to help young people achieve better outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Thorough external scrutiny by an independent person and comprehensive internal reviews of the quality of care help the manager to continue to make improvements that benefit young people. For example, the move away from using financial sanctions to restorative approaches is helping young people to learn the skills to manage disagreements constructively. Adaptations to the house have created a kitchen-diner with more space for young people and staff to spend mealtimes together and for young people to enjoy learning to cook with staff. The decoration and refurbishment of the house mean that young people are living in a pleasant and comfortable home. Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 6 The manager has created the right environment for staff to provide young people with an excellent standard of care and consistency of support. The staffing arrangements make sure that young people are always supported by people whom they know well. As

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

a result, young people have every opportunity to develop safe and healthy attachments with staff. The staff are tenacious and resilient, and do not give up trying to make a positive difference in young people’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides each member of staff with excellent support, guidance and encouragement. Staff have regular opportunities, through practice-related supervision and team meetings, to reflect on young people’s progress and their performance, and to share and develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff also make the best possible use of the expertise of a clinical psychologist to understand young people’s needs and the impact of trauma on their development, and to develop research-informed strategies to support each young person. Together, they reflect critically on their practice and use their learning to improve the effectiveness of how they support young people.

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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: SC063284 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool L10 6LZ

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063284 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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