Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 1 SC356929 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited 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 and managed by a limited company. It provides care and support for up to three young people who are no longer able to live at home. The registered manager has been in post since 17 June 2017.

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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: 11 October 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: SC356929 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2017 Full Good 21/08/2017 Full Inadequate 15/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 3

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Recommendations

 Enhance further the home’s nurturing and supportive environment so that it meets the young people’s needs and provides a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, consider how the use of the activity room and the organisation and storage in the large bedroom can be maximised to benefit young people.  Enhance further the support given to young people to enable them to access their education or training. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13) In particular, review the plans for supporting young people during holiday periods to enable them to be able to re-engage with their education.  Ensure that each child has up-to-date written risk assessments that assess the risks to the child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) In particular, provide resources and training so that staff can identify, understand and address matters related to child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and extremism and county lines.  Ensure that all children’s case records (Regulation 36) are signed and dated by the author of the entry and are recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child in the future. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.3 and 14.4) In particular, taking into consideration the use of initials in records and that records such as room searches are sufficiently detailed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive high-quality, individualised care that is making an important difference in their lives. Staff help young people to have positive experiences and improved outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give young people the stability and support that they need. Staff are friendly, upbeat and reliable. They engage naturally with young people and treat them with Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 4 respect and empathy. The staff’s approach is valued highly by the young people and has helped young people who find it difficult to trust adults to build positive relationships with them and to accept the help and support available.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager carefully selects the young people who come to live at the home, including in an emergency. He makes sure that staff have the appropriate experience and expertise so that they can meet the young people’s needs. The manager carefully matches the needs of the young person with the young people already living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with tutors to help overcome any barriers to young people’s engagement in education. As a result, young people’s attendance at school is increasing, with one young person achieving 89% attendance. This increase in attendance is a significant achievement given that they have been out of education for some time. One young person’s attendance has dipped after the Christmas break. This dip is a known pattern. However, staff have not fully considered what they can do during holiday periods to prevent this from reoccurring.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have high but reasonable aspirations for each young person. They advocate very well on each young person’s behalf to ensure that they get the right educational support. For example, staff are working with the directors of the company to have a purpose-built education building on-site. This will remove the need for young people to be educated at the organisation’s head office.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s physical, emotional and mental health are improving. This improvement is because the staff are proactive in sourcing the right health support for young people. This includes items that will aid their independence and that will ultimately promote their self-esteem. Health professionals report that the staff are effective in supporting young people’s mental health and well-being. This support has resulted in a reduction in risk- taking behaviours as the young people are settled at the home. A health professional said, ‘Children have improved outcomes because of what staff do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work in partnership with families, friends and carers. They ensure that young people get to see regularly those people who are important to them. Contact arrangements are carefully considered so that the young people and their families get the most out of their time together. For example, setting up Skype calls to brothers and sisters for young people who live a long way from home. A social worker commended the staff for helping young people to stay in regular contact with their families.

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

Young people have a strong sense of belonging and they feel safe. They talk to staff when they are worried or upset. They know that staff listen, care about them and will do everything they can to help them.

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

The staff’s knowledge and professional practice protect young people from harm. Staff have a good understanding of each young person’s vulnerability and any concerns about Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 5 their safety. Staff are vigilant and recognise signs which indicate that a young person may be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Staff continually assess the risks for each young person and take the necessary steps to make sure that young people are protected.

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

A police officer said, ‘The manager and staff do a lot of good work with vulnerable young people. They are fully abreast of safeguarding practices and work very closely with the police and the SHIELD team.’ This was echoed by professionals from the SHIELD team who said that the manager is ‘all about the young people’. Professionals said that as a result young people leave the home with ‘lots of positives’.

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

The incidents of young people going missing from the home have declined significantly. This reduction is because of the care and support provided that are carefully tailored to the young people’s individual needs. Staff are not risk averse and want each young person to enjoy the same opportunities as anyone else.

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

One young person has a passion for music and singing and they were asked to perform at a concert. Staff carefully organised this so that the young person attended and was able to thoroughly enjoy the experience of singing live and receiving the applause from the audience in a safe and engaging way. This experience has significantly enhanced the young person’s confidence and self-esteem. However, the written risk assessment regarding the measures taken to achieve this outcome were limited in detail and did not reflect the work undertaken to achieve it. This shortfall is a recording issue and does not detract from the support offered to the young person.

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

Staff help young people to see the benefits of positive behaviour. They reinforce young people’s positive behaviour through praise and rewards. The excellent use of praise and incentives is having a positive impact on young people’s behaviour, such as increased involvement and willingness to engage in attending appointments. Young people buy into their plans because they work with staff to choose the objectives that they want to work on. One young person wrote to the registered manager following an incident to acknowledge that at times their anger ‘gets the better of them’. However, they said that this should not have happened. This reflection and the actions that the young person is taking as a result demonstrate the increased maturity that young people are now able to show.

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

Young people are cared for in a warm, nurturing and homely environment. Young people’s photographs adorn the walls in the home. Their bedrooms are personalised to reflect their tastes and interests. The largest bedroom would benefit from some reorganisation to ensure that the young person can store all their belongings safely. The activity room is an underused space and it lacks any real purpose. The manager is to talk to the young people about how this can be developed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager. He is committed to improving the outcomes for young people and to helping them to overcome their fears and past Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 6 trauma. Professionals are complimentary about his commitment to young people and the challenge that he puts to them to ensure that the young people get the support that they need to move forward in their lives. One professional said, ‘The manager is proactive in securing the right support for young people.’ As a result, they are making good progress in all areas of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are equally committed to securing positive outcomes for young people. They have created a warm, caring and nurturing environment where young people can recover and thrive. A young person wrote, ‘I love (name of staff) a lot and they have helped me while I have been here. They are honest and put their heart into everything that they do. They always push you to do your best.’ Other young people also echo this sentiment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses thorough and evaluative monitoring systems to understand the quality of care that young people receive. They have taken effective action to make necessary improvements that benefit young people. For example, they have supported staff to understand the importance of direct work with young people. The manager is further supported by the independent person’s monitoring of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and team leaders provide staff with good support, guidance and encouragement. Annual appraisals and supervisions provide good opportunities for staff to reflect critically on their work with young people. These along with regular team meetings offer sound opportunities for staff to consider the impact of their work with young people, to explore what is working well and what their developmental needs are.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have opportunities to receive training that develops their understanding, knowledge and skills about the needs of the young people they are supporting. However, not all staff have had training in relation to child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and extremism and county lines. Action was taken during the inspection to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a marked improvement in the quality of record-keeping. Most records tell the young person’s journey and how they have achieved their personal goals. Praise books have been well received by young people but would benefit from a more personal approach. For example, by using the young person’s name instead of their initials. Room search books need to record how the staff have disposed of items removed from a young person’s room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Consultation with young people is key to everything that the home does. Young people are actively involved in the recruitment of staff and the staff’s annual appraisals. Consequently, young people feel included in the decision-making processes and have a sense of ownership and pride in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 7

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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: SC356929 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Quality Protects Children Limited, Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspector

Chris Scully: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC356929 9 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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