Children's Home run by Young Alliance Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 1 SC381531 Registered provider: Young Alliance Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for five children who may have learning disabilities including autism spectrum disorder, disabled children and children who have additional health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 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: 25 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2017 Full Outstanding 22/02/2017 Full Outstanding 04/08/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 3

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, the quality of care review should include children’s views about the quality of their care and show how their views influence and improve the quality care and support that they receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a very nurturing and supportive home. Staff know the children extremely well. They provide them with a very high standard of care that is tailored to meet each child’s personal needs. Staff provide vulnerable children with the stability and structure that they need to feel safe and to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, even those with challenging and complex needs, are making incredible progress in their health and emotional well-being, mobility, personal care, social skills, education and communication, and are growing in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have the skills and confidence to communicate easily with children and develop positive relationships. Their warm and compassionate approach helps children to feel at ease and trust the adults caring for them. A child said that the best thing about living at the home was that ‘there is always someone to talk to. They listen and help me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage every child to express their wishes and feelings. They support children to make choices about their daily care and plans. Staff are helping a child to develop her communication style, using words, signs and objects of reference, to understand her needs and how to meet them. She is making meaningful choices about her clothes and how she spends her time. She also lets staff know when she wants to be left alone in her room. Staff listen to her wishes and respond appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When staff and other professionals consider that a child’s wishes may not be in their best interests, staff work honestly with the child to explain and help them to understand the reasons. Staff have helped a child to accept that his wish to return to live with his family cannot happen as quickly as he would like. Staff have helped the child to understand what needs to change and how to work with them to move things forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s introductions to the home are always well planned. They take place only after the manager is satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. The manager made sure that staff had the confidence, skills and training to support a child with her mobility and personal care and healthcare, and that the building met her physical needs, before she moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that the children have new opportunities that enrich their lives and become as independent as possible. Staff have gradually encouraged children to feel able to take part in activities in the community and to learn life skills such as baking, cooking, planning meals and shopping. They give children the chance to try new things and develop interests. For example, because of staff getting him involved in helping at an animal shelter, one child is studying at college to work with animals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that children’s health and emotional well-being needs are met. They help children to understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. Staff work effectively with health professionals to monitor children’s welfare and make sure that they receive Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 5 the treatment and support that they require. Staff recognise when a child is unwell and make sure that the child has the right medical help. For example, they know how to respond if a child has a seizure and what to do if a child is not maintaining a healthy weight.

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

Staff’s professional practice and safeguarding arrangements protect children from harm and support their emotional well-being. Staff treat children with dignity and always make sure that children’s intimate care needs are met sensitively.

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

Staff understand the vulnerabilities of each child. They continually assess the risks for each child and take the necessary steps to make sure that children are protected. Staff are vigilant and professionally curious. The staff recognise changes in children’s behaviour, the standard of care and/or any appearance that may indicate that children may be at risk of harm, such as self-injurious behaviour or purging after eating.

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

The manager and staff take effective action when they have concerns about a child’s welfare. They work well with the child, parents, social workers and other key professionals to understand the situation and the risks to the child, and consistently follow the agreed safety plan.

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

Staff use well-thought-out and evolving behaviour plans successfully to help children to manage their feelings and communicate their needs positively. The times when children use self-injurious or aggressive behaviour have been significantly reduced.

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

Staff are developing a clearer understanding of the reasons for children showing challenging behaviour. They provide children with clear, fair and consistently applied boundaries. Staff intervene calmly and confidently when a child is upset. They use distractions successfully, such as listening to music or singing a song. This approach helps to teach children to use more acceptable and effective behaviour to have their needs met.

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

Staff’s practice is based on positive behaviour support (PBS), a recognised research- based framework. Staff are suitably trained in PBS, and a qualified PBS facilitator supervises their work. The manager, staff and PBS facilitator routinely review and adapt children’s plans to meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides clear and highly effective leadership. She leads a caring, passionate, skilled and competent staff team. Together, the manager and staff have created an extremely positive and aspirational culture that is improving the lives of children. The manager and staff are ambitious for children to enjoy every possible opportunity to broaden their experiences and fulfil their potential .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a detailed understanding of the progress that each child is making and Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 6 ensures that they are always cared for in line with their agreed plans. The manager is quick to identify when children are struggling, and takes suitable action to make sure that they have the best possible help. She uses productive working relationships with social workers and education and health services colleagues to help children to have better outcomes. For example, the manager has acted to bring together health professionals to clarify their roles and responsibilities and the arrangements for a child’s healthcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing arrangements make sure that children are always supported by enough suitable, qualified and skilled staff. The manager has handled recent changes of personnel carefully. She has made sure that children receive the continuity of care that they need to help them to build safe and stable relationships with the staff looking after them. The staff work together cohesively and communicate effectively. The day-to-day care of children is exceptionally well planned to provide them with the best possible support and supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recruitment and selection of new staff are thorough. The manager has made sure that she has appointed only suitable people with the personal qualities, relevant skills, knowledge and experience to meet the needs of the children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides each member of staff with excellent support, guidance and encouragement. Staff use practice-related supervision, performance reviews and team meetings to reflect on children’s progress and their professional practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff develop their knowledge and skills through high-quality training that is tailored to meet the needs of disabled children, including on children’s medical conditions, on moving and handling and on communicating with them. Staff have valuable opportunities to consult the PBS facilitator team and to think about how best to understand and support individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses meticulous monitoring systems to understand what the service does well, and she continually strives to make further improvements to develop the service in children’s best interests. However, the manager’s quality of care review reports do not include children’s views about the quality of their care or show how their views influence and improve the quality of care and support that they receive. Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 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 difference 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: SC381531 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Alliance Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 60 School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston PR5 6QE

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC381531 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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