Children's home run by Care Afloat Ltd in West Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 1 SC006014 Registered provider: Care Afloat Ltd

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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 nine operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people. The home was last inspected in January 2018. The registered manager has been in post since 25 April 2014.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/05/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/12/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 2

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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 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. (Regulation 44 (2)) 28/02/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance, and supplement, that provided by their school through Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key areas of health and well- being such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  All managers working in a children’s home must have the qualification in regulation 28(2) within the relevant timescales listed in regulation 28(3). All staff

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Recommendations

in a care role, including external agency or bank staff, must have the qualification in regulation 32(4) within the relevant timescale listed in regulation 32(5). The registered person may extend the time period if the member of staff hasn’t worked in the role for a prolonged period, such as sick leave or maternity leave, or if it is not reasonable to expect the member of staff to complete in this timescale due to the nature of the hours they work. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.2) Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people receive a good quality of individualised care provided by an able staff team. The staff achieve a nurturing and caring atmosphere in which young people feel safe and comfortable with the adults who care for them. Young people gain life skills for independence and are given opportunities to learn to manage their emotions appropriately. This results in a decrease in their risk-taking behaviours and good preparation for adult life. Overall, young people are making good progress in these areas. The young people build strong and trusting relationships with the staff, who get to know them quickly. The staff team has a very good level of knowledge about each young person. Staff understand the impact that the previous life experiences of the young people have had, the reasons for patterns of behaviours and the effect on each young person’s ability to maintain healthy relationships. However, support around sexual

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

identity and access to local LGBTQ youth groups could be improved. Staff know young people’s vulnerabilities and risks and can identify triggers, so that strategies can be put in place to minimise incidents. The young people are making good progress across all areas of their lives. For some this has happened quickly, while for others it has happened at a slower rate. Care plans capture the young people’s progress very well. The manager and her staff team work with a range of professionals to ensure that young people make good progress in their education. Working with local alternative provision, businesses and the organisation’s own school has seen engagement and attendance improve considerably. High levels of support are given so that young people can successfully engage in education, especially those who have been out of education for a significant period of time. The young people have a voice in the running of the home and any decisions that are

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

made about them. They are confident about making their voices heard. The young people are supported to voice their wishes and feelings about all areas of their lives, including the next steps as they get older. They are supported to be as independent as they can in line with their age and ability. Young people are supported by the staff to learn a range of independence skills. The staff team facilitates contact arrangements so that young people can maintain healthy relationships with family and friends.

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

Young people say that they feel safe and well cared for at the home. The staff work hard to understand young people’s individual risks and how they can minimise these risks. By developing trusting and nurturing relationships, staff can identify new risks and manage potential and actual risks in a timely way. The close working relationships that staff have with external agencies, such as the police and sexual exploitation workers, also add to the effective management of risks. As a result, risk-taking behaviours such as going missing from home and drug-misuse have decreased in frequency. Effective planning, and joint decision-making with social workers about issues such as coming home times, have resulted in a decrease in the number of incidents of going missing. When young Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 4 people do not return home by an agreed time, staff actively search for them, while also

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

liaising with the police. Young people feel comfortable to speak to staff if they feel worried or upset. The staff spend time listening to the young people and take every opportunity to engage with them. As a result, young people happily join in activities such as cooking, shopping with the staff and planning their day. The staff are confident in their roles in reporting safeguarding or child protection concerns. This practice ensures that any cause for concern or allegation is well managed. The manager is suitably trained and qualified to oversee all aspects of safeguarding. Concerns identified by the staff are acted upon. These include actual or potential exploitation of young people. Young people are helped to understand risks and how to stay safe. Staff are very aware of the need to allow the young people to be independent and to take appropriate risks while keeping themselves safe. Staff manage this well. Key-worker sessions allow staff

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

to guide young people to stay safe. The staff are very aware of the risks to young people in the local and wider area. Staff provide common-sense advice to the young people. They follow clear strategies and apply clear boundaries. As a result, staff have not needed to restrain young people and the number of incidents of going missing from home have decreased. The young people are protected by careful recruitment procedures. Regular health and safety checks ensure that the physical environment of the home is safe and protects young people from harm, or the risk of harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is supported by a strong team of senior staff. The registered manager has good oversight of the home and continues to develop systems which enable her to monitor, review and analyse the practices in the home. The registered manager provides strong leadership and management that both the young people and the staff team respond well to. She provides good support to the staff and knows the young people well. This means that the staff can focus on achieving the best outcomes for young people. All staff receive regular, good-quality supervision. The staff undertake a range of training to support their role. However, some staff who have been in post since May 2017 have not yet commenced their level 3 diploma and, as a result, are unlikely to complete it within the two-year requirement. The staff enjoy their work and the time that they spend with the young people. They fully invest in the young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

people. There have been some changes to the staff team in the last year, and the home is currently fully staffed. There is a good gender balance of staff employed. The manager and staff’s commitment to the young people and their willingness to support each other have resulted in a strong team supporting young people effectively. The home’s manager monitors the quality of the service effectively through monthly checks on young people’s progress and six-monthly evaluations of the home and care practices. However, the independent reviews of the home do not include the views of Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 5 the young people, professionals working with young people and parents. In addition, the reports lack evaluation and demonstrate a lack of scrutiny and depth. A requirement, which is repeated from the last inspection, has been made to improve this. All young people are treated as individuals in a fair and non-discriminatory manner that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

embraces the objectives of the home’s statement of purpose.

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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: SC006014 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 158-160 Birkrig, Digmoor Parade, Skelmersdale WN8 9HP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Fletcher

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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 7 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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