Children's home run by Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 1 SC476220 Registered provider: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home usually provides short breaks for up to four children experiencing family difficulties and considered to be on the edge of coming into the care of the local authority.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Since November 2018, the home has been providing full-time care and accommodation for one young person with complex social and emotional difficulties while a suitable permanent placement is found for him.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since January 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 16 November 2017

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2017 Full Good 11/01/2017 Full Good 02/08/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/02/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person lives in a friendly, supportive and safe place. The staff provide the young person with high-quality individualised care that promotes his welfare.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with the young person. They helped him to feel welcome and at ease when he came to live at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have supported the young person to re-establish contact with family members. This is important to him, and he is enjoying spending time with his sister. The manager and staff work closely with the social worker to make sure that seeing each other is a safe and positive experience for the young person and his family.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff make sure that there are always plenty of things for the young person to do and opportunities for him to have fun. He enjoys cooking with staff and watching films. The young person takes part in leisure and cultural activities, including going to Church, youth clubs and being part of the young leaders’ group at Scouts.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The local authority is making every effort to provide the young person with a permanent placement that meets his assessed needs as soon as possible. The young person agrees with the plan and has been involved in making the decisions about his future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, the young person is becoming unsettled and anxious about what is going to happen. His independent reviewing officer said, ‘The staff are doing the very best they can [to support him] in a very difficult, challenging and unpredictable situation.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work effectively with health professionals to promote the young person’s health and emotional well-being. Staff understand the young person’s health needs and follow his treatment plan consistently. The staff carefully monitor his health and well-being and act decisively when they are worried about him. They make sure that he receives the right medical advice, support and treatment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is struggling in school and has been excluded. The manager and staff understand the barriers to his learning. They are working with the young person and his teachers to help him to return to school as soon as possible with the support he requires to settle and do well.

p.3

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

The manager and staff’s knowledge and professional practice protect the young person from harm. They have a detailed understanding of the young person’s vulnerability and the concerns about his safety.

p.3

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

Staff recognise and understand the signs that the young person may be at risk of harm, Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 4 including self-harm. They monitor and continually assess the risks to his welfare. They take every necessary step to make sure that he is safe.

p.3

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

Staff are vigilant and provide the young person with a high level of supervision as set out in his safety plan. They skilfully make sure that the arrangements protect the young person while giving him opportunities that other young people enjoy, such as taking part in activities in the community.

p.4

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

Staff make sure that the house is a safe environment. They remove items and materials, including ornaments, cutlery, coins and cleaning materials, that the young person may use to harm himself. Staff prevent the young person from going into the kitchen during the times when he is agitated. Nevertheless, the manager makes sure that the young person lives in as homely a place as possible.

p.4

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

The manager and staff work positively and confidently with the young person when he is in crisis. They find the least intrusive way to help him. They support him to find ways to manage his feelings safely. For example, he can calm down by cleaning and tidying around the house or ripping up paper. Staff can defuse difficult situations successfully by encouraging him to take part in an activity, such as helping to make tea, going for a walk with them or playing a board game. On occasions, when these things have not worked, and there is a serious risk of harm, staff have sought help appropriately from health services and the police.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides clear and child-focused leadership. She has worked tirelessly to adapt the setting to be able to provide a high standard of care for a young person with extremely complex and challenging needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Importantly, the manager has assembled an experienced, qualified and resilient team to support the young person. Staff have the right expertise, approach, personal qualities and skills to work with the young person, meet his needs and keep him safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing arrangements provide the young person with continuity of care. He can get to know and build positive relationships with the people caring for him. New staff have been introduced sensitively to minimise the young people’s worries about changes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that staff have the guidance and support they need to continue to provide the young person with a high standard of care. The manager and staff work cohesively. They share information effectively and have a consistent approach that helps the young person.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a detailed understanding of the young person’s progress and the impact of his emotional and psychological state on his safety. She escalated her concerns about the young person’s well-being and made sure that the local authority and health services reviewed his plan to ensure that it continues to meet his needs. The Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 5 manager challenges health professionals to make sure that the young person is getting the right level of support and treatment to help him.

p.4

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.

p.5

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: SC476220 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Oriel Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 7AE

p.6

Inspector

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476220 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7