Children's Home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report children‟s home: SC454035 1 SC454035 Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for five young people. There is a manager in post who is not yet registered.

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Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inconsistent leadership of the home has hindered the home‟s improvement journey. Since the last inspection, the home has experienced a period of instability. Frequent changes in management have contributed to this. Since May 2017, there have been three managers in post and, to date, none have registered with Ofsted as required.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Encouragingly, a manager was appointed in October 2018. His application to register with Ofsted is progressing. Although he has only been in post for a short period of time, his vision for the service is clear. So far, he has enhanced the appearance and maintenance of the home and successfully created a welcoming and homely environment. Furthermore, two children have recently moved into the home and they are making steady progress from their starting points. Inspection report children‟s home: SC454035 2 During the unsettled period, some children‟s placements at the home terminated due to serious safeguarding concerns. Weak compatibility assessments led to children being unsuitably placed at the home. Consequently, staff were unable to keep all children safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have not been suitably equipped with the knowledge, understanding and skills to assess and tackle high-risk behaviours, such as child criminal exploitation, despite this being identified as a concern for a child who was in their care. Additionally, staff‟s limited knowledge and understanding of such concerns, coupled with them not having access to appropriate resources and guidance, prevents them from undertaking any meaningful direct work with children. Consequently, staff are not always successful at helping children to understand risk and keep themselves safe.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s risk management plans do not provide clear and effective strategies for staff to follow. Plans are not regularly reviewed to reflect new concerns and behaviours, for example children going into each other‟s bedrooms. As a result, some risks in the home are not sufficiently assessed or managed effectively.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff‟s daily practices within the home lack rigour and therefore, some potential risks and hazards are left unchecked. For example, staff were not aware of an adult rated computer game in the home‟s games room and a damaged fire door.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children‟s plans are not kept updated to reflect any changes in need. Furthermore, not all records are signed and dated by the author. Consequently, the monitoring of children‟s progress is weakened due to difficulties in determining if the information within the record is relevant and current.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management oversight of the quality of care provided to children was compromised by the changes in leadership. Ofsted has not been provided with six- monthly quality of care review reports as required.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/09/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2017 Full Inadequate 09/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC454035 3

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home‟s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, improve individual risk management plans and impact risk assessment; staff‟s knowledge and understanding of child criminal exploitation, gangs and county lines; resources for staff to enable children to keep themselves safe; and routine health and safety checks in all areas of the home. 26/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(b)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that decisions to admit new children into the home involve a rigorous assessment of the potential impact that children may have upon each other, and staff‟s 26/04/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC454035 4 ability to meet all the children‟s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 26/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1)(4)(a)) 26/04/2019

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC454035 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lytham Care, 400 Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 9DB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Constance

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC454035 6 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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