Children's Home run by Safe Base Care Limited in Wirral

Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 1 SC480075 Registered provider: Safe Base Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager was appointed in February 2019 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 20 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/08/2017 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff— 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that risk management plans clearly identify all known or emerging risks and how staff should respond to those risks. 16/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that young people’s plans consistently reflect the work being undertaken to support their needs. Also, ensure that pre- admission assessments of risk carefully consider the impact on young people already living in the home, how those risks can be mitigated, and whether the home is an appropriate setting for the young person. 16/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 16/08/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 4 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 33 (1)(2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that the register of children is maintained in accordance with Schedule 4 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)). 16/08/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all their staff have been adequately trained in the principles of restraint and any restraint techniques appropriate to the needs of the children the home is set up to care for as defined in the home’s Statement of Purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: − detail the necessary management and staffing structure, (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; − detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction,

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Recommendations

probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); − detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; − detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4)(b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 5 experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the

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Recommendations

needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make and sustain significant progress from their starting points. They are happy and settled and enjoy positive relationships with the staff, who know them well. Young people get along well with each other. One young person described the home as ‘sound’ and said that he has not gone missing because I like the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before moving to the home, none of the young people attended school consistently. The staff have supported them to overcome barriers to education. As a result, all young people now have excellent attendance. The staff maintain regular communication with education providers and act as strong advocates for young people. One young person said, ‘If [the staff] didn’t care about me, they wouldn’t have done what they did to keep me in education. They defended me constantly.’ Young people have recently achieved qualifications and plan to follow vocational courses in further education colleges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In general, young people enjoy good health. They attend their health appointments, and their immunisations are up to date. However, all of the young people smoke. The staff regularly use key-work sessions to emphasise the dangers of smoking, and they encourage young people to seek support to stop. The staff also help young people while they tidy their bedrooms each day to ensure that they are not smoking in the house.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a variety of activities of their choice, such as fishing, camping and going to the cinema and the beach. The staff enable young people to enjoy and plan the kind of holidays that they would like, including cottage holidays and trips overseas to tourist destinations or notable historical sites. Young people also regularly see the people who are important to them, such as family members and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been refurbished and redecorated since the last inspection, and young people have contributed to the planning and decisions about colour schemes. A new dining table has been purchased, and young people are encouraged to eat meals together with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is now a self-contained flat for young people to practise living independently, prior Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 6 to moving on to their new accommodation. One young person has recently had a ‘trial run’ and recognises the challenges of living on his own. He now wants to remain at the home longer to gain better independence skills. The new manager recognises that this is a key area of development in the home, in order to promote successful transitions to adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager often arrives early to see young people at breakfast time and spends time with them after school. She has also recently started a weekly ‘coffee and chat’ with each of the young people, to promote regular consultation. Young people are now encouraged to have greater input into their plans in a newly introduced format. They attend the reviews of their care plans so that they can express their wishes about their futures.

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

The staff have a strong understanding of risks to young people’s safety and monitor for any indication of emerging concerns. The home’s plans do not always consistently record young people’s needs and risks, or clearly reflect the placing authority’s relevant plans. However, the staff are fully aware of any emerging concerns and help young people to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

Young people do not go missing from the home. The staff keep in touch with young people when they are out in the community. Young people are regularly made aware of the risks of alcohol and substance misuse, and the staff check that young people are not returning home under the influence of substances. The staff know who young people are spending time with, and make sure that friends are appropriate. This reduces risks to young people and helps them to enjoy time away from the home safely.

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

Young people have incentive programmes to promote positive behaviour. The staff understand young people’s triggers and respond to signs of upset or frustration according to pre-agreed strategies. Often, this means allowing young people time to calm themselves in their bedrooms. The use of sanctions is extremely rare. Physical intervention is not required to manage young people’s behaviour. The service does not advocate its use, except as a last resort. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff are trained in the model that the home uses.

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

The staff are confident in their understanding of the risks of internet use and online gaming. Young people are discreetly monitored while playing games and interacting with others online. Appropriate controls are in place to prevent access to unsuitable internet websites.

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

The previous manager had accepted a new young person into the home without full consultation or consideration of presenting risks. The responsible individual, on resuming day-to-day management of the home, swiftly identified concerns and took immediate action to address them, including allocating additional staff. This response ensured that all young people were kept safe. He worked closely with the placing authority to identify Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 7 a more suitable placement to meet the young person’s needs.

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

Pre-admission risk assessments do not always sufficiently consider the potential impact on friendships between young people who are coming to live at the home and those who already live there. Furthermore, not all essential information has been entered in the home’s register when new young people have moved to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced further changes in leadership. During interim periods, the responsible individual has resumed day-to-day oversight of the home to provide continuity. External professionals confirmed that the changes have not unduly disrupted young people’s experiences. The staff team has remained stable and committed to delivering consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff spoke positively about the current manager and her supportive approach. The manager has introduced several changes to the home. She works alongside the team to observe and mentor staff’s practice. Her review of the service and plans for improvement are a work in progress. She has prioritised the young people’s living environment and their participation in the home’s development. The manager has also focused on improving communication with external professionals and services. This approach ensures that young people have access to opportunities to promote positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff have regular supervision and monthly team meetings to review and improve their practice. However, records do not always reflect the in-depth discussions about young people and their progress. The staff have not had an annual appraisal of their performance to ensure that they are meeting the required standards in delivering good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has introduced a broader range of training opportunities to enhance the staff team’s knowledge and skills. She reviews each staff member’s progress and offers support to ensure that all staff continue in their professional development. However, a workforce development plan is not yet in place to show how the home meets these ongoing needs in order to deliver its objectives as set out in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has held discussions with the independent person to improve external monitoring, so that it better supports her understanding of how the home meets young people’s needs. The manager now ensures that she completes a report that reviews the quality of care every six months. However, the report does not include an action plan that sets out the home’s ongoing areas for development and which can be measured for its success.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 8 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: SC480075 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Safe Base Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 The Pines, Liverpool L12 0QU

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Inspector

Karen Willson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC480075 10 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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