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

Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 1 SC036298 Registered provider: Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

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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 local authority home provides short-break care to 36 children and young people who have a learning disability, physical disability, and complex health needs. It is registered to provide short breaks for up to five children at a time.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager registered with Ofsted in March 2007.

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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: 11 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2018 Full Good 19/09/2017 Full Good 20/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 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 registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 09/08/2019

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Recommendations

 It is crucial that the home works in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.3) In particular, improve resources for communicating with parents whose first language is not English.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from having short breaks at a friendly and child-centred service. Children were observed laughing and joking with staff, listening to their music and playing on the home’s swing and bicycles in the well-resourced garden.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff make sure that the children are fully prepared for their first overnight stay at the service. A detailed introduction plan is agreed with the child’s parent and social worker, which involves visits to the service to enable the child to meet staff and other children before they sleep over.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have an in-depth understanding of each child’s needs and interests. Accordingly, children benefit from highly personalised care, which makes their visits to the service a happy, safe and enjoyable experience. Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 4 Undoubtedly, the service is helping children to make continued progress. Consistent routines and partnership working with the children’s parents and schools are ensuring that the children receive consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to attend a wide range of fun activities in the local community, such as swimming, bowling, going on nature walks and trips to the park. As a result, the children’s social skills, independence and confidence increase.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage and support children to make choices about their care and activities in a meaningful way. This often involves the staff expertly using different communication tools and skilfully interpreting children’s body language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work tirelessly to develop and maintain excellent working relationships with parents. This is reflected in a parent’s comments: ‘The staff are absolutely fantastic. I do not have a bad word to say about them. They go above and beyond… They are like our extended family.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Mainly, communication with parents is good. However, the manager acknowledges that the resources for communicating with parents whose first language is not English need to improve.

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

The manager and staff make sure that the home is a safe and supportive environment for children to visit. The staff have a thorough understanding of the children’s complex needs and vulnerabilities. Comprehensive risk assessments and behaviour management plans are helping the staff to keep children safe.

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

The staff team is extremely alert to any signs of abuse or potential hazards and team members follow rigorous child protection procedures whenever they feel a child is at risk of harm. Effective partnership working with children’s social workers, schools and behaviour management therapists is enhancing the children’s safety.

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

Importantly, the staff uphold children’s privacy and dignity when assisting them with personal care. Furthermore, staff continuously encourage and support children to develop their independent life skills by teaching them how to wash themselves.

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

The staff benefit from attending mandatory safeguarding training, as well as bespoke training from behaviour management specialists. This training is helping to build staff’s expertise in responding safely to challenging behaviour. Additionally, it is helping the staff to develop skills in recognising when children are anxious and distressed, so that they can provide early support and prevent unsafe situations developing.

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

The staff very rarely need to restrain children; when they do, they use restraint appropriately as a safeguarding measure. The manager’s rigorous oversight of safeguarding incidents, including restraint, is ensuring that children’s safety and well- being are at the centre of staff’s practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 5 The staff team is not risk averse. Children are encouraged and supported to take age- appropriate risks, like other children do, in a safe environment. This is helping children to continually develop, have fun and flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A highly experienced, suitably qualified and dedicated registered manager leads the service competently. Her child-centred approach is ensuring that children’s needs and welfare are at the heart of the service. The assistant manager is now in post. He and the senior residential care workers help the manager with the daily running of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a visible, approachable and motivational leader. She successfully encourages and supports her team through difficult times, such as organisational and staffing restructuring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from a varied training programme. This programme includes specialist training in response to children’s specific needs, for example positive behaviour support and management training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Effective internal and external monitoring systems ensure that the service continues to provide a high standard of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the service’s strengths, which include effective partnership working with parents and with other professionals. Likewise, she fully acknowledges the areas for development, in particular, ensuring that all staff receive practice-related supervision and annual appraisals.

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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: SC036298 6

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC036298 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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