Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 1 SC022438 Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services 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

The home is one of several owned by a private company. The home is registered to care for one child who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 24 June 2019.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2018 Full Good 20/09/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 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

Ensure the registered person recruits staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety, in particular that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(3)) 16/08/2019

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Recommendations

 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 experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person very much sees this as his home and is comfortable and relaxed with staff, who have a deep knowledge of his needs and preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Consistent care has helped him to develop his self-confidence and self-esteem. His health and self-care have also significantly improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is confident that staff respect his privacy and dignity. He has positive views about living in the home and he said, ‘Staff are 10/10. Living here is 10/10.’ Individualised care is a major strength. The young person’s needs, wishes and positive outcomes are of paramount importance. Staff are consistently complimentary about him and focus on his strengths and potential. This consistent, positive approach inspires the young person to believe in himself.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education attendance has significantly improved for the young person, increasing from 21.95% to 80%. The manager and staff team continue to work diligently with education Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 4 providers to ensure that attendance continues to improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a nurturing environment. They recognise that routine and boundaries provide stability and security. The young person is well supported with his individual health needs, and staff follow detailed healthcare plans. Care, encouragement and attention to detail are given to all aspects of his health, including the quality of meals, attendance at appointments and access to professional services. Examples include staff accessing a dietician when they had concerns that the young person was under-weight.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and nurture the young person’s relationships with his family. He has regular contact that is subject to careful assessment and monitoring and is in line with his present care planning documentation. Staff were proactive in increasing the young person’s contact arrangements with family, at his request, from monthly to weekly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home presents as a lived-in family home. It is warm, welcoming and comfortable. The quality of furniture and decor is very good. The young person’s bedroom has been highly personalised and reflects his individual preferences.

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

Staff working in the home are clear about the procedures that are in place should they need to respond to concerns about the safety of a young person at this home.

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

The young person has not gone missing from the home. Staff keep the young person busy, supporting him to pursue his interests and hobbies. They follow his care plan and supervise him in the community. Staff teach him how to keep safe and support him to access community-based activities safely.

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

The young person receives praise and rewards for his positive behaviour. This encourages a constructive and nurturing environment and helps to build strong relationships between him and staff. Staff implement clear and unwavering boundaries consistently, and this helps the young person to develop an understanding of what acceptable behaviour is.

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

Comprehensive risk assessments are in place for the young person when he is out in the community and while in the home. These outline potential risks, along with strategies for staff to manage these safely. These are reviewed monthly and amended if needed.

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

Staff have enabled the young person to feel safe and secure in the home. He has built trusting attachments with his staff team. This helps him to develop his emotional resilience. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the young person’s emotional needs.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are not always followed. For example, on one recruitment file, there is no evidence of a reference being obtained from the employee’s former workplace. There is a lack of management oversight or accountability in this area of practice, and as a result recruitment is not consistently Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 5 safe. This does not safeguard young people or minimise potential risks to them, as adults who have not been suitably vetted could be recruited.

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

The physical environment is safe and secure and is checked regularly. These checks, along with thorough risk assessments that are reviewed and updated frequently, help to ensure that the home is a safe place to live and work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A motivated and committed manager, who has high expectations and aspirations for young people, effectively leads the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are clear and detailed and reflect the work that is undertaken with the young person. The manager routinely monitors, evaluates and analyses the work undertaken by the staff. Weekly and monthly monitoring takes place and has enabled the manager to identify weaknesses and to take remedial action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff and the manager have established strong working relationships with a range of agencies and professionals who are involved in the young person’s care. Staff work closely with schools, social workers and young person’s health professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. However, staff supervision records do not demonstrate that supervision takes place regularly or that staff reflect on their practice and the needs of the young people in their care. In particular, new staff do not receive supervision within the timeframes set out in the provider’s policies and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels are good, and rotas clearly show the daily management arrangements that are in place. The staff team members speak positively of the support that they receive from management at the home. Staff members commented, ‘We are a strong team’, and ‘The manager is very supportive in every way.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home and the staff team and has plans to address these. Staff commented that they feel supported by the manager and are encouraged to bring new ideas to her. This demonstrates that the manager and staff remain focused on supporting the young person to continually progress and have positive experiences.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 6 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: SC022438 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Elaine Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC022438 8 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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