Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 1 SC422481 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services

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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 home is part of a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered to manage two homes within the organisation. He has managed this home since May 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Children were seen but not spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2018 Full Good 25/10/2017 Full Good 17/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the care meets the child’s needs. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)) 07/09/2019

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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 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)(b)) 07/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 07/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 4 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Recommendations

 Restraint also includes restricting a child’s liberty of movement. All other restrictions of liberty of movement should be recorded as restraint. Some children, perhaps due to impairment or disability, may not offer any resistance, but such measures should still constitute a restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.42)  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 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)  Children should be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform

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Recommendations

and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child moved out of the home and another child moved in. This had a significant negative impact on the child already living at the home, whose progress has regressed. This is in respect of his education and his behaviour. This has affected his overall progress and development. Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 5 The staff cannot provide good-quality individualised care to the children or support them with leisure and community activities. This is because the staffing levels in the home are not sufficient to meet the individual care needs of each child. For example, one child’s favourite activity is swimming. However, he is not able to take part in this activity.

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improvement to be good

Staff listen to children and encourage them to contribute to their day-to-day care. For example, children are asked what food they like. When children have communication difficulties, staff use a variety of aids to help them understand what the children want. This takes place on a daily basis, but staff do not always evidence the work that they do with the children.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children’s contact with their families in line with their care plans. This helps children maintain family links and understand their identity.

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improvement to be good

The staff have good links with a range of professionals to meet the needs of children.

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improvement to be good

The staff identify risks and there are risk assessments and behaviour management plans in place. These are detailed documents which score individual risks. This helps staff differentiate risks for the children. This means that risk can be clearly identified. However, high-risk situations are not consistently reviewed or kept up to date. This means that staff and children are not always safe.

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improvement to be good

Some children need to be constantly supervised so staff know that they are safe. Some children are awake throughout the night. However, staff do not have clear plans in place to manage this effectively. This means that some children are at potential risk during the night.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage children’s behaviour consistently. There have been incidents of physical restraint. However, these are appropriate. Staff have intervened on these occasions to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Some children need equipment to keep them safe when out in the community. Although this appears to be proportionate and appropriate, the manager has not reviewed this practice. Therefore, chances to evaluate the need for this are missed.

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

There is a registered manager in post. He is the registered manager of two homes within the organisation and he is supported by a deputy manager.

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

Despite the manager understanding that the current staffing levels in the home are not sufficient, these remain in place. This does not support all children with their progress and development. Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 6 There is a committed staff team, whose members are focused on meeting the children’s needs. However, due to the care needs of one child staff report that they are ‘tired on shift’ as they are unable to sleep, as the child sometimes does not sleep throughout the night.

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

Staff from other homes within the organisation work at the home. This means that the children do not receive consistent care from a stable staff team.

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

Staff said that their manager is supportive. They said that they find supervision supportive and helpful. There are regular team meetings. These meetings are informative because staff discuss different topics.

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

Staff have completed induction training. This covered a variety of topics, including level 2 autism. This will help staff in their roles.

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

The manager has developed good relationships with other professionals. There is regular communication and he attends care planning meetings for the children.

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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: SC422481 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC422481 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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