Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Fylde

Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 1 SC476868 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Ltd

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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 private home cares for up to four young people between the ages of seven and 17. The home is intended to care for young people who have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2015.

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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: SC476868 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2018 Full Good 09/08/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 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 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 impact risk assessments are accurate and thorough; and staff seek medical guidance and support when necessary. 20/12/2019

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all staff members have their performance, and learning and development appraised at least annually; and increase the rigour of the manager’s monitoring to help ensure continuous improvements in the home. 20/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is 20/12/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 4 available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure to obtain a full employment history; a certificate of good conduct for employees who have recently lived abroad.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 20/12/2019

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Recommendations

 The registered person is responsible for ensuring that each child’s day to day health and well-being needs are met. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3) Specifically, ensure that young people are consistently supported and encouraged to attend health appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make sustained progress from their starting points. The manager and staff have an in-depth understanding of each young person’s needs and provide personalised care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit from developing positive relationships with the manager and staff team. Young people who have moved on from the home often keep in touch, demonstrating staff’s lasting positive impact on young people’s lives and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Promoting and improving young people’s educational outcomes are the manager’s and staff’s priorities. Young people’s attendance and engagement at school significantly improve as a result of good routines, effective incentives and staff’s unwavering support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the main, staff support young people to lead healthy lives and the practical support provided by the in-house therapy team is enhancing young people’s emotional health. However, some young people’s unwillingness to attend health appointments is compromising their health and well-being. A proactive approach to improving young people’s engagement with health appointments is not always evident. Additionally, some minor errors were found in the home’s medication records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are skilled at nurturing trusting relationships with young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 5 Positive interactions between the staff and young people were observed during the inspection. The manager and staff are committed to making young people feel welcome and respected, which helps them to settle and feel safe in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have good knowledge of the local area and they successfully encourage the young people to pursue their hobbies and interests, for example following their favourite football teams and caring for pets. Young people benefit from having access to a range of fun activities that increase their independence skills and confidence.

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

Young people are provided with a safe home environment. Purposeful direct work with young people around important subjects, such as drug misuse, is helping young people to understand their vulnerabilities.

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

High-risk behaviour, such as going missing from the home, is infrequent. The manager and staff have established positive relationships with the young people that are based on mutual trust and respect. These relationships are helping the young people to confide in staff and take on board their advice and guidance. As a result, young people’s unsafe behaviour decreases.

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

Suitable staffing ratios, which include waking night staff, ensure that a good level of support and supervision is provided to young people at all times.

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

A therapeutic team offers support and guidance to young people and the staff. This enables staff to have a good understanding of the young people’s therapeutic needs and the strategies that they should use to help and support the young people.

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

The assessment of risk is an area for development. In particular, impact risk assessments have not always considered all potential risks to young people. As a result, one young person was inappropriately placed in the home and she was moved in an unplanned way. This is not usual practice at this home; most young people experience stability and they are extremely settled.

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

Young people are meaningfully involved in the day-to-day running of the home, including planning their care, routines and support. Although young people rarely complain, they are confident that the manager and staff will swiftly resolve any of their concerns or grievances. Any form of bullying is tackled appropriately by the manager and staff.

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

Although the manager and staff are clear about their safeguarding roles and responsibilities, on one occasion they failed to seek medical guidance from a health professional when they suspected that a young person was under the influence of a substance. In this instance, staff’s inaction potentially compromised the young person’s welfare and safety.

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

Some shortfalls in safer recruitment practice continue. A requirement has been raised to improve recruitment practice and ensure that all staff working in the home are Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 6 thoroughly vetted. This is in response to weaknesses in the manager’s monitoring systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. Her child- focused approach is reflected throughout the staff team’s care and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A caring and stable staff team enables young people to develop long-lasting relationships with the staff. Most of the team have worked at the home for a long time, so young people benefit from consistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that there are always enough staff on duty to provide each young person with the care, support and supervision that they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff benefit from having individual support and guidance from the in-house therapist, in addition to regular practice-related supervision with the deputy manager. However, staff’s performance appraisals, including an appraisal of their learning and development, are not being undertaken annually as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager equips her staff team members with the knowledge, skills and expertise to fulfil their roles competently. Most of the members of the staff team are suitably qualified, and the more recently appointed team members are working towards the relevant qualification. All staff receive new and refresher training, which includes safeguarding, behaviour management, radicalisation and child sexual exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is evidence of good partnership working with a range of relevant services. The professionals consulted with provided positive comments on the manager, staff team and standard of care provided to the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The shortfalls found in some of the home’s documents and practice, in particular medication records and staff recruitment, demonstrate weaknesses in the manager’s monitoring systems. Additionally, two of the three recommendations raised at the last inspection had not been satisfactorily addressed. Consequently, these two recommendations have been escalated to requirements under help and protection and safer recruitment.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC476868 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cherish UK Ltd, Unit 8, Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspectors

Marina Tully, social care inspector Mandy Williams, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476868 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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