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

Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 1 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 children’s home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who are unable to live in their family setting.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. He registered with Ofsted in July 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

Children were spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 November 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: 1240801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Full Good 01/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 03/01/2020

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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—

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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)(h)) 03/01/2020

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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; and 03/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 4 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risk and putting arrangements in place to protect children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being to enhance, and supplement that provided by their school through personal, social and health education (PSHE). Staff should have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change negative behaviours in key

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Recommendations

areas of health and well-being such as, but not limited to, nutrition and healthy diet, exercise, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health, contraception and use of legal highs, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18) This is in relation to direct work on the topics of self-harm and internet safety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide the children with individualised care. The staff know the children well and have a good understanding of their different needs. This helps children feel a sense of belonging at the home. All children told the inspector that they like living at the home and that they have good relationships with staff. This means that children have a trusted adult to talk to. This helps children feel secure at the home. This was also observed by the inspector throughout the inspection. Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 5 The staff have good relationships with professionals. Some social workers told the inspector that communication is good, and that staff attend multi-agency meetings in respect of their children. One independent reviewing officer told the inspector that she is very impressed with the care that the staff provide to her child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children are making progress in their education. One child told the inspector that he completed examinations at school and that he is confident about his forthcoming results. One child is currently finding school difficult. Staff support him to attend school. The registered manager attends meetings at school. Therefore, information is shared between home and school. Some of the children have education, health and care plans. However, these are missing from their files. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are clear plans in place to address children’s health needs. This includes their emotional needs. Staff work with external agencies, for example child and adolescent mental health services, to identify support for the children. Some children use cannabis. There are multi-agency plans to address this. Staff work with the children to educate them about cannabis use.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff listen to what children have to say. The children have meetings and they talk about what they would like to happen. Children told the inspector that staff take them to do different activities, including playing pool and trampolining.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain. Children have made complaints. These complaints are treated seriously by staff, and the registered manager clearly explains the process to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment needs to be painted, and decorators were in the home at the time of inspection. There is broken furniture in one child’s bedroom. A requirement has been made to reflect this shortfall.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families in line with their care plans. This means that children can maintain relationships with their parents and other family members.

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

Staff know the risks to the children. There are clear risk management plans in place that address children’s individual risks. Staff know what to do when children go missing. Staff follow the procedures in place and children’s individual risk management plans. This is helping children become increasingly safe.

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

However, children do not always have independent return home interviews. These are missed opportunities to identify any triggers that lead to children going missing from the home. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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

There have been incidents of physical intervention. The manager evaluates the records to ensure that these are necessary and proportionate. Staff use different strategies to Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 6 manage children’s behaviour. This is working, which is demonstrated by the reduction in incidents of physical intervention.

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

Staff follow children’s behaviour management plans. Staff try to use different strategies to manage children’s behaviour. This consistency helps children feel secure. Children told the inspector that they feel safe at the home.

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

There have been incidents of self-harm. Staff work with external agencies to identify support for children. However, some children do not want to work with external agencies. Staff could provide structured work for children to educate them about self- harm. A recommendation has been made to reflect this.

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

Staff understand the risks that the internet can pose for children. Staff monitor the children’s internet use. However, staff could provide the children with focused direct work on internet safety. A recommendation has been made to reflect this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a registered manager, who he is supported by a deputy. The manager and the staff provide the children with a supportive, homely environment. The manager and staff know the children well. The inspector observed warm relationships between the manager and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is properly staffed to meet the needs of the children. Staff said that they like working at the home. Staff were positive about the manager. They said that he is supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive frequent supervision. This is thorough and includes discussion about the children and any personal issues that staff may have. Staff said that they find supervision helpful. Staff also attend mandatory training and any other training to help them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager oversees the children’s plans. However, he needs to ensure that he consistently evaluates all children’s risk management plans. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good relationships with other professionals. He frequently communicates with children’s social workers and education professionals. This means that staff know the children’s most up-to-date plans. This helps the children receive consistent care in all aspects of their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff talk about children’s views in staff team meetings. Therefore, the children know that the manager and staff listen to them and discuss what they say. This helps children feel valued. Inspection report children’s home: 1240801 7

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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: 1240801 8

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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: 1240801 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 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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