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

Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 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

The home can accommodate three children: boys and girls aged five to 17 years who are unable to live in their own family setting. The registered manager resigned from his post in September 2019. The new manager is a registered manager for another children’s home in the company. He has submitted his application to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

All three children were consulted throughout the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 28 to 29 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: 1241757 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2018 Full Good 23/08/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 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 health and well-being standard is that - the health and well-being needs of children are met. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure - that staff help each child to - achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(2)(i)(ii)) 10/01/2020

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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 registered person may only – employ an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that – the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purpose of the work that the individual is to perform; and 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)(a)(3) 10/01/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child, which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child, are kept up to date and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 10/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 4

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of care provided to young people is nurturing, responsive and helping them to have a positive experience and make good progress in their lives. Staff support children and young people to make positive changes in their lives at their own pace. The manager and staff have high aspirations for young people and strive to ensure that they provide the best quality of care to meet young people’s needs, resulting in improved outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The education needs of young people are met well. Young people have structured routines that support them to attend school and to make progress in education. One young person who had a history of poor school attendance on admission to the home has increased his attendance considerably and now has almost 100% attendance. Education outcomes for young people have improved, and they have a more positive outlook about their education. Furthermore, plans are in place for the young people to attend further education after they leave school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people’s health and well-being needs are understood by staff. Routine and specialist health appointments are attended as necessary. Medication is reviewed to ensure that the correct medication is prescribed for young people. However, the previous registered manager failed to ensure that one young person’s medication arrangements were clear, which potentially placed him at risk of harm. The new manager identified this shortfall and contacted the young person’s health adviser to clarify the arrangements. However, the young person’s healthcare plan has not been updated to reflect the advice given by the health professional.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning for young people is good. Plans are detailed and include relevant information relating to the needs of young people and the action required to ensure that these are met. Local authority care and placement plans are followed by staff. As a result, the placement aims and objectives for young people are achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people well to maintain a strong sense of identity. Keeping in touch with family members is promoted and managed in young people’s best interests. Consequently, young people are spending good-quality time with family members and friends and can maintain and develop relationships with those who are important to them. Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 5 The relationships between staff and young people are trusting and nurturing. Staff spend time with the young people and they enjoy many activities together, such as playing golf and camping, and some young people enjoyed a holiday abroad during the summer. Regular conversations and direct work sessions take place. These sessions are targeted to the individual needs of young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm, welcoming and nurturing. The inspector observed staff and young people enjoying their time together, and this demonstrated that the home is generally a very happy place. Home improvements are continually made to ensure that the environment is very much like any family home. Young people’s bedrooms are personalised, and they are supported to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy.

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

Safeguarding practice at the home is good and helps to keep the young people safe from harm. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the specific risks to young people. Young people said that they feel safe and that staff do all that they can to help and protect them.

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

Risk assessments identify risks for young people, alongside strategies for staff to manage these risks, although some risk assessments lack sufficient detail to demonstrate the young person’s journey and current situation. However, this is a recording issue and has not compromised the safe care provided.

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

The manager and staff demonstrate a good level of insight into the young people’s emotional responses and behaviours. The manager and staff use this knowledge and various behaviour management strategies to help them to manage the young people’s behaviour effectively. There are clear strategies in place to assist staff in supporting the young people to develop safe and appropriate behaviours. This approach means that the home is settled, and young people are able to regulate their behaviour and emotions more effectively. However, one young person’s behaviour management plan does not include his views and disagreement with some of the information recorded in his plan.

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

Safer recruitment practice at the home is not consistently robust. For example, verification of references is not consistently carried out. This does not ensure that only the most suitable staff work at the home and care for the young people.

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

Staff undertake room searches and physical intervention when necessary to make sure that young people and others are safe from harm. Records following these interventions show that they are completed appropriately and that the staff and young people can reflect on the circumstances surrounding the intervention and can learn from it.

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

The manager and staff regularly consult with safeguarding professionals, including the police and the local authority, to gather information that will assist them in completing the home’s location risk assessment. The location risk assessment is detailed and evaluative and outlines all known risks in the community. The strategies in place to Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 6 manage the risks are clear to the staff and young people. This helps to keep the young people safe from harm when they are out in the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has resigned from his post. The new manager is suitably qualified and experienced and was carefully recruited to ensure that he was the most suitable person for the role. The registered manager demonstrates genuine commitment and extremely high aspirations for the young people in his care. A young person said, ‘The new manager and staff support me well, even though I am now completing the ‘Preparation for life’ programme. I feel more supported now than I did previously.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work collaboratively with other professionals and family members to make sure that young people receive the most appropriate care and intervention to meet their needs. This collaborative working results in young people receiving the best possible care to meet their individual needs. Feedback from external professionals on the improvement and current leadership of the home is without exception highly positive. A social worker commented on the manager’s transparency, dedication and collaborative working. The social worker said, ‘The young person is now thriving in this placement.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision that helps them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children and young people. Additionally, team meetings also allow the manager and staff the opportunity to discuss the needs and progress of the young people and staff practice, and to share information from training and research, which enhances their knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The continuous professional development of staff is a priority for the manager, and he ensures that staff receive regular training and development opportunities. All staff have completed the company’s mandatory training programme and training that is specific to the needs of the young people in their care, such as autism spectrum disorder and seizure training. This ensures that all members of the staff team have the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monitoring and review systems at the home help the manager to identify the strengths and areas for development for the home and the staff team. The manager takes effective action to address shortfalls and build strengths to improve practice and outcomes for the young person. The manager has supported the staff team to take on specific areas of responsibility to develop and enhance their skills. Recording is a particular concern for the manager, so he has spent time with the staff team reflecting on records and ways in which these could be improved. Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 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: 1241757 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

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1241757 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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