Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 1 SC405448 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is following the Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) therapeutic programme.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 26 to 27 November 2019

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 26 September 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2018 Full Outstanding 24/05/2017 Full Good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/07/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13). In particular, ensure that Ofsted is informed when a notification has been closed.  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5). In particular, risk assessments should relate to the specific risks presented by each individual young person and not be generic documents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit form an excellent wrap-around service, which includes care, therapy and education. This has ensured that all young people, without exception, have made vast progress from their starting points. The young people can now reflect on their past behaviours and have moved forward with their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people describe this care home as their home and said that staff are like family. Young people said that they were happy, safe and very settled in the home. One young person said, ‘I used to say I was happy, but since I have been here I know what happiness really feels like inside.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff’s high aspirations and proactive approach maximise young people’s learning and achievements. All the young people had little or no attendance at school, prior to coming to this home. They all have above 95% attendance now. They have achieved some qualifications, and they all have clear career ambitions and are working towards these. One young person is completing a motor mechanic course at college. There are clear links between the education, health and care plans, personal educational plans, school reports and educational assessments. The actions identified in these documents are all pulled through to a clear education plan for the young person which is carefully implemented in practice. This means that staff know how to support the young people extremely well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Excellent partnership working with specialised health services is ensuring that the young people remain healthy and learn to stay well. For example, one young person had a fear of needles and was refusing dental treatment. Staff contacted the nurse for children looked after, and she put them in touch with a phobia clinic. The young person attended this clinic and has now received the treatment that she needed. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 4 The therapeutic model of care is outlined in the home’s statement of purpose and is well embedded in practice. Psychologists support young people to overcome previous trauma and give them strategies to help them to move forward with their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have a strong voice in this home. Staff prioritise their views and include them in decision making. As a result, young people are fully involved in the planning of their care and their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people benefit from having increased contact with their families. This is down to staff dedicating their time and resources to ensuring that contact is safe and a positive experience for all. Parents feel that they are welcomed into the home by staff. Further to this, parents reported that they are fully included in their child’s care and that communication between them and the home is fantastic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s inclusion in community life is outstanding. Young people enjoy an excellent range of well-considered activities and experiences. Activities follow the interests of the young people, as well as developing their self-confidence and independence skills. For example, one young person said that she was very timid, nervous and had anxieties around strangers and chose to isolate herself from others. Through the effective and supportive work completed with her, she now enjoys travelling to college independently.

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

Young people’s behaviour is excellent, and it has significantly improved over time. Young people benefit from living in a nurturing and structured environment where positive behaviour is actively promoted through rewards and praise. Young people said that they feel loved and valued, and that they can openly discuss any concerns that they may have. They were confident that their views, wishes and feelings would be acted on straight away.

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

Young people are safe because staff are extremely vigilant and alert to potential dangers. Staff are experts at keeping children safe while ensuring that they still have opportunities to learn and develop. For example, staff complete regular key-work sessions with the children on subjects such as social media, harmful behaviour and personal safety. Because the children trust the staff, they take on board their advice. Consequently, young people learn how to keep themselves safe, inform staff of any concerns and socialise in their community independently and safely.

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

The home has robust safeguarding measures that promote the young people’s safety and well-being. For example, staff stringently follow the clear missing-from-care policy and procedures, work effectively with child sexual exploitation professionals and are well-trained in de-escalation techniques and in holding young people for their safety. These strategies, incorporated with effective key-work sessions, behaviour management strategies and therapy techniques mean that there has been a significant reduction in Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 5 the number of episodes of challenging behaviour presented by young people. Young people say that they are fully involved in assessing their own risks and take pride in being able to demonstrate how they have reduced their risks.

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

Staff raise any potential safeguarding concerns with the relevant safeguarding professionals, such as social workers. All significant incidents are clearly recorded and shared with the young person’s social worker, their parent and the designated officer for children looked after. When necessary, the manager ensures that Ofsted is notified. There have been two incidents since the home’s last inspection, however, where the formal notifications to Ofsted have not been closed. This is a minor oversight, as the home’s records show that there is a clear account of all the action taken, the outcome and the participation of the young person involved.

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

Admissions to the home are well planned and a high level of consideration is given to ensuring that there is an appropriate mix of young people. Risk assessments and pre- placement meetings show that admission decisions are carefully considered. However, when young people first come to the home, a range of risks are considered. Some of these risks do not apply to the young people and are still recorded in their care plans. This does not show that young people are individually assessed.

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

Parents and professionals spoken to as part of this inspection were highly complimentary about the home, the staff and the safety of the young people. One professional said, ‘I need a placement here for another young person, but they are full. I would recommend this home to anyone without hesitation because they are fantastic in all that they do.’ A parent said, ‘It is hard for us because we want her at home, but it is lovely to see her happy and content. She is thriving and in the right place. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff and they make sure that we are included.’

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

The home is furnished to a very high standard. The manager and staff have created a very warm and welcoming home. The young people have personalised their bedrooms to reflect their own styles and preferences. All utilities and health and safety checks are completed regularly. Fire evacuations are practised, and the identification of all visitors is scrutinised. This means that the young people live in a safe and protected environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is run exceptionally well. A strong, dedicated and qualified manager leads an experienced, competent and extremely caring staff team. All leaders are experienced and passionate about improving the lives of the young people they care for. Young people are at the heart of this service and their needs are rigorously assessed and met. Through excellent care and support, young people continue to make impressive progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There have been a few changes in the staffing this year. The company follows the safer recruitment guidance to ensure that all staff are suitable to work with the young people. Staff receive a thorough induction that includes completing all mandatory training. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 6 Throughout their probationary period, staff receive extra support, higher levels of supervision and clear pathways for their development. This year has seen a new development involving the assessment of the staff’s competency in the therapeutic model. Staff said that this was a useful tool to help them understand the concepts and how to apply them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff team is consistent and stable. Half of the staff members are suitably qualified, some have just registered on an equivalent course and some are at different stages of completion. Staff receive a variety of training opportunities that support them in their role. As a result, young people greatly benefit from receiving excellent support from a competent and well-informed team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision is provided for all staff and they reported that this is reflective and beneficial to their learning and development. Furthermore, the manager ensures that team meetings are regular and productive, and that staff can contribute to them. Monthly meetings often involve looking at current research and practice issues. For example, they have recently included discussions about deprivation of liberty orders, the legalities of these, and the restrictions and impact they have on young people’s choices and supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a strong leader and a good role model and advocate for young people and staff. She is not afraid to challenge other professionals and, on many occasions, has done so successfully. For example, she challenged the contents of a court order that deprived a young person of her liberty which meant that the young person has been able to make significant progress with her independence and general day-to- day routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. This is reflected in the home’s development plan, which sets out targets for the coming year. One of the targets is to make the redundant education room into an accessible room for everybody. The young people are debating whether to have a chill room, beauty salon or games room.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Collaborative working with numerous professionals, such as teachers, health professionals and parents, means that young people receive the best care possible. Each person’s contribution is recorded in detail in the young people’s plans. This provides an insight and understanding in respect of the young people’s lives and their journeys and contributes to the planning for their futures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Internal and external monitoring of the home are effective. The manager has identified that although the independent visitor contacts other professionals for feedback, he struggles to obtain replies. Therefore, they are currently looking at other ways to do this. Any issues raised through the monitoring systems are quickly addressed by the manager which continually improves practice within the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 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: SC405448 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley: social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC405448 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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