Children's Home run by Continuum Care Support – Care Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services 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 privately run children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since August 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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: first inspection since registration

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This is the first inspection since registration. Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 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—

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Requirement Due date

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, risk assessments should clearly detail actions for the staff to follow to reduce the risks to young people in respect of fire safety in the home. Additionally, the home’s fire safety risk assessment should be updated to ensure the safety of all who live and work at the home. 28/02/2020

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept and to ensure that both the person giving the supervision and the staff member have a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 and 13.4). In particular, the supervision log should be kept updated with details of the manager’s supervision and a copy of the record of discussion should be readily available. Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

From their starting points, young people make some significant progress, particularly in relation to their health, education and family relationships. The staff demonstrate a good understanding of young people’s needs, and develop approaches that appeal to different young people’s personalities. They persistently encourage young people to keep to good routines and to develop their skills and understanding, to promote positive achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have successfully formed positive relationships with young people who were previously reluctant to engage with professionals. This means that young people have now attended all outstanding health appointments. One young person continues to refuse booster immunisations, but the staff continue to emphasise their importance and encourage further appointments. The home promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourages young people to be physically active, and to eat a balanced diet and try new foods. Consequently, one young person has significantly reduced their consumption of energy drinks since moving to the home. At the young people’s request, the home does not have a planned weekly menu, but offers choices on a daily basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who previously had a poor record of attendance and engagement in education enjoy their placements, and have achieved qualifications. The staff recognise young people’s skills and talents, such as cookery, and have advocated for a placing authority to identify funding for additional training. The staff have been proactive in requesting that a young person’s education, health and care plan be updated to reflect current circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a comprehensive programme to support young people to develop their independent living skills, so that they are confident in their ability to manage this significant life transition. One young person now recognises that they are not yet ready to move on. The staff support this decision and have advocated for a delay at statutory reviews. Another young person has independently sought further training opportunities with the Prince’s Trust and is confident about seeking health advice without the support of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A broad range of activities is available for young people, in line with their personal preferences. For example, they enjoy days out, beauty treatments, going to climbing walls and swimming. Both young people love animals. Members of staff regularly bring their dogs to the home, as dog walking is a favourite activity for the young people. One young person showed great dedication and commitment to caring for a horse daily, although unfortunately this has declined recently due to the pull factor of a friendship group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are involved in their care-planning, and understand how the staff are helping them to make progress and keep themselves safer. They regularly comment on their plans and provide feedback through meetings and consultations. The staff are Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 5 innovative and creative in how they record consultations and significant events. This provides the young people with a clear record of their journeys and achievements at the home, and forms a valuable contribution to their life stories. One young person wrote that the home is the best they have ever lived in. Young people contribute their views on how they would like their home environment to look, and enjoy personalising their own spaces.

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

Staff have a clear understanding of young people’s risks, and respond appropriately to these so as to improve young people’s safety and well-being. Risk management plans are, in general, comprehensive and are updated regularly, and in response to newly emerging concerns. However, despite identifying a new risk for a young person with respect to fire safety, the risk management plan is not specific enough in directing how the staff should respond, and the home’s fire risk assessment has not been updated with this new information.

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

Incentives have been used, with some success, for one young person, to reduce their risk-taking behaviours. Key-work sessions are focused and encourage young people to consider their actions, including the potential consequences of their actions in relation to their future life opportunities. Restorative practice is used so that young people understand the impact of, and take responsibility for, their behaviour. Young people do show remorse for their actions and can reflect that they have acted impulsively. They recognise how such behaviours put themselves and others at risk.

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

There is effective management oversight of any consequences that are put in place to help young people understand why their behaviour is unacceptable. Young people accept consequences, for example on the rare occasions when they have misused alcohol or substances. Young people have refused support from external agencies when this has been offered. However, staff ensure that direct work is completed to emphasise how drugs and alcohol affect their health and well-being.

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

Prior to arriving at the home, one young person resided in a secure children’s home because they had a history of prolonged missing episodes and involvement in criminal activity. These risks have now reduced significantly and although the young person has occasionally gone missing, these episodes have been of a shorter duration and the young person has returned of their own volition. The staff follow individualised missing protocols and ensure that independent return interviews are offered when young people do go missing. The staff also carefully plan activities to reduce the risk of the young person going missing at identified sensitive times, which has successfully prevented some incidents.

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

After a prolonged period of stability, another young person has re-established connections with former friends who have had a negative influence. The staff have a good understanding of the pull factors, which have resulted in the young person going missing and potentially being exploited. Concerns that the young person may be involved Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 6 in criminal activity are currently being investigated. Staff follow all procedures and update other safeguarding agencies regularly. The manager and staff have explored several options to try to help the young person make more positive choices and understand the risks and consequences of going missing. These safeguarding concerns have been carefully considered in reviewing the ongoing suitability of the placement for the young person. The impact on the other young person who lives at the home has also been considered in making a decision to serve notice on the placement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is run by an experienced and suitably qualified manager, who has rapidly established a cohesive, committed and aspirational staff team. The team comprises a mix of experienced and newer staff who bring a range of skills from diverse career backgrounds to support young people’s development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

As a trainer within the organisation, the manager researches subjects, such as attachment and trauma, so as to deliver high-quality training to meet the specific needs of young people. A training schedule is in place to support the team’s ongoing professional development. The staff research topics to share in the regular team meetings and their knowledge is tested in quizzes. New staff without a suitable qualification have been enrolled on courses of study, and are expected to achieve the qualification within the necessary timescales. Experienced staff are mentored to help develop their career aspirations. The manager also has her own professional development plan, to maintain and develop her expertise in her role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff reported being well supported by the manager and colleagues. They enjoy working with the young people and are keen to develop their skills to deliver the highest- quality care. Supervision is child focused and of high quality. However, records had not been updated to include the dates of the manager’s supervision, and notes from her meetings were not available to review at the start of the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is clear and proactive communication between the leaders and managers of the home and other agencies. The manager and staff team act as strong advocates for young people, and will challenge placing authorities’ decisions appropriately, so that young people are not discriminated against because of unduly risk-averse or punitive practice. Feedback from other professionals is positive, particularly regarding ongoing liaison about any safeguarding concerns. This ensures effective multi-agency working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Professionals recognise the quality and strength of the relationships that the staff form with young people. One social worker noted the willingness of the manager to work with a young person who has previously lived in another of the organisation’s homes. This means that a young person with attachment difficulties receives consistent care from known members of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An independent reviewing officer commented that the staff have been instrumental in encouraging a young person to re-establish contact with their family members, and have Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 7 planned visits well. Other safeguarding agencies, such as the police and the youth offending service, confirmed that they are kept updated on young people’s progress and any emerging concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Highly organised, concise recording and monitoring systems are in place. Records are personalised and are written to the young person, so that they are easy for them to read and understand at a later date. Monthly audits contribute to the manager’s overview of the quality of care that young people receive. The manager makes good use of external monitoring and welcomes suggestions from the independent person, to support her understanding of the home’s areas for ongoing development and improvement.

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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: 2509802 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool, Lancashire L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Karen Willson: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2509802 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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