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

Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 1 SC022437 Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care and accommodation for one young person who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2019 and is also registered to manage another single-occupancy home in the local area. He is currently completing his level 5 qualification.

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Inspection date: 5 March 2020

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2019

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Inspection date: 5 March 2020

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, staff have supported the young person currently living at the home to make limited progress. He continues to attend college part time. Staff struggle to engage the young person in developing his independence skills in preparation for moving on from the home. Staff lack the skills and management guidance to develop more innovative ways to ensure that the young person can maximise the opportunities for preparing for adulthood while he is still living in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person’s risk-taking behaviour has increased since the last inspection. There has been an increase in the frequency of the young person going missing from care. He has been reported missing from care on seven occasions since the end of December 2019. There are also concerns that the young person is at risk of criminal exploitation. The registered manager and staff do not take effective action to manage the young person’s risk-taking behaviour.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There is no missing-from-home risk assessment or protocol in place to enable staff to manage this risky behaviour effectively. For example, there is no risk assessment which contains agreed measures so that staff know what to do when the young person goes missing from the home. Staff do report the young person missing to the police. Once this is done, however, they do not consistently look for him in familiar places or continue to try and contact him throughout the night as a concerned parent would. Staff are aware that the young person is exposed to high levels of risk during these episodes of going missing. Risks include substance misuse and being criminally exploited. On one occasion, the staff member was asleep when the young person returned at 4.00am after being missing from home by climbing into his bedroom window. The staff member was unaware that he had returned to the home until they got up later in the morning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Risk assessments do not adequately evaluate risk and identify clear steps for staff to take to mitigate that risk. There is a lack of professional curiosity in how the registered manager and staff identify and evaluate risk. This, accompanied by the lack of robust action to mitigate risk, places the young person at risk of harm. The registered manager does not review risk assessments in response to evolving concerns or ensure that important information from the police and local authority is available in the home to inform practice.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff undertake room searches. These have been instigated by the registered manager in response to the young person’s recent arrest for a serious matter. There are no details about the frequency of when these searches will take place. There are also no records of when room searches are undertaken as to whether the young Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 3 person has been present or even knows about the searches. There is no record of the work undertaken with him to understand why room searches are necessary. This does not help the young person to understand the risks involved with carrying a knife or to understand how staff are trying to safeguard him.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The young person does not feel that staff listen to him. He has clear goals to move on to live independently. However, the implementation of his independence plan has stalled. Staff struggle to engage with the young person and lack managerial guidance to develop more innovative approaches. Staff allow the young person to make food and take it to his bedroom to eat. This does not encourage him to engage with staff or the running of the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager does not have systems in place to ensure effective monitoring of the quality of care provided to the young person. Staff use sanctions without considering the impact on the young person. For example, staff turn off the home’s wi-fi at 11pm. There is no record of why this is necessary, how this will be reviewed, whether this has been discussed with the young person and no evaluation of the effectiveness of this measure. When consequences are used, their use is not discussed with the young person to ensure that he understands the purpose. The registered manager had not identified these shortfalls.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager fails to consider the impact of decisions to lock internal and external doors on the safety of the young person. As a result, the young person is unable to leave the home in the event of an emergency at night. Ofsted has referred this concern to the local fire and rescue service. This represents both a safeguarding risk and also an unnecessary restriction on the young person’s ability to move freely around his home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager does not ensure that he acts in a timely manner to resolve shortfalls in the home or in staff practice. For example, it is recorded in October 2019 that a window restrictor is required on the young person’s window; this has still not been fitted. The independent visitor has repeatedly raised concerns about the legibility and content of the recordings staff make; this continues to be an issue. The home’s visitors’ book has gaps in recording when visitors leave the home which the registered manager has not identified. This does not provide an accurate record to protect the young person and staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has made some progress in addressing the requirements and recommendations which arose from the last inspection. He has ensured that he has completed appraisals with staff and has the most up-to-date child looked after documentation from the placing authority. He has also removed garden equipment from the living space. However, the home appears tired and grubby and lacks basic items, such as bathroom fittings. This does not provide a homely environment for the young person to live in. The registered manager has not taken steps to address shortfalls identified at the previous inspection in creating lasting memories for the young person of living in the home. He did respond to a recommendation to review the home’s workforce plan, but this remains an ineffective tool as it is not specific and staff are not aware of or involved with the identified plans. This reflects the Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 4

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

poor managerial oversight of the quality of care provided and the lack of progress to improve practice in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2019 Full Good 01/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/06/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 6

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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, the 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)) 03/04/2020

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii))* 03/04/2020

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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. 03/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(b)) 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))* 03/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 03/04/2020

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. 03/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 8 (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and 03/04/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 9 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i) (ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  Ensure that staff recognise the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised in good social work practice, for example through undertaking life story work or other direct work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should have a workforce plan, which can fulfil the

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Recommendations

workforce-related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff, including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  A child’s bedroom should not generally be entered without their permission, though it may be necessary to establish routines to allow for rooms to be cleaned regularly. Usually, rooms should only be searched if the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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Recommendations

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC022437 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Rebecca Quested, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC022437 12 to 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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