Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 1 SC051947 Registered provider: After Care NW Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run and managed by a private company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for two young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home was registered with Ofsted in January 2016.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 1 November 2018

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/11/2018 Full Good 22/11/2017 Full Good 05/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress in relation to their individual starting points across all aspects of their development. They benefit from continuity of care and have consistency and stability in their lives. Young people enjoy good relationships with staff and they sustain their positive attachments.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker reported, ‘The home has been able to build up a good and positive relationship with [the young person] and have a very good understanding of his needs. This is particularly helpful in partnership work and care planning.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from personalised, well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively. They benefit from effective, good-quality support from staff that contributes to change and improvement in their lives. Staff provide young people with a safe, caring, supportive and nurturing environment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are encouraged to attend school or other alternative educational provision with support and encouragement from staff. Staff work closely with the providers of young people’s education to promote their educational achievements and learning. However, not all young people attend school often enough, and some young people’s relevant plans require updating.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A social worker reported, ‘Current progress can be built on by engaging [the young person] in more positive activities and skill development activities. The placement has been very proactive in information sharing and partnership work aimed at promoting [the young person’s] welfare.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are registered with the health services they need to promote their positive health. Medical consent is obtained, so staff are familiar with the types of health decisions and responsibilities that are charged and delegated to them. Staff encourage young people to attend their health appointments and provide support to help them lead and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. Specialist services, such as counselling, are sourced for young people in need of additional support to promote their psychological and emotional well-being.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote family time for young people and their families. This ensures that young people sustain their familiar relationships with the people who are most important to them. Staff provide young people with positive activities to promote their social skills, interests and hobbies.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people develop their independent living skills, such as shopping, cooking and budgeting. However, eligible care leavers require pathway plans to support their readiness for adulthood. Staff consult with young people through key conversations and in-house meetings. However, evidence is lacking in demonstrating how the views of young people are acted upon. Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 4

p.3

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

The safety of young people is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Staff have a good understanding of young people’s specific needs and emerging vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to address them. Risks associated with young people are well known and understood by staff. Young people become increasingly safer because of the actions staff take to support and protect them. The use of clear risk assessment and effective safe working practice promotes the safety of young people.

p.4

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

Social workers reported, ‘My experience with the placement has been really positive. Communication is good, and staff are very accommodating. I think they are on the ball. They have been very proactive in promoting her safety and well-being.’

p.4

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

Risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing from care for lengthy periods, have reduced considerably in relation to young people’s starting points. Other forms of risk-taking behaviours, such as drug misuse and self-harm, have also decreased. Significant incidents are reported to the relevant authorities charged with a duty to protect young people. The home maintains effective working partnerships with the police and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety and well-being of young people.

p.4

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

Staff are trained in child protection and have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles. Staff remain alert to the risk of harm and ensure that young people benefit from effective help, protection and support. Young people are protected from abuse and all other forms of significant harm. Young people are kept safe and experience a strong sense of personal safety.

p.4

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

Staff have high expectations of behaviour and consistently praise, encourage and reinforce positive behaviour. The use of restraint is rare, and, if used at all, restraint is only used as a last resort to protect young people from harm. There have been no restraints or complaints since the last inspection.

p.4

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

The use of consequences to address negative behaviour is not restorative. Some sanctions used by staff are ineffective and repetitive. Sanctions do not have the desired result in modifying young people’s specific behaviours, for example the loss of an activity for two consecutive days for a late return is counterproductive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs an experienced registered manager and deputy manager to oversee the day-to-day operation of the home. The registered manager has been away from the home on a temporary basis and suitable management cover has been in place. The temporary covering manager ensures that the home is managed efficiently and effectively. The home is adequately staffed and resourced to meet the specific needs and numbers of the young people. Staff benefit from good-quality training and receive regular practice-related supervision and detailed records are in Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 5 place to evidence this is the case. The training and developmental needs of staff are identified and met effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff prioritise the needs of young people. They maintain effective partnerships with social workers, schools and other professionals to ensure that young people benefit from the best possible help and all-round support. Staff meet the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. They provide a good- quality service for young people that contributes to change and improvement in their lives. The home provides young people with a physically safe, appropriately secure, warm and comfortable living environment. Health and safety within the home is managed effectively to provide a safe environment for young people, visitors and staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs an independent person to scrutinise the quality of young people’s care and the home’s arrangements to safeguard young people and promote their well-being. Leaders and managers make good use of the home’s internal and external monitoring activities to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. This enables them to tackle any shortfalls in practice and in securing the home’s improvement.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has met and addressed the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. The location of the setting is now considered when assessing the specific needs of young people who may come to live at the home. Safeguarding notifications are shared with the appropriate authorities to support and protect young people. Risk assessments are updated on a regular basis and reflect the specific vulnerabilities and needs of the young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 6

p.5

Recommendations

 Ensure that children are able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  Ensure that children are in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age, unless their personal education plan contained within the care plan or other relevant plan states otherwise. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  Ensure that relevant plans are obtained from the placing authority. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1) This relates specifically, to obtaining pathway plans for eligible care leavers and updated education, health and care plans for young people who require them.

p.6

Recommendations

 Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

p.6

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: SC051947 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care NW Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Kensington Road, Southport, Lancashire PR9 0RT

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

p.7

Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC051947 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8