Children's home run by Care Afloat Ltd in West Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 1 SC006014 Registered provider: Care Afloat Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered manager has been in post since 25 April 2014.

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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 good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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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: 21 January 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

None. Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2019 Full Good 09/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/05/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 3

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outstanding

Young people who have experienced instability and adversity in their childhoods make exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. They receive a consistently high quality of care from a stable and experienced staff team.

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outstanding

Young people share a home environment which is like an extended family. Relationships between young people and staff mirror what would be expected in a nurturing family home. A parent told the inspector, ‘We didn’t want him to have a care system experience. We wanted him to have a home. That’s what he has got’.

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outstanding

Young people are involved in regular voluntary work in the community. One young person accompanied a member of staff who was giving clothes and toiletries to the homeless community at Christmas. The young person told the inspector about the significant impact this has had on him. These opportunities enable young people to make a positive contribution to society and develop a sense of social responsibility.

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outstanding

Young people’s skills and interests are actively promoted. Both young people have a range of musical instruments in the home to encourage their love of music. These mutual interests have also promoted a positive relationship between the young people.

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outstanding

Young people are making good progress in education. Young people who did not attend school before coming to the home are now regularly attending and are engaged in full-time education. One young person is now in further education and has ambitions to progress to university. Both young people have high aspirations which staff actively support them to pursue.

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outstanding

Young people’s physical and emotional health needs are well identified and suitably addressed. Staff undertake regular individual work with young people to help them understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. As a result, young people are enabled to make informed choices about their health.

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outstanding

Young people who live a significant distance from their families receive excellent help from staff to maintain and improve the quality of family relationships. Staff actively encourage and support parents’ involvement in their children’s care. The parents of one young person spent Christmas Day at the home. Young people, parents and staff have been out for a meal together to celebrate a young person’s birthday. This inclusive approach to the care of young people means that they receive consistent love and support from all of the important adults in their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 4

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

The quality of care experienced by young people means that they have developed strong and trusting relationships with staff. As a result, young people are well placed to share uncertainties or concerns with staff members.

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

Young people do not go missing from the home. This contributes to young people experiencing stability in their own lives and well as not being adversely affected by the instability of their peers.

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

Young people do not behave in a way which would necessitate the use of physical intervention by staff. This positive environment helps young people to manage conflict in a constructive way. As a result, they are better equipped to deal with challenges they may face as they move towards independence.

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

Young people’s case files are, for the most part, comprehensive and well organised. Some local authority records relating to delegation of authority have not been provided. These have not been sought by the home. As a result, it is not always clear what decisions staff can make with, or on behalf of, a young person.

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

Young people are well supported to move on from the home. Transitions are well planned and undertaken at a reasonable pace. One young person who is due to move to semi-independent living will continue to have the informal support of the staff after he has left the home. The opportunity to maintain these important and nurturing relationships means that the young person is well placed to make a successful move towards adulthood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led effectively by an experienced registered manager who has been in the home for a number of years. She works well with her deputy manager to provide good management oversight of all aspects of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has well-established systems in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of care provided for young people. The home is extremely well organised. As a result, staff know what is expected of them and these expectations are supported by clear and accessible policies and procedures. Good working practices are embedded in the day-to-day work of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home receives regular visits from an independent person who looks at the safeguarding arrangements for young people. In addition, the organisation has an annual quality assurance visit from a manager within the company. This internal and external challenge provides support for the manager to reflect on and improve the quality of care. Regular visits from an independent person was a requirement of the last inspection. This requirement is met. However, the independent person is not ensuring that visits are undertaken at a time which allows them to see those young people who are in education. A recommendation is therefore made in this respect. Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 5 The statement of purpose for the home is regularly reviewed and updated by the registered manager. The registered manager has not ensured that the statement of purpose has been sent to Ofsted. This has not adversely impacted on the care of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals. Staff told the inspector that they value supervision as a way of supporting them to meet the needs of young people. There is a good range of training for staff, the majority of which is face to face. This gives staff the opportunity to develop new skills and refresh existing knowledge. There is a clear training plan in place. It was a requirement of the last inspection that staff obtained the relevant qualifications within expected timescales. All staff now have gained, or are working towards gaining, their qualifications. This requirement is therefore met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates well on behalf of young people. She challenges placing local authorities if they are not taking decisions which are in young people’s best interests. As a result, the detailed knowledge that the staff team has about a young person and the young person’s wishes and feelings are taken into consideration when making decisions about the future care of the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The physical environment of the home is, on the whole, good. A shower room used by a young person is in need of refurbishment. There is a regular maintenance programme within the home which ensures that repairs are generally addressed quickly. As a result, young people are provided with a pleasant and homely environment in which to live. Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 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, 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 registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 31/03/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they and their staff engage proactively with the placing authority to contribute fully to the relevant plans for the child’s care on an ongoing basis (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3). This is with particular reference to the registered manager obtaining from the placing authority completed delegated-authority agreements.  Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11). This is with particular reference to the independent person completing visits to the home when young people are likely to be present.  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

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Recommendations

environments (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15). This is with particular reference to the refurbishment of the shower room. Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 7

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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: SC006014 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Afloat Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 158–160 Birkrig, Digmoor Parade, Skelmersdale WN8 9HP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Fletcher

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC006014 9 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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