Children's Home run by Essandore Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 1 SC066218 Registered provider: Essandore Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers accommodation for up to six young people who have learning disabilities and who may also have physical disabilities. The home is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with October since 2008.

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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 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: 6 December 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/12/2018 Full Good 10/10/2017 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/12/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 3

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outstanding

Children and young people receive an exceptionally high quality of care that is making a significant difference in their lives. Children and young people, who have very complex needs, are provided with the stability needed to allow them to grow and develop. Children and young people who have lived here for some time, have made remarkable and sustained progress.

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outstanding

Children and young people are making positive progress in their health and emotional well-being, building healthy relationships, and managing their feelings. Staff are proactive in seeking additional help from other professionals when necessary to support the children and young people’s mental health.

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outstanding

Staff work tirelessly to ensure that the children and young people receive the right support to achieve good educational outcomes. The registered manager and staff initiated and supported a young person to change school. This happened, and the young person is now thriving in their new school.

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outstanding

Similarly, the staff are supporting a young person who has recently refused to attend school. They are providing alternative activities while working with the family and professionals to help the young person to go back to school.

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outstanding

The new post of school liaison is working well. This role is still in its infancy, but it is already bringing about change and is improving the communication between the staff and the school staff. This has also brought new ideas, which are being used well to enhance the learning opportunities of other children and young people.

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outstanding

Staff are highly skilled communicators who understand the subtle nuances of the children and young people’s non-verbal communication. Consequently, every child and young person has a voice, is heard and can make choices. Staff identified that one young person’s writing on their bedroom walls is this young person’s way of recording their life story.

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outstanding

Staff embrace the uniqueness and individuality of each child and young person. They have an excellent understanding of the children and young people’s diverse needs and meet these well on a daily basis. Children and young people are treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

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outstanding

Care planning is detailed and captures the personalities of each child and young person. Children and young people’s education, health and care plans are current, and the information is used effectively to plan the next steps for them.

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outstanding

Staff help young people to achieve and have better life chances. Children and young people are becoming increasingly confident in their abilities. Staff make sure that Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 4 children and young people have the skills, opportunities and emotional resilience that they need to move successfully into the next stage of their lives.

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outstanding

Young people who are in the process of moving out of the home are very well supported. This is taken at their pace, which is helping them to feel happy and safe about moving into their new home.

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outstanding

Encouraging children and young people to be as independent as possible is a strength of the home. Staff talk proudly about the children and young people’s achievements, such as undertaking their personal care needs, and seeing to household chores.

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outstanding

Families are complimentary about the staff and the support that they provide, not only to their children but to them as well. Some children and young people are now able to spend time at home with their families. One parent wrote in the compliments book that, ‘We continue to be blown away by the caring and thoughtful nature of all the staff; they have created a real home from home for our child.’

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outstanding

Parents have confidence in the staff because of the effective safeguarding practice. Staff act quickly to address any emerging concerns. Swift action was taken in response to a recent concern.

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outstanding

The registered manager and deputy worked well with other professionals to bring about a quick, secure resolution to the issue. Records are in place which support their actions. However, there is no clear chronology as to who was spoken to and when. This is a recording issue and does not impact upon the outcome of the investigation.

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outstanding

Thorough records are kept and monitored about all aspects of safety and protection; these include detailed risk assessments that guide staff in the actions that they need to take to reduce the risks to children and young people. This attention to detail means that any issues are quickly identified and rectified.

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outstanding

Detailed behaviour support plans are highly effective and help staff to address unwanted behaviour consistently. Staff’s attention to maintaining children and young people’s routines is of utmost importance. This approach provides children and young people with stability and aids their understanding of what is happening and when.

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outstanding

Staff use acceptance and a nurturing approach to encourage positive behaviour. Staff spend considerable amounts of time talking to young people about better ways to manage their emotions. As a result, the need to physically restrain a child or young person has diminished. Children and young people are more able to remove themselves from difficult situations to find their quiet space where they can relax and recover. Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 5 The registered manager and deputy manager build reliable and effective working relationships with social workers, therapists and other agencies and use these well to devise plans that minimise the risks to children and young people. Consequently, they challenge assertively other agencies when they feel that concerns about a child or young person are not being taken seriously.

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outstanding

Staff recruitment and vetting are rigorous. The record-keeping in staff files has much improved and any gaps are now routinely followed up.

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outstanding

Great pride is taken in maintaining the home to a good standard. This is evident in the decor and good-quality furniture, which create a homely and nurturing environment. Each child or young person’s bedroom is designed to meet their specific needs. Some have a very sparse-looking room; however, due to careful planning, they are now beginning to tolerate soft furnishings, such as their tepee.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from excellent leadership. The manager is suitably experienced and qualified to undertake the role. He is supported by a very experienced deputy manager and, together, they form a strong and visible leadership team. They are committed to providing a high-quality, child-centred service to the children and young people in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses learning from research and internal and external monitoring systems to identify and address areas for improvement. He encourages the involvement of parents, children, young people and staff in the development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Many improvements have been made since the last inspection, such as the statement of purpose being sent into Ofsted after it has been revised. Staff commented favourably about the improved training opportunities. They said that this has empowered them and has helped them to look at alternative ways of working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are tenacious, resilient and do not give up trying to make a positive difference to young people’s lives. Staff are confident to try new ideas to support children and young people’s development and fun, such as ‘jelly baths’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Overall, record-keeping has improved, and tells the story of the child or young person’s time in the home. There is a minor shortfall about the recording of any concerns. These are not always recorded, in particular when a concern resurfaces having been deemed to be resolved. Action was taken during the inspection to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular opportunities to reflect on the children and young people’s progress, their own performance and to share and develop their skills and Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 6 knowledge through their engagement in constructive, practice-related supervision and team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Thorough external scrutiny by an independent person and comprehensive reviews of the quality of care help the registered manager to continue to make improvements that benefit the children and young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 7

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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 ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 27/03/2020

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Recommendations

 Regulations 35-39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) In particular, establish a system for recording the chronology and actions of any safeguarding concerns.

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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: SC066218 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: c/o Harrison Latham, 97 Tulketh Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside PR8 1AW

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066218 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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