Children's Home run by New Foundations Care Homes Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 1 SC406636 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to accommodate up to five children who may have emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/04/2018 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 3

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improvement to be good

Young people’s progress in placement is variable. Progress in education is not consistent for all the young people. One young person who did not attend school for almost two years now has an attendance rate of 50%. Other young people are not attending or engaging in any education. Personal education plans are not used as working documents; most on file are not current. The manager has been involved in trying to find alternative provisions for young people. However, there is not enough done on a daily basis by staff to ensure that all young people are receiving the education they need.

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improvement to be good

Young people are registered with local health services and have attended appointments. Annual health assessments on file are not up to date. It is therefore difficult to measure whether the home has met the health needs of each young person. One young person needs specific dental treatment. The manager has not yet escalated this effectively, to ensure that he receives the treatment required, regardless of funding.

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improvement to be good

Staff have referred young people for help with substance misuse and anger management. For the young people who have engaged in the services, they have been able to complete sessions and have shown progress. For one young person, both his mother and social worker felt that he has been more settled since living at the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager served notice on one young person because she continued to put herself at risk in the community. The manager has agreed to extend the notice period until an appropriate home is found to meet her needs. Due to the uncertainty, the young person is no longer investing in the home and her plans. An independent advocate has not been sought to help support her through this period of instability.

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improvement to be good

Young people have built some good relationships with staff and the registered manager. Most young people told inspectors that they are happy living at the home. One young person said, ‘I don’t feel like I’m in care, I’m just getting on with my life.’ Time with family is promoted by staff. Parents have given positive feedback about the home. Parents’ views are also incorporated into the placement plans. However, for some young people, the safety planning when visiting their families is not clear enough.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated well and feels homely. Ongoing maintenance of the home takes place. Some areas of the home are in need of attention. The manager is aware of this and has plans to continue improving all areas of the home. One young person smokes in his bedroom on a regular basis. Consequences imposed by staff to address this have been ineffective. Smoking in the home places the young person and others at risk. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 4

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improvement to be good

One young person with a history of being criminally exploited and reported missing from home regularly is no longer putting himself at risk. However, this is not consistent with all of the young people. Staff do report young people missing from home appropriately to the police.

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improvement to be good

Another young person has previously been at risk of criminal exploitation. Strategy meetings have been held and he is now assessed as being at low risk of being exploited. However, staff have not consistently implemented the strategies agreed in the meeting. For example, a chronology of his whereabouts is not kept up to date. This impacts on staff ensuring his safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Staff keep a running log of when incidents of bullying have occurred. This log is regularly reviewed by the manager. However, staff have not had training to help them fully understand the risks and how they can prevent them. Consequently, bullying has continued to occur and young people have been injured by their peers.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments on file are not clear enough to guide staff in exactly how to manage young people’s risk-taking behaviours. For example, one young person’s risk assessment to see his friends states that staff should check on him when possible. This is not prescriptive enough to ensure that staff are following the agreed strategies. Staff keep a log of information but do not clearly record when changes have been made to any strategies.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, staff did not take enough action to prevent a young person being at risk from other young people in the community. The staff member was aware of the potential risk of violence, but she did not contact the police to seek immediate assistance. Ofsted was also not informed of the incident. Another member of the community was assaulted and a neighbour called the police. These shortcomings were not recognised at the time by the manager. As a result, staff were unable to reflect on their practice. This prevents staff making necessary changes to ensure that young people are kept safe in the future.

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good

The manager has a good knowledge of the impact of trauma and early life experiences on young people. However, this knowledge is not used consistently by the team when working with the young people. The manager does work hard to create a warm environment for the young people to live in. She is qualified, experienced and is registered with Ofsted. She has taken steps to ensure that matching of young people is well informed. As a result, all young people’s transitions into the home have been positive. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 5 Team meetings are held on a regular basis and cover a range of topics. Staff discuss the content of young people’s meetings and any recent areas of concern. However, decisions are not made and recorded to direct staff on any changes to daily routines. This lack of clarity reduces the consistency for young people. It has also affected the relationship with one social worker, who felt that staff do not always follow agreed

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good

Reflective practice sessions also take place with a psychologist. They are child- focused and discuss relevant topics pertinent to each young person. It is not always clear to see how staff implement the actions set by the psychologist. Young people are therefore not directly benefiting from this research-based advice.

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good

Staff and the manager receive reflective supervision on a regular basis. Staff are up to date with all mandatory training, including safeguarding and exploitation. The manager ensures that any bank staff also receive training and supervision. Due to this support, bank staff are retained and the team is fully staffed.

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good

The manager requests relevant paperwork, including personal education plans, health assessments and placement plans. However, she has not done enough to escalate this when necessary. As a result, several of the case records are not current and not used to guide staff practice. As the manager does not consistently attend care planning meetings, opportunities are missed to advocate for young people’s needs. This also further reduces consistency. One young person was offered a trip to Dubai with her dance group. The manager did not escalate this effectively to ensure that funding was agreed. As a result, the young person missed out on this huge opportunity.

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good

The manager has made a number of changes to try to improve consistency and communication. For example, team leaders have been deployed to lead shifts each day. The team leaders meet prior to the whole team meeting to discuss any common areas for improvement. Communication books between shifts are now also used. It is clear from speaking to young people, staff and professionals that this improved communication is yet to be achieved. Consequently, the quality of care provided to young people remains inconsistent. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff need to ensure that the day is structured in a way that promotes consistent engagement with individual education plans.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix)(x)) 01/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to— achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding. 01/06/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 7 (Regulation 10(1)(a)(2)(a)(i)(ii))

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— 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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to

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Requirement Due date

keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff need to ensure that risk assessments are clear and used to guide day-to-day practice. Staff and managers also need to ensure that the police are informed of criminal behaviours and asked to assist when necessary to prevent harm to young people.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 01/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 01/06/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 8 The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 01/06/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 01/06/2020

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Recommendations

 Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, staff need to ensure that they challenge young people who smoke in their bedroom effectively.  All children must have access to appropriate advocacy support, and where possible this should be provided by a person that the child chooses. Looked-after children are entitled to an independent advocate to advise them and ensure they have the support needed to express their views, wishes and feelings about their care and lives. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  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. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, managers must ensure that young people receive responses to their requests in direct work and young people’s meetings.  Staff should understand what they must do to prevent bullying of children by other children or adults. Staff should be able to recognise and address different types of abuse such as peer abuse, cyber-bullying and bullying in day to day Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 9 relationships in the home. Registered persons must ensure that procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying are in place and staff have the skills required to intervene, protect and address bullying behaviours effectively. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.16).

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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: SC406636 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool 6LZ

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Inspectors

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Kamal Bhamra, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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