Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 1 SC486165

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Good Foundations Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This private children’s home provides care and accommodation for four children or young people who have social and/or emotional difficulties and who may have special educational needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since June 2019.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged good at the full inspection on 2 March 2020.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place in response to information received by Ofsted that indicated a potential serious concern about a child at risk of self-harm.

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This monitoring visit

No serious or widespread safeguarding concerns were found during the visit. Children feel safe and are protected from harm. The managers and staff understand the children’s vulnerabilities and their individual needs. The managers and staff recognise the signs that indicate a child may be struggling with their emotional well- being and know what to do to help the child.

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This monitoring visit

Staff support children to talk about their worries and to find healthy strategies to help them manage their feelings safely. Staff respond appropriately when children self-harm. They make sure that children are safe, and get the help they need, including first aid and assistance from emergency health services. Staff make sure that children get the psychological and emotional advice, support and treatment that they need from health services.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments and management plans do not always include all the information that is known about the child, to help to reduce the risk of self-harm. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 2 Likewise, the plans do not include details of the steps staff should take to protect a child when they have self-harmed. This does not help staff to know what they should do to support the child and provide the child with a consistent response.

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This monitoring visit

The management oversight of incidents of self-harm is not rigorous. Managers have not scrutinised incident records thoroughly to find out what actually happened. They have not identified and investigated possible weaknesses in practice. They have not evaluated how well the strategies used by staff have worked. They have not used the incidents as opportunities for learning to improve or change practice and make sure it meets the needs of the child.

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This monitoring visit

A child has contacted a member of staff on their personal telephone number. The home’s policy is that staff should not give children their personal numbers. When managers became aware of this, they should have ensured that they had a clear record of the action they took in response. The managers must make sure that staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures. Staff must understand their roles and responsibilities, and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative.

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This monitoring visit

The arrangements for managing children’s medication are safe. The recording and monitoring systems prevent the misuse of prescribed medication. However, the home does not have medically approved protocols for children’s use of ‘as required’ medication. This should set out the arrangements for when to give the medication, and what to do if the child is no longer using it.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit did not consider the requirements and recommendations made at the last full inspection that did not relate to the reasons for the visit. These requirements and recommendations will be reviewed at the next inspection visit.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 02/03/2020 Full Good 05/12/2018 Full Good 03/10/2017 Full Good 21/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 3

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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 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 –

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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

In particular, risk assessments and management plans must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. 20/09/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 20/09/2020 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 4 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vi)) 17/04/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Recommendations

 Medicines must be administered in line with a medically approved protocol. (‘Guide to the children's home's regulation including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) In particular, when children are prescribed ‘as required’ medication. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 5  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 the relevant health and safety legislation. (‘Guide to the children's home's regulation including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, the home should ensure that the garden is a safe place for the young people.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child should always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. The home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. (‘Guide to the children's home's regulation including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.4, 14.5) In particular, that the young people’s healthcare plans, keyworker reports and return home interviews are detailed and demonstrate the outcomes and next steps for young people.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

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Inspectors

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Jessica Forshaw, social care inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC486165 6 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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