Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Assurance visit report: SC440309 1 SC440309

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by Lancashire County Council. It provides care for up to six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: requires improvement to be good

p.1

Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

p.1

Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

p.1

Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

p.1

Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

p.1

Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

p.1

Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC440309 2

p.1

The care of children

Young people are cared for by a consistent and experienced staff team. Young people have positive relationships with staff that they trust. One young person said, ‘I have got my own little family, I feel loved and I belong.’ All the young people were educated at home during the period of national restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff developed a balanced daily routine of education and physical activities that kept young people stimulated and occupied. One social worker said, ‘They support the young person really well with her education and have been really helpful in ensuring she maintained regular contact with her tutors and stayed on top of daily work.’

p.2

The care of children

Young people have enjoyed a wide range of activities and trips since the easing of lockdown restrictions. Young people told the inspector that the activities they did with staff was one of the things they liked most about living at the home. Staff create memory books for young people, which capture new experiences and special memories of the young person’s time at the home.

p.2

The care of children

Young people are prepared well for independent life. Staff are supporting them to learn new skills and they take part in daily household tasks, such as tidying their rooms and helping to prepare meals. One young person now travels independently to college.

p.2

The care of children

Young people’s transitions into and out of the home are well planned. The manager uses impact risk assessments to make an informed decision about young people’s compatibility prior to any admissions into the home. Young people are well prepared before they move and staff give them lots of information to reassure them.

p.2

The care of children

Young people are supported to keep in touch with their family and people who are important to them. Staff have supported them to use technology and social distancing measures to communicate with their families safely. One social worker said, ‘The staff have recently gone above and beyond to support family time for one young person. They worked creatively with the social work team to promote this whilst also ensuring the young person’s safety.’ The home is spacious and has a large garden. Young people enjoy using the trampoline and outdoor gym equipment and this helped to keep them active during the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. However, one young person’s bedroom requires redecoration and some of the paintwork in the hallways and doorways is marked. A recommendation has been made to address this.

p.2

The safety of children

Young people feel safe and know that staff care about them. As a result, young people are growing in confidence and are more able to share how they are feeling Assurance visit report: SC440309 3 with staff they trust. One young person said, ‘It’s good living here with my friends and I know I can talk to staff whenever I need to.’

p.2

The safety of children

The manager is quick to respond to emerging risks and takes appropriate action to ensure that young people are safe. For example, staffing levels are kept under review and ratios are increased when additional risks associated with young people’s behaviours are identified. One social worker said, ‘The home has skills in risk management, with a particular focus on self-harm. They work hard to ensure that the young people are safe whilst working closely with other services.’

p.3

The safety of children

Young people are cared for by an experienced staff team. Staff have a good understanding of the young people’s needs and the actions they need to take to keep young people safe. Staff have the skills required to manage the challenges that some young people present, in a calm and effective way. As a result, staff rarely use physical interventions to manage young people’s behaviours. Young people benefit from regular key-work sessions, which focus on their individual vulnerabilities. These sessions provide a forum for young people to reflect on their behaviours and the consequences of the choices they are making. Staff use creative methods to facilitate conversations with young people. They help young people to identify different strategies they could use to manage their feelings and emotions.

p.3

The safety of children

Risk assessments and risk management plans are kept under review and updated following significant incidents. However, one young person’s risk management plans contained some inconsistencies. These had occurred because out-of-date information had not been removed from the updated plan. In discussion, the manager recognised this as potentially confusing for staff and made arrangements to correct the information immediately.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The registered manager is suitably qualified to undertake the role. He is supported by two assistant managers and together they make an effective management team.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The manager is a visible presence in the home and is accessible to young people and staff. He has high aspirations for young people and is committed to ensuring they fulfil their potential. He is confident to challenge other professionals to ensure that young people have access to the support and services they require.

p.3

Leaders and managers

Staff enjoy working in the home. They receive regular supervision and say that they feel well supported by managers. There are robust communication systems in place that ensure staff are updated on young people’s changing needs.

p.3

Leaders and managers

External professionals speak highly of the care young people receive at the home. They value the regular communication they receive from staff about the progress young people are making. One social worker said, ‘The staff are very committed to achieving positive outcomes for young people in all areas of their life.’ Assurance visit report: SC440309 4 The independent visits to the home have been completed remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the independent visitor does not always speak to young people, their families or relevant professions in order to establish an independent assessment of young people’s safety and well-being.

p.3

Leaders and managers

The manager has responded positively to the requirements made at previous inspections. He has established a new monitoring system to improve the management team’s oversight of the quality of care in the home. However, the manager has not notified Ofsted of several significant events that have occurred. This hinders Ofsted’s ability to review the information in a timely way and to ensure that the provider has taken the necessary actions. A requirement has been made to address this.

p.4

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.4

Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

p.4

Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

p.4

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

p.4

Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

p.4

Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 27/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC440309 5

p.4

Recommendations

 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. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) In particular, children’s bedrooms and communal areas should be redecorated when paintwork becomes marked or worn.  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  Staff skills for safeguarding should include being able to identify signs that children may be at risk, and support children in strategies to manage and reduce

p.5

Recommendations

any risks. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10). Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children’s risk assessments contain clear and up-to-date instructions for staff to follow.

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston PR1 8XJ

p.5

Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC440309 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.

p.5

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 .

p.6

Inspector

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.6

Inspector

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

p.6

Inspector

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

p.6