Children's Home run by SBL CARE SERVICES (UK) Limited in Blackpool

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children or young people who may have experienced adverse childhood experiences which have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home started operating in September 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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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).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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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. Assurance visit report: 2517429 2

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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.

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The care of children

The children living in this home are extremely happy and have made exceptional progress in all aspects of their lives. Children are very proud of their progress. The feedback provided by their social workers and other professionals about the effect that living in the home has had on children is unanimously positive. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has thrived, flourished and developed since being at the home, and his behaviour has significantly improved.’

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The care of children

Children benefit from a small, experienced and consistent staff team that clearly understands their needs. The children and staff share strong and trusting relationships and children say that they can talk to staff openly. The children speak fondly of living in the home and say that they could not think of one thing that they would change about the home or the staff who care for them.

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The care of children

Children receive care that is individualised to their assessed needs. Children benefit from daily routines, structure and consistent boundaries. They feel settled and have a strong sense of security. The manager and staff have helped children to understand the effect of COVID-19 and how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Children have coped well with the restrictions placed on their lives and can talk freely about their feelings and frustrations about the situation.

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The care of children

The staff team continually asks for the children’s wishes, feelings and views about their care and the home and act upon these. For example, the children enjoy team sports. However, as these have been restricted during the pandemic, they requested for a sports television package to be installed in the home. This was agreed and arranged by the staff. This makes children feel that they are listened to and have some control in the home.

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The care of children

Children engage in a wide range of activities, including going to the gym, playing snooker, having piano lessons and playing golf. The children play football and have joined local clubs since moving into the home. This has provided them with opportunities to make new friends and build positive social relationships. One child has been indoor skydiving as a reward for taking part in improving his community by picking up litter. During the pandemic, staff have been creative in identifying activities that children can still take part in and have arranged scavenger and treasure hunts. Children told the inspector that although they have to reduce their activities, they still have fun.

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The care of children

Children continue to keep in touch with their families. Staff have not allowed distance to be a barrier to ensuring that contact is maintained. Staff have been creative in the use of technology to enable families to communicate during the COVID-19 lockdown and have adhered to social distancing. Staff have helped Assurance visit report: 2517429 3 children to rebuild positive relationships with important people in their lives. One parent said ‘If [name of child] did not live in this home he would never had turned his life around. He is like a different child, happy, smiling and making progress. We are so proud of [name of child] and thankful to the staff team.’

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The care of children

The children attend education and have made significant progress from their starting points. Both children have increased their attendance to 100%, after previously having had a significant period of not being educated. Staff actively support children with their education and have worked very closely with education providers during the pandemic so that every child has the best opportunity to achieve their educational potential. A teacher said, ‘[Name of child] is always smiling, having a laugh and talks extremely positively about his life and the staff at the home. [Name of child] removes himself from negative influences in class as he is proud of his achievements.’

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The care of children

Staff monitor children’s health and emotional well-being carefully. The staff make sure that children always receive suitable advice, services and treatment to meet their specific health needs. The manager has been fundamental in identifying and securing a suitable therapeutic provision for one child who required access to therapy.

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The care of children

Children say that staff have helped them to understand the COVID-19 pandemic and how to keep safe and healthy. The home has adhered to government guidelines and strict policies to ensure that the children remain safe and follow the rules. Staff consistently reinforce to children the importance of the guidance about social distancing, washing hands and wearing protective equipment.

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The safety of children

Children say that they are safe living in the home and will seek support from staff if they feel anxious, concerned or unsafe either in the home or local community. The positive relationships between staff and children, and the joint understanding of risk, has led to a reduction in children’s risks.

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The safety of children

Staff provide consistent support to those children who arrive at the home with a history of risk-taking behaviours, including criminal activity, drug taking, violence and aggression. Children are kept safe through the implementation of comprehensive and regularly updated risk management plans. Over time, because of the individualised programmes of work undertaken with children regarding their individual difficulties, risks reduce, and children safely and sensibly enjoy spending time out in the community with their friends.

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The safety of children

Behaviour management strategies are effective and result in children’s behaviours improving. The restorative approach used in the home in response to challenging behaviours means that, rather than feeling punished, children are educated about how to respond differently when they feel challenged. Physical intervention has not been used at the home. This is testament to the skills of the staff team in de- escalating challenging behaviours and helping children to regulate their emotions. Assurance visit report: 2517429 4 Staff continue to access training in a variety of formats, including completing intensive safeguarding training provided by a local college. The staff have also received training in relation to bullying, modern slavery, criminal exploitation and online safety. This enables staff to understand and identify the different complex risk factors which affect children and respond to keep children safe and protected.

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in September 2019. The manager has been pivotal in addressing shortfalls identified during the home’s first full inspection in March 2020. The requirements and recommendations made following the full inspection have all been met, and there has been significant progress made in the home.

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Leaders and managers

The manager has demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities. He has a clear vision for the home and strives to ensure that the home provides the best quality of care for the children. The manager has several monitoring and review tools which focus on delivering the best outcomes for children. The manager continually seeks feedback from the children, their parents and external stakeholders as part of the quality assurance process.

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Leaders and managers

The manager and staff team are passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated to the children who live in the home. The staff team respects the manager and finds his management style supportive. The staff receive regular, high-quality supervision.

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Leaders and managers

Referral and matching processes in relation to new children moving into the home have improved. The manager uses a robust process to ensure that he understands the child’s needs and risks and that the staff team can meet these effectively. However, the impact risk assessment lacks detail and analysis of the potential impact that a new placement may have on the child already living in the home, which reduces the effectiveness of the matching process.

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Leaders and managers

The manager and staff work well with external agencies, including education professionals, health professionals and the youth offending team (YOT). The positive behavioural changes for one child has resulted in their electronic tag being removed. A YOT worker said, ‘Communication is brilliant at all times, especially during such difficult times. [Name of child] really likes the home and is extremely settled. The staff work well with his mum and family members and they will accommodate and prioritise contact, which is an important part of [name of child’s] identity.’ Assurance visit report: 2517429 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sbl Care Services (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 161 Preston Road, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire FY8 5AY

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Inspectors

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Michelle Edge, Regulatory Inspection Manager Assurance visit report: 2517429 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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Inspectors

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