Children's Home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 1 SC485318

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Inspire Children’s Services

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home offers care and accommodation for up to three young people who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. The children’s home is operated by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently three young people living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place following a high number of safeguarding notifications in regard to the safety of children.

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This monitoring visit

The home has experienced an unsettled period as new young people have moved into the home. As this was not well managed it impacted on all of the young people and contributed to one young person’s missing behaviours increasing as she did not feel safe. One young person was missing at the time of the visit and another young person was in hospital, due to escalating levels of behaviour and increased risk- taking.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has failed to ensure that there is a robust assessment of the young people’s needs when considering admissions into the home. This has led to some young people not having a positive experience of living in the home and when moving on from the home. The plans fail to fully consider the needs of the young person moving into the home and do not fully consider the needs of the existing young people living in the home. A requirement has been made to address these shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

One young person spoken to during the visit stated that she is happy living at the home and has a good relationship with the staff. She said, ‘I like how friendly Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 2 everyone is. Staff have helped me with my independence skills, and it feels like a home.’ The promotion of this young person’s independence skills has increased her understanding of cooking, cleaning and budgeting, and has improved her confidence and resilience for semi-independent living.

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This monitoring visit

The staff have supported young people with their education. One young person is attending college and spoke about their aspirations to go to university and study media. The social worker of one young person at the home said, ‘The staff have been very pro-active at finding an alternative educational provision and have worked with the virtual school.’ This demonstrates that the staff are supporting young people to attend education and reach their academic potential.

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This monitoring visit

The home is undergoing maintenance and redecoration, and work was taking place at the time of the visit. Further work needs to be completed, including painting, new flooring and cleaning to ensure that it provides a clean, safe and relaxing environment for the young people living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Young people are supported to keep in contact and to visit their family members. A social worker spoke highly of the staff’s support in promoting contact. The social worker said, ‘Contact with mum has been very well organised, and they [staff] have worked with the local authority to support the young person’s future plans and provided her with opportunities to see her mum more.’

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This monitoring visit

Shortfalls were found in safeguarding practice. Young people’s risks are not routinely assessed following significant incidents, and therefore strategies are not updated. This puts young people and others at potential risk of harm and leaves staff without clear plans to follow. Management decisions to allow a young person to return to the home without a robust safety plan in place following a hospital admission put the young people and staff members at risk. A requirement has been made in respect of these shortfalls.

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This monitoring visit

Although staff members have responded effectively when young people are missing from the home, not all risk assessments contain consistent and clear information for staff to follow. However, independent return interviews are not consistently being completed for each missing episode, and this requires escalation by the manager to ensure effective safeguarding.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has been registered since March 2020 and is supported by an experienced staff team. However, due to staff sickness, the home has used staff members from the provider’s other homes. This has led to young people being supported by staff they do not know and with whom they do not have an established relationship. Due to staff shortages, the manager has completed several shifts in the home. This has meant that the manager has not found sufficient time to complete all of her management responsibilities in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home does not have robust monitoring and review systems in place. There is a lack of management evaluation of some incidents, which can result in shortfalls in Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 3 staff practice going unidentified. Detailed staff debriefs do not follow incidents of physical restraint in the home, and therefore there is no evaluation of learning and improvement in practice. The manager recently failed to notify Ofsted of a significant incident in the home. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 11/02/2020 Full Good 28/11/2018 Full Good 07/12/2017 Full Good 03/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 4

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)(ii)) 18/12/2020

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual trust and respect; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 18/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 5 understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ix))

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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

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b)) 18/12/2020

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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; 18/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 6 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

and 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 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 18/12/2020 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 7 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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: Inspire Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Suzanne Birchall, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC485318 8 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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