Children's Home run by My3 Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 1 Registered provider: My3 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 provides care for up to three children who may have emotional or behavioural needs and/or a learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted on 2 April 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a caring and nurturing environment. They are making good progress from their individual starting points. One child said, ‘It’s good here. I like it just the way it is. There is nothing I would change.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are growing in confidence. They are learning new skills that will help them to live more independently when they are older. For example, children are learning to cook meals and to take responsibility for tidying their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in full-time education. Staff understand the importance of education in securing positive outcomes for children. In addition to their education at school, children benefit from educational programmes delivered by staff at the home. These courses are accredited and are focused on developing children’s independent living skills. During periods of exclusion from school, staff support educational activity throughout the day to minimise the disruption to the children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities both within the home and in the local community. For example, going swimming and riding their bicycles. Staff encourage children to engage in important childhood activities, such as playing hide and seek, doing treasure hunts and playing board games. One social worker said, ‘The relationships between staff and children are warm, playful and engaging.’ Staff create memory books for children to capture new experiences and special memories of the child’s time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and has a large garden. Children enjoy using the garden to play and to exercise. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. Their rooms reflect their individual tastes, and staff have been creative with the decoration. For example, staff have made a television cabinet for one child in the shape of a game controller.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are updated regularly, and these contain clear information about the children’s support needs and how staff should respond to the children’s support needs. The children’s care plans contain details about daily routines that are important to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff from other children’s homes run by this organisation are being used to cover shifts on the staff roster. The manager has tried to minimise the impact on children by trying to ensure that the same replacement staff are used. However, a recommendation is raised to address this issue and to provide children with greater continuity of care. Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 4

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Children live in a safe and supportive home. They receive a high level of supervision and support that is in line with their assessed needs. As a result, children rarely engage in risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing from the home.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

All children have risk management plans in place that detail their individual risks and vulnerabilities. These plans are reviewed regularly and are updated following significant incidents. This means that staff have access to clear guidance to support them to manage risk safely.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Staff help children to take reasonable risks as part of growing up. For example, staff encourage children to start going to the local shops independently. This is being done slowly to build children’s confidence. The risks are assessed, and the appropriate safeguards are in place.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Staff have established clear boundaries and rules which children are adapting to and responding well to. Rules are discussed with the children to ensure they understand why they are needed. There are some restrictions in place with regards to internet access. These are to keep children safe and are agreed with relevant professionals. These restrictions are kept under review to ensure they remain appropriate.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Children are helped to manage their behaviour and feelings more safely. Inappropriate behaviours and language are challenged by staff, and individual work is completed to support children to understand acceptable behaviours. Children receive personalised incentives and praise which reinforces positive behaviours.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Staff rarely use physical interventions to manage children’s behaviours. The manager ensures that following any physical intervention, the views of the child are sought. All incidents are reviewed by the manager. However, on one occasion, the manager reviewed an intervention that she was involved in. This does not promote independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention. A recommendation has been made that records of restraint should not be reviewed by members of staff involved in that restraint.

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How well children and children are helped and protected: good

Children are being supported to pursue healthier lifestyles. Staff encourage children to eat a balanced diet, try new foods and take part in physical activities. Staff actively discourage children from smoking, and staff educate children on the dangers of smoking.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home benefits from effective leadership. The manager has been in post since the home was registered, and she is suitably qualified to undertake the role. She is a visible leader, and she is accessible and available to support both children and staff. She has high expectations of the staff team to provide children with high-quality care. Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 5 The manager has a detailed understanding of the progress each young person is making. The manager identifies when children are struggling, and she works well with the wider support network to make sure that children receive help to meet their needs. One social worker said, ‘The manager is good at assessing risk and keen to work in a multi-agency way.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good advocate for children. She is confident to challenge other professionals to ensure that children have access to the support and the services they require. She is persistent in her pursuit of this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak positively about the quality of care children receive at the home. They value the regular verbal updates and the detailed written reports that they receive about the progress children are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a training programme that is aligned to the needs of the children currently living at the home. Staff spoke positively about the training, and they told the inspector that it helped equip them to fulfil their roles. However, some staff lacked knowledge about some of the home’s policies and procedures. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager keeps a record of the staff who have worked in the home. However, the records do not consistently comply with the standards required by legislation. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home. They receive regular supervision, and they say that they feel well supported by managers. Staff team meetings are regular and focus on the needs of children and strategies to support them. One member of staff said, ‘It is a joy to come to work. All the staff are helpful and supportive of each other.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 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

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry.

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to staff rosters. 28 May 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing structures that promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should ensure that everyone working at the home understands their roles and responsibilities, and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that records of restraint enable them to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should provide the opportunity for amending practice to ensure it meets the needs of each child. Specifically, records of restraint should not be reviewed by members of staff involved in that restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page

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Recommendations

49, paragraph 9.59) Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 7

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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: 2508601 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West House, King Cross Road, Halifax, HX1 1EB

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2508601 9 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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