Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Inspection report children's home: SC022438 1 SC022438 Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for children with EBD (emotional and behavioural difficulties).

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC022438 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2019 Full Good 17/07/2018 Full Good 20/09/2017 Full Good 28/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC022438 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person lives at the home. The young person receives individualised care from a stable and committed staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff have a good relationship with the young person and have an understanding of his needs. Staff know the young person well and they talk proudly about all that he has achieved. On the day of the inspection, staff proudly watched and videoed the young person return from his first driving lesson. They talked with the young person and his driving instructor about his driving ability and the success of the driving lesson.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff invest time with the young person, and he has a sense of belonging. This means that he is happy and settled at the home. The young person told the inspector that he can talk to staff if he needs to. He told the inspector that his home is 10 out of 10 and he could not think of anything that he wanted to change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are ambitious for the young person and support him to attend his education placement. The young person has made significant progress in his education. He continued to attend education throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and he achieved five national qualifications. Due to this success, the young person enrolled on a college course and he attends daily.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is leaving the home later this year to live in his own accommodation. Staff talk to the young person about the things that he needs to do when he lives alone, for example cooking, building furniture and keeping his home secure. This has supported the young person to learn new skills to live independent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the young person to see his family outside of the home. This emphasis on family ties and good communication with family supports the young person in maintaining a relationship with his parents.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person is protected from harm. The staff understand the risks in relation to the young person and how to safely manage these risks. The young person does not go missing from home or engage in any activities that concern the staff. Staff do not have any concerns about the young person misusing drugs or alcohol, but the staff talk to the young person to help him understand the risks associated with these.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The young person receives help and support to manage his behaviours and feelings safely. Staff know that the young person needs to take risks in line with his age and development, and they are currently working with him to understand how to keep safe both in the local community and at home. This is supporting the young person and developing his skills in all areas of his life. Inspection report children's home: SC022438 4 Staff are consistent with the young person and they help the young person understand his feelings. This helps the young person feel listened to. This consistent approach means that the young person feels safe and secure.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The provider ensures that staff are safely recruited. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been met.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The physical environment for the young person is safe and protects him from harm or the risk of harm. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated, and all staff have read the assessments and understand how to safely support the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a registered manager in post. She is suitably qualified and experienced. The registered manager is child centred and she has high aspirations for the young person. She is a strong leader and under her leadership the staff have created a warm and nurturing home environment for the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the progress that the young person is making. She is involved in planning for his future and works with the relevant agencies. However, the registered manager needs to ensure that she consistently escalates any concerns to the young person’s placing authority. This is in respect of ongoing plans for the young person. The manager knows that this is an area that she can improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken to say that the manager is supportive. Staff describe the current team as settled and morale is reported to be good. The team has frequent team meetings when the staff discuss the young person and any other relevant issues. The member of staff spoken to during this visit said that these meetings are really helpful.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision in line with the statement of purpose. Supervision records demonstrate that staff are given the opportunity to talk about any personal issues and they also discuss the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager needs to ensure that she records her working hours on staff rosters. This will ensure that the home operates in line with regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff does not have the required qualification in line with regulation. A requirement is made to address this shortfall. Inspection report children's home: SC022438 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with a child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) This is in relation to the registered manager ensuring that she escalates any concerns regarding delay for the child. 30 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is— in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care home; or in the case of an individual who was working in a care role on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)(b)) The timescale in relation to one member of staff completing the Level 3 Diploma or equivalent does not meet regulation. 30 June 2021

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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. The registered person must— 30 June 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC022438 6 maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)) The registered manager needs to ensure that her working hours are consistently recorded on staff rosters.

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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: SC022438 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC022438 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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