Children's home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Liverpool

Inspection report children's home: SC062248 1 SC062248 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who may have emotional and/or social difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

The young people were spoken to as part of this inspection.

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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: SC062248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/06/2019 Full Good 25/07/2018 Full Good 23/11/2017 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC062248 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people benefit from building positive relationships with a consistent, friendly and nurturing staff team. One young person said, ‘Staff are always there to support me. It feels like my home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young people attend the company’s on-site school, where teaching is centred around their individual learning needs. Strong partnership working between the staff and school helps the young people to re-engage with their education and to progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote a healthy lifestyle. Regular input from the in-house therapist equips the staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to support young people with difficult emotions and past trauma. As a result, the young people are physically fit and their emotional health and self-esteem improves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite COVID-19 restrictions, the staff successfully created opportunities for the young people to try new activities and have fun. This has included hatching and rearing chicks, making videos about their experiences of being in care and going on nature walks and adventures. All this has helped the young people to build trusting relationships and grow in confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The diverse staff team is committed to promoting each young person’s individuality and identity. This is reflected in a young person’s comment that, ‘Staff go above and beyond to cook food from my culture.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

To the manager’s and staff’s credit, agency or non-permanent staff have not been used since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is down to the manager and staff working tirelessly to ensure that any gaps in the staff rota are covered. As a result, the young people have been cared for and supported by a consistent staff team during this challenging period. At times, this has involved some staff working double shifts and sleeping over in the communal areas of the home. This has restricted the young people’s access to these areas of the home. The manager acknowledged that these arrangements are not suitable and has provided assurances that this will not happen in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This four-bedded home is spread across two separate buildings. The main building has three bedrooms. The fourth bedroom is located in an annex. The home’s statement of purpose states that the annex is attached to the main building, however, it is not. The annex is a separate single-storey self-contained apartment. The statement of purpose does not adequately detail how the annex is used or staffed. Inspection report children's home: SC062248 4

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

Young people become increasingly safer when they move into this home. Staff are vigilant and demonstrate a good understanding of risk and vulnerability. Although high-risk behaviours are infrequent, on occasions when these have occurred staff have managed serious incidents extremely well. This is particularly in relation to incidents of self-harm and child sexual exploitation.

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

The young people rarely go missing from the home. This is significant progress from their starting points. On the occasions that they do, the staff act quickly and follow missing-from-home protocols and individual risk assessments rigorously.

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

Helping and protecting young people is the manager’s priority. When necessary, he will challenge other professionals, including social workers and the police, to enhance young people’s welfare and safety. Furthermore, when young people’s needs change and the staff can no longer keep them safe, he takes swift action to ensure that their care plans are reviewed.

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

The staff are skilled at building trusting relationships with young people. As a result, the young people have a trusted adult who they can talk to and they receive knowledgeable guidance and support.

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

Safeguarding incidents are well documented. This enables the manager to maintain good oversight of risk and staff’s safeguarding practice. Incidents are reported promptly to all relevant professionals, which enhances scrutiny and a swift investigation into concerns.

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

Although the manager has worked diligently to maintain a consistent staff team during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to demonstrate how he ensures that the young person sleeping in the annex has sufficient staff supervision and support overnight. The staff rotas, young people’s placement plans and risk assessments do not adequately outline the day-to-day arrangements or staff’s responsibilities for keeping the young person who sleeps in the annex safe.

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

The home provides a safe and homely living environment. The manager ensures that the local area risk assessment is routinely updated and identifies potential risks in the community. However, some risks, for example the main road and motorway bridge, have not been adequately considered in all impact risk assessments.

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

Incidents of young people being physically restrained are rare. In the main, restraint records provide a clear overview of the incident and the manager’s evaluation. However, these records could be further strengthened by providing greater detail of the measure used and consistent recording of the dates staff were debriefed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced, suitably qualified and child-focused registered manager. He supports and leads a stable, content and committed staff team well. A Inspection report children's home: SC062248 5 young person described him as, ‘the best manager ever’. The manager, staff team and young people also benefit from the deputy manager’s unwavering support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy have high aspirations for the young people and home. This is evident in the young people’s continued progress and improved outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the young people have a voice. He listens to their views and takes swift action when they raise issues about their care. As a result, young people’s complaints are infrequent. Furthermore, the manager and staff are strong advocates for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with relevant professionals is a key strength of the manager and staff team. A social worker said, ‘I have no concerns regarding the home or the support that they offer. It is my opinion that they have a dedicated staff team led by a manager and deputy who are very child focused and always ensure [young person’s name] voice is heard and respected.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff spoken to describe a settled, supportive and happy work environment. The staff receive regular professional supervision and their performance is reviewed annually. This ensures that the staff have the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify their strengths and areas for development. As a result, the young people are being cared for by a stable, knowledgeable and content staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The young people’s safety is enhanced through strong employment practice. The staff are thoroughly vetted before they start working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s workforce development plan and regular monitoring of staff training is providing him with good oversight of the team’s learning needs. During the time of COVID-19, some staff training has been delayed due to courses being put on hold. Consequently, some staff have not yet received training on e-safety or radicalisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The monthly independent monitoring of the home is effective and helping the manager to make improvements in the home. This monitoring could be strengthened further through additional consultation with a wider range of professionals and parents when appropriate. Inspection report children's home: SC062248 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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring suitable staffing arrangements for the home’s annex and clearly documenting these arrangements in the staff rotas, and the young people’s placement plans and risk assessments. 21 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to detailing how the home’s annex will be used and staffed. 21 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21 (b))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that communal areas of the home are not used for staff to sleep in. 21 May 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint must be kept and should enable the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. The review should consistently document the date staff Inspection report children's home: SC062248 7 were debriefed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.59 page 46)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive training on e-safety and radicalisation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 10.11, page 53)  The registered person should consistently take into account the potential risks of the main road and motorway bridge, as identified in the local area assessment, when undertaking impact risk assessments for new children. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 11.4, page 56)  The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor seeks the views of a wide range of stakeholders, including parents when appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 15.5, page 65)

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspectors

Marina Tully, Social Care Inspector Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC062248 8 Inspection report children's home: SC062248 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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