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

Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 1 SC052744 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 five children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

The children were spoken to as part of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, 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: SC052744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Good 20/06/2017 Full Good 21/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff provide children with a good standard of personalised care. Most of the children who move into this home settle and stay. They benefit from improved stability, which helps them to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are skilled at building warm and reliable relationships with children. These nurturing relationships are helping the children to trust staff and accept their guidance and support. As a result, the children are making recognisable progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Undoubtedly, the children are at the centre of the manager’s and staff’s decisions. For example, some staff moved into the home for 10 days when the children had to self-isolate due to COVID-19. This ensured that the children were cared for by a stable staff team. This demonstrates the manager’s and staff’s dedication to the children and their caring role.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend the on-site company school. They benefit from education plans that are tailored to their individual learning needs. Effective partnership working between the staff and teachers is helping the children to regularly attend school and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff make sure that the children’s physical health and emotional well-being is successfully promoted. Due to COVID-19, some routine dental checks are outstanding. However, children’s health plans clearly document that these appointments need to be prioritised once usual dental practice resumes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to prepare for adulthood well. They help children to develop the confidence and necessary skills to take care of themselves and plan for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Despite the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, the children have continued to have fun, keep fit and spend time with their families. All of the children thoroughly enjoyed spending time with their families at Christmas. This was achieved through the manager’s and staff’s diligent planning and partnership working with social workers and parents.

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

Behaviour management is a key strength at this home. The staff know the children well and they recognise and respond when children become anxious or upset. The staff support children to develop safer strategies for managing difficult feelings, such as anger. In addition, the children are involved in devising their behaviour management plans and identifying strategies that work for them. Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 4 The staff use their training in de-escalation techniques consistently. They help and support the children to manage their emotions in a safer way. This is making the home a safer environment.

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

The children feel safe. They benefit from building positive relationships with the manager and staff.

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

The children have a trusted adult who they can talk to about their feelings and concerns, which are taken seriously and responded to appropriately.

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

The routine health and safety checks undertaken in the home are ensuring that it is a safe environment. In particular, fire checks and regular evacuations that involve the children are enhancing the safety procedures within the home.

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

Complex medications, including controlled drugs, are safely administered and clearly recorded. As a result, the children’s health and medical needs are suitably addressed.

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

The staff are alert to signs of bullying and quickly intervene to minimise harm. Direct work is regularly undertaken with the children on anti-bullying and managing conflict safely. These restorative practices are improving relationships and increasing the children’s sense of responsibility for their actions.

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

Recruitment practice in the home is thorough. All staff are rigorously vetted, which is helping to ensure that only suitable people are employed to work in the home.

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

Although the staff demonstrate a good understanding of risk, not all risks are adequately assessed or reflected in the children’s risk assessments. This is in relation to two incidents that involved a child smoking in the home and another child threatening to harm a member of staff with a butter knife.

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

The staff use restraint as a safeguarding measure when necessary. Restraints are well documented and reviewed by the manager. However, not all measures of control, such as reparation for damage, are recorded as required. Consequently, the monitoring and evaluation of such measures are undermined.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. She is supported by two deputy managers. The staff and children benefit from a supportive and child-centred management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers and staff are aspirational. They are committed to making improvements in the home and children’s outcomes. This is evident in the children’s continued progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 5 The manager has regular discussions with the children to find out their views and experiences. As a result, the children are happy, content and they feel listened to and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes sure that all staff are well supported. Regular professional supervision, team meetings and daily handovers ensure that the staff team is kept up to date with any changes in the children’s care. Team working is clearly a strength at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working with relevant professionals is good. This is reflected in an independent reviewing officer’s comments: ‘Staff keep the social worker well informed and they send me a report before [child’s name] review meetings, detailing his progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not always led the home in a way that is consistent with the home’s statement of purpose. This is in relation to not consistently having three waking night staff on shift as stated in this document.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are gaps in some staff’s training in, for example, caring for children who have experienced child sexual and criminal exploitation, self-harm, and for those children with advanced learning disabilities. Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 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 that staff 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the staff assessing and preventing children from smoking and accessing potential weapons, such as cutlery knives, during serious incidents. Furthermore, ensure that these risks are clearly identified in the children’s risk assessments. 21 May 2021

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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 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 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the overnight staffing arrangements are consistent with those identified in the home’s statement of purpose and gaps in the staff’s training. 21 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the 21 May 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC052744 7 measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person") has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii) (b)(i)(ii) (c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to recording all measures of control, including financial reparation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 21 May 2021

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Recommendations

 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, 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: SC052744 8

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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: SC052744 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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