Children's Home run by St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 1 SC063550

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St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has submitted an application to cancel her registration. This is dated 16 April 2021.

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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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This monitoring visit

At a monitoring visit on 18 March 2021, Ofsted identified serious failings in safeguarding and leadership and management at the setting. Two compliance notices were issued under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was undertaken on 5 May 2021 to monitor compliance with these notices. During this visit, the inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under each compliance notice. The inspectors found that the provider met the steps under the compliance notices for regulations 12 and 13.

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This monitoring visit

There is one child currently living at the home. The child’s risk assessment contains relevant information specific to the child. The risk assessment includes specific strategies for the staff to follow to reduce any risks to the child. Staff spoken to at the visit demonstrate that they understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children. Furthermore, records viewed demonstrate that staff use a consistent approach in managing the child’s behaviour. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 2 The provider has taken sufficient action to meet the steps in compliance notice 12, the protection of children standard.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps under compliance notice 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not been in work since March 2020. The acting manager is off work and a senior member of staff is currently acting as manager. The head of service is overseeing the home under the leadership of the responsible individual.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has ensured that the staff have received the necessary support to meet the needs of the new child. This involves weekly staff meetings with a psychologist within the local authority. The psychologist works with staff to ensure that strategies are in place to help staff meet the child’s needs. Staff spoken to said that this training helps them in their roles.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has put monitoring and review systems in place for monitoring the home. This includes the involvement of another registered manager within the local authority to support the acting manager.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken sufficient action to meet the steps in compliance notice 13, the leadership and management standard. However, monitoring and review systems need to improve to ensure that they are robust and consistently evaluate children’s care. Therefore, a requirement under regulation 13 will remain in place.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/11/2019 Full Inadequate 11/07/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Full Good 22/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 3

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to children’s individual education plans. The manager needs to ensure that children attend education in line with their individual needs. 30 July 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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 30 July 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 4 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The manager needs to ensure that there are robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate children’s care.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)) 30 July 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.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 30 July 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 30 July 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 5 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time, and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result 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")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within five 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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 6 (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(ii)(c))

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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; 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— is instigated; or 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 July 2021

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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: St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Children & Young Peoples Services, Atlas House, 2 Corporation Street, ST. Helens, Merseyside WA9 1LD

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Inspectors

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 7 Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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