Children's home run by Next Stage 4Life Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 1 Registered provider: Next Stage 4 Life Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It may provide care for up to two children, irrespective of gender.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

An experienced manager oversees this home, and was registered on 21 July 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home has not previously had a full inspection. We last visited this setting on 16 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not judged

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2020 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers pride themselves on creating a homely and nurturing environment for children to live in. Children are happy and like living here. The child currently being cared for in the home is making good progress in line with her agreed plans.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly attend and achieve in education. One child has recently moved out of the home. Prior to moving he gained qualifications in Mathematics and English. Another child continues to complete work and exams towards her GCSEs. She is on target to gain these qualifications and has applied for a place at college. Since living at the home this child has had improved concentration and engagement at school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access and engage with external health services that support their physical, emotional and mental health needs. For one child, this has resulted in improved eating habits, regular attendance at appointments and safer relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where appropriate, staff actively promote children’s relationships. They get to know children’s friends and welcome them into the home. This means that children have a safe and friendly environment in which to socialise and engage in positive activities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given the opportunity to engage in helpful tasks and meaningful activities. For example, children helped staff in gathering and giving donations to a local dogs’ home. Children are also incentivised to complete tasks around the home which will improve their independence skills, such as cooking and daily chores. Additional activities such as these provide children with valuable skills for the future and a sense of achievement.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s placement unfortunately ended due to increased concerns for his safety. Managers ensured that the child was thoroughly consulted and involved in the decision-making around his move. This resulted in the child having a well-planned and positive experience of moving on from the home.

p.3

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

Impact risk assessments are detailed. However, they do not consider all the risks that are posed to children as a result of the home’s location. Children have easy access to family and previous associates and the potential risks posed by this have not been fully considered or mitigated. This has resulted in an increased number of episodes of children being missing.

p.3

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

Children have chosen to visit their families, spend time with their friends and those whom they are in relationships with, which has resulted in frequent missing-from- Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 4 home incidents. Over time, managers and staff have managed to reduce the risk this poses to one child by implementing positive strategies and working closely with external services. Consequently, this child is spending less time away from the home and is adhering to the rules and boundaries that are in place.

p.3

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

Risk management plans are in place for all unsafe behaviours displayed by children. They are individualised to the child and are regularly updated. Unfortunately, not all intervention strategies are clear. For example, one plan states that staff should follow the child, should he leave the home. Staff spoken to during the inspection suggested the best and agreed strategy at that time was to allow the child space and time to return. The strategies and measures in place to protect the child are contradictory, and therefore have the potential to hinder children’s safety and well- being. Furthermore, this does not provide staff with clear and comprehensive guidance.

p.4

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

Staff have not always adhered to the code of conduct. This has affected children’s safety and health. An incident occurred where a child was in crisis and was displaying unsafe behaviours. On this occasion, a member of staff provided the child with a cigarette to de-escalate the incident. The staff member was remorseful and transparent about her mistake, and immediately informed the manager. The incident was appropriately shared with relevant professionals and managed in line with the organisation’s policies and procedures.

p.4

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

One child had specific vulnerabilities in relation to taking his medication and this was often missed or not taken at all. When living at the home, staff and managers worked closely with health professionals to continually review and amend the procedures around medication administration and dosage. This ensured the best possible outcomes and resulted in improvements to the child’s physical health and overall safety.

p.4

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

Staff have a comprehensive understanding of the procedures in place to protect children. Where children have specific health issues that may affect their safety, staff have been provided with adequate training and have robust knowledge in this area.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a qualified and experienced manager. The manager is confident in her decision-making and will actively challenge others to improve the children’s progress and outcomes. She has creatively worked with external agencies and services to minimise the risks posed to children in relation to incidents of missing-from-home and children’s unagreed family time.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is visible in the home. She spends time with children and actively seeks their views and opinions. She monitors children’s progress well, and ensures that the team is working towards meeting the aims of the children’s care plans.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent monitoring of the home has not been consistent. The independent visitor was unable to attend the home on two occasions. A decision was made by Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 5 the organisation that managers from across the company would complete the required independent reviews. This means that on two occasions, independent visits were not completed by those who are sufficiently independent to do so. A requirement has been made to address this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A requirement was made at the previous assurance visit in relation to regulation 45 quality of care reviews. This review had not been received within sufficient timescales, which prevented external monitoring and review by the regulator. The manager has completed the review, but at the time of the inspection it still had not been received. This requirement has been restated.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a dedicated and consistent staff team to support children. Staff were observed to have positive and professional relationships with the manager and their fellow team members. Staff enjoy working in the home and feel supported in their roles. Because of this, children receive good continuity of care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Communication with external professionals is frequent and effective. Information sharing is robust. Social workers are well informed, leading to positive relationships and effective joint working. This promotes children’s overall safety and well-being, and ensures that children receive care that is consistent, individualised and of good quality. Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that impact risk assessments and risk management plans consider all known risks to children, and include specific procedures and/or actions to mitigate such risks. 7 July 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, staff should act in accordance with the code of conduct and child protection policies when managing unsafe or crisis behaviours displayed by children. 7 July 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1)) 7 July 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 7 In particular, ensure that independent monitoring is completed by a person who is sufficiently independent of the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (‘a quality of care review’) at least once every 6 months.

p.7

Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 45 (1) (4))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last visit and is restated. 7 July 2021

p.7

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: 2534179 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Next Stage 4 Life Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Regency House, 45–53 Chorley New Road, Bolton BL1 4QR

p.8

Inspector

Natalie Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2534179 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9