Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 1 SC063103 Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to five children of either gender. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living here may have learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders and may display challenging behaviour.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced manager oversees this home. She was registered by Ofsted in March 2013.

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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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 3 December 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2019 Full Good 14/08/2018 Full Good 14/11/2017 Full Outstanding 01/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 3

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improvement to be good

The experiences children have in this home are of varying quality. Two children living in the home were observed to be relaxed, happy and progressing in line with their agreed plans. Another child in the home refuses to interact with, or be in the presence of, staff and prefers to communicate via her mobile phone. The lack of engagement and constant use of her device has raised concerns in relation to the child’s health, safety and well-being.

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improvement to be good

Two children in the home are regularly accessing education. Another child refuses to engage in any type of learning. The manager has requested help from the local authority to adapt the formal education offered to this child to better suit her needs. In the interim, there has not been sufficient action taken to engage the child in informal learning or educational activities. This does not help children to improve educational routines or provide them with enough indirect opportunities to learn and succeed.

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improvement to be good

Children attend health appointments and have access to the services and medication they require. Staff and managers have helped children when they have been reluctant to engage in health appointments and have been proactive in helping them to attend. Subsequently, children’s health needs have been regularly assessed and reviewed.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to spend time with their families and those important to them. The manager has made positive relationships with parents and significant others to support visits from family in the home. This ensures that children and those important to them have a safe and dedicated space in which to spend quality time together.

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improvement to be good

One child has recently moved into the home. This was a positive and planned move. This child is well matched to others already living in the home and is forming good relationships with her peers. Positive matching and robust planning by the manager have meant that this child is enjoying living in the home and that she feels safe and well cared for.

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improvement to be good

Improvements have been made to the safety plans in place for children. These plans are comprehensive and provide staff with well-thought-through guidance to mitigate potential risks such as those posed by strangers, the home’s locality, and the internet. This helps to prevent potential harm and increases risk-awareness. Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 4 Not all risk assessments are in place for the unsafe behaviours displayed by children, for example self-harm. There is no risk assessment or guidance in place to support staff to respond to these behaviours. Furthermore, staff are not consistent in their understanding of the procedures to be taken in the event of an incident. Similarly, there are no assessments in place to manage the risk of allegations towards staff. This has the potential to significantly impact the safety and welfare of children and hinders staff’s ability to manage children’s behaviours effectively.

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improvement to be good

One child has unrestricted access to her mobile phone. Agreements in place prior to the child moving in have prevented staff from monitoring this effectively and applying parental controls to ensure her safety. Furthermore, it is believed that this unrestricted access to a mobile phone and the internet has contributed to the child’s desire to remain in her bedroom. Timely action has not been taken to escalate these concerns to ensure that the child is safeguarded and that her health and well-being is maintained.

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improvement to be good

There has been one allegation made by children which relates to a member of staff working in the home. An appropriate investigation was completed and shared with relevant professionals, including the designated officer. The outcomes of this were that the allegation was unfounded. Lessons learned from this incident suggest that this incident may have been avoided if staff were more familiar with the child. This means that not all staff working with children know them well, or fully understand their specific needs. This has had a negative effect on the welfare of both children and staff.

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improvement to be good

There are robust procedures in place for the recruitment of staff. Recruitment files are detailed, well organised and comprehensive. Gaps in employment are thoroughly investigated, references are verified, and further information is sought or clarified where necessary. This ensures that those working in the home are suitable to do so, which increases children’s safety.

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good

The registered manager has the relevant qualification and experience to manage this home. She is also registered to manage another home within the organisation. The manager does spend a large proportion of her time actively caring for children and away from managerial duties.

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good

There is a small core team assigned to consistently work in this home. This comprises of three key team members. A further two team members are needed to support children each day. Shortfalls in staffing are covered by the manager, other staff from within the organisation and by frequent agency use. This does not promote good continuity of care for children.

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good

Two of the core team members are still within their probationary period and have not yet completed the necessary qualification for their role. This does not provide Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 5 children with consistent adults who are suitably experienced or qualified to meet all their complex needs.

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good

There have been delays in external monitoring reports being submitted to Ofsted. This has prevented timely and effective oversight and review from the regulator and is a breach of regulation. A requirement has been made to address this.

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good

Staff work within a supportive and encouraging environment. They say that leaders and managers are always available and that they feel well supported both personally and professionally. The positive working relationships and environment created by the manager mean that staff enjoy working in the home. This helps to further improve the caring, nurturing and positive environment in which children live.

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good

The registered manager demonstrates genuine affection and warmth towards children. She strives to provide children with good-quality care and is keen to address the shortfalls identified. Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 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, the 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, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

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 the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, if there are concerns for children’s welfare, well- being, or safety in the home, ensure that these concerns are raised immediately, and that timely action is taken to escalate concerns if necessary. 13 August 2021

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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—

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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; 13 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 7 promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, take further action to ensure that children have access to daily education or informal learning. 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(a)(i)(v)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments are completed for any unsafe or potentially harmful behaviours displayed by children. Furthermore, ensure that staff have, and are familiar with, the procedures in place to manage these behaviours. 13 August 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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 13 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 8 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there is sufficient experienced and qualified staff to provide the necessary care to children. Ensure that this care provides children with continuity and supports children to make positive relationships with those who care for them. Ensure that the home is staffed so as to allow the manager to complete necessary managerial duties to support good-quality care. The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure reports are received by the regulator within a reasonable timescale. 13 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas in the home are homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC063103 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Inspector

Natalie Bennett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC063103 10 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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