Children's home run by Living Life (UK) Limited in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report children's home: SC481844 1 SC481844 Registered provider: Living Life (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to five children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted and is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC481844 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/07/2018 Full Outstanding 13/06/2017 Full Outstanding 08/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC481844 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised and nurturing care from staff who know them well. Staff have sensitively supported children in exploring and understanding their individuality. This has led to improvements in children’s overall emotional well-being and confidence. Professionals and parents described the progress made by children and the positive care children receive while at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good, individualised education plans and provisions that are relevant to their needs. One child, however, has limited time allocated to them by the school and a reduced timetable of subjects. The manager is challenging this situation because they know it is not sufficient to meet the child’s education needs. For another child, their attendance and engagement has significantly improved, which has contributed to more positive educational outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote family meetings in the home. This has led to children spending increased time with family members or even re-establishing relationships with those important to them. One child has successfully moved back to live with their family. The manager has provided support to the child and family during this transition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s information is captured across several files but does not always reflect what is recorded in children’s care plans. Although all the information is documented, the current system is confusing. This could lead to staff working to information which is not accurate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, one child expressed some concerns about the cleanliness and maintenance of the home and garden. This was addressed with the manager and rectified. The manager has a plan for maintenance and refurbishment of the home and garden area.

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

There has been a significant reduction of concerning incidents in the home. Children have been supported and helped by staff to better understand their emotions. Children have developed new coping strategies for managing difficult and overwhelming emotions. Staff respond empathetically to children and have positive relationships with them. This has supported children to feel safe and cared for.

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

Children’s risk assessments are individualised. These assessments contain children’s relevant risk factors and vulnerabilities. Staff have implemented comprehensive behaviour support plans that highlight concerning behaviours that children display. These plans provide guidance to the staff on how to support children when they become emotionally overwhelmed. Inspection report children's home: SC481844 4 When children have harmed themselves, staff manage these incidents with care and sensitivity. Staff work collaboratively with external professionals to identify and implement strategies designed to support children and keep them safe, especially when they are at their most vulnerable.

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

The recording of incidents is not consistent. Different systems of recording are used and consequently the detail about significant events is not recorded in a consistent manner. This is confusing and hampers the manager in the oversight and evaluation of incidents.

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

When allegations have been made against staff, these have been managed appropriately. All the relevant professionals are informed immediately. The correct procedures are followed. However, the outcomes following investigations have not been consistently recorded. This impedes effective oversight by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a good leader and role model and is firmly child focused. They have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home and how they and their team want the service to develop going forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aspirational for children and expects children to receive good-quality care that meets their individual needs. The manager has a system in place for tracking progress and will advocate for the children when shortfalls are identified in their care planning and overall experiences in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Engagement with external partner agencies is a key strength of the home. The manager is open to new ideas and providing additional training opportunities for the staff team. This engagement has a positive impact on the outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The high level of staff turnover has, at times, has affected the consistency of care provided. The manager is tackling this to ensure children receive care from consistent people in their lives. The manager is working with the team to develop their skills and knowledge. Staff have benefited from training provided by external professionals as well as from the organisation’s therapeutic team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff coming to work at the home receive a comprehensive induction and training programme. These staff describe feeling supported during this process and it prepares them well for caring for the children. However, staff do not always receive regular professional supervision. This means staff have limited opportunities for reflection on their care practice or to receive the oversight and direction they need to ensure their practice remains of a high standard. Inspection report children's home: SC481844 5

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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 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 to 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers’ oversight of key documents, such as incident reports and staff supervisions. 1 October 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children’s placement plans being kept up to date with the most recent and relevant information. 1 October 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC481844 6

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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: Living Life (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 60 Overstone Road, Sywell, Northampton NN6 0AW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lorraine Andrews

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Inspector

Sarah Orriss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC481844 7 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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