Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 1 SC022464 Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children who have social and emotional difficulties.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Two compliance notices were issued following an inspection on 30 June 2021, during which serious shortfalls were identified in safeguarding practice. A further monitoring visit was completed on 16 August 2021, following which the notices were deemed to be met. Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2021 Full Inadequate 07/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2018 Full Good 13/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 3

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improvement to be good

One child lives at this home. Staff are working hard to improve the quality of care provided and the child has now made progress from her starting point. Staff are building relationships with the child, and during the inspection the inspector observed consistent practice from staff in trying to engage the child.

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improvement to be good

The child happily talked to the inspector. She told the inspector that different staff continue to work at the home, although she said that this is getting better.

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improvement to be good

The child’s educational outcomes have started to improve, and she now attends school. Staff are developing relationships with school staff and this is helping the child receive consistent all-round care. Staff spoken to during the inspection reported improvements since the child started school.

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improvement to be good

Staff spend time talking to the child about important things in her life. This includes discussions about her family, friends, education and personal care. These discussions are helping the child make gradual progress.

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improvement to be good

There are improvements in the way that staff are helping the child learn acceptable behaviours and improve unacceptable language. However, staff are inconsistent in challenging the child when she uses unacceptable language. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is repeated.

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improvement to be good

Staff try to engage the child in different activities. However, further work needs to be done to ensure that the child is enjoying a wide range of activities to support her social and personal development.

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improvement to be good

Specialist help is available for the child and she attends appointments with the child and adolescent mental health team. Staff encourage the child to talk to her child and adolescent mental health worker when she is in crisis.

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improvement to be good

Staff spoken to during the inspection know the child’s vulnerabilities and how to manage risks to her safety. Staff explained that consistent boundaries are helping the child. This is reducing the number of times that the child is in crisis.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are lengthy and include historical risks that may not be relevant to the child’s current situation. This shortfall means that staff do not have the most up- to-date information in respect of the child’s current risks. The registered manager accepts this and understands that she needs to ensure that she regularly reviews and evaluates the child’s risk assessments. Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 4 Staff respond to safeguarding incidents by involving the relevant professionals. For example, the staff work with the child’s social worker and complex safeguarding social worker. Both social workers visit the child at home. This means that the child can speak to somebody independent of the staff.

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improvement to be good

While the response is positive, the registered manager needs to ensure that she is proactive in managing all the child’s risks. This is in relation to ensuring that she regularly reviews strategies in the child’s risk assessments to reduce risk and identify any possible triggers to establish further actions that staff may need to take to reduce risk. Furthermore, the registered manager needs to ensure that strategies in risk assessments are clear for staff to follow. This is particularly in relation to the child’s missing from home risk assessment and self-injurious behaviour.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager could not access all incident reports. This was partly due to the provider implementing new recording systems. Therefore, the inspector could not establish if all safeguarding incidents were managed safely. However, some incident reports were available and demonstrate that staff take the necessary action to keep the child safe.

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improvement to be good

Suitable checks have not been completed on staff to demonstrate safe recruitment practice. For example, the provider has not obtained overseas checks in relation to one member of staff or addressed employment gaps in relation to another member of staff.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment has improved. The child’s bedroom is now furnished with her belongings and the child has photos on the wall. This makes the child’s bedroom look more homely and comfortable.

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good

The home is managed by a permanent manager. She was registered by Ofsted in June 2019. The registered manager is child centred and the inspector observed a close relationship between her and the child.

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good

The manager understands the progress that the child is beginning to make. However, this would be strengthened by improving monitoring and review systems so that she can consistently evaluate the care that the child is receiving.

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good

The quality of children’s records is inconsistent. For example, the dates in some documents are conflicting. This means it is difficult for the registered manager to review and evaluate information correctly. Furthermore, recording needs to improve to ensure that records are consistently dated and signed accurately.

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good

The viability of training has been limited due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, physical intervention training is incomplete. This means that staff working with the child cannot use this safely. This is a shortfall because the Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 5 child’s plans include a strategy for physical intervention, albeit as a last resort. The registered manager addressed this during the inspection and provided a date for staff to complete their training.

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good

Numerous agency staff continue to work at the home, although the registered manager is working to address this to provide the child with consistency. Rotas demonstrate that this has improved, and the registered manager has now recruited a permanent member of staff to work night shifts. This will ensure that the child has consistency. This is important for the child, because she is particularly vulnerable to self-injurious behaviour at night time.

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good

The registered manager is not recording her actual hours worked on staff rosters. This was a requirement at the previous inspection and is repeated.

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good

The statement of purpose is not sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. This means that Ofsted does not have the most up-to-date information about who is working at the home.

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good

External monitoring is not completed in line with regulation. External reports are not sent to Ofsted within the required timeframe. Therefore, Ofsted cannot monitor effectively the situation at the home.

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good

The registered manager has not met all the requirements from the last inspection and some requirements are repeated. Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to challenging the child if she is verbally abusive to staff. Staff need to help the child use acceptable language. 3 January 2022

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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

promotes their welfare. 3 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 7 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to ensuring that all staff have the relevant training so that they can meet the child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered manager needs to ensure that she consistently uses effective monitoring tools to evaluate the quality of care provided for the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the 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)) 3 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which 3 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 8 the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3)

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualifications and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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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

include information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 3 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that she includes names and working hours on the staff rosters. 3 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 3 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 9 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b))

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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: SC022464 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St. Helens, Merseyside WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC022464 11 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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