Children's Home run by North West Youth Services in Blackpool

Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 1 Registered provider: North West Youth 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 operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for one child.

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Information about this children’s home

The home does not have a registered manager. A manager has been appointed and is in the process of submitting an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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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Information about this children’s home

We last visited the home on 3 March 2021, 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in this home has made good progress in all areas due to well- planned and individualised care. He has experienced improvements in his physical and emotional well-being, and is progressing well at school and socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships are a strength in the home because staff are responsive to the child’s needs, and are nurturing and therapeutic in their approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s clear progress in education is supported by good communication between home and school staff. Staff support the child well, through good routines, to be prepared for his school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from regular, well-planned activities that provide opportunities to develop social skills and explore interests, and help to maintain an active lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have closely supported the child to manage some complex family relationships and events. Staff are proactive and ensure that the child has contact with close family members via video calls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Direct work is meaningful and supports the child’s emotional well-being and behavioural development. Staff take opportunities to seek his views, and take action to demonstrate that they have listened. Staff are supportive when there are key meetings, and encourage the child to be involved in making decisions and plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Incidents of challenging behaviour are reducing because staff consistently promote positive behaviour through praise and the use of reward schemes. There are weekly awards evenings to celebrate the achievements of the child, and certificates are displayed with pride in the home.

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

The staff respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, and work effectively with external agencies to manage risks.

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

Risks are clearly identified and the plans to manage these risks are regularly reviewed by the manager. Risks are reducing for the child because staff are consistent in their approach and have a good understanding of the child’s needs.

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

There are clear boundaries and appropriate sanctions. The staff implement these consistently, which enables the child to feel secure and to build trusting relationships with staff. Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 3 The home is furnished and maintained to a good standard that promotes the safety and welfare of the child. The child has been supported to take ownership of his home, and this investment is reflected in the reduction in damage caused.

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

There has been some improvement in records relating to behaviour support since the last inspection. However, some records do not have enough information about the strategies used to de-escalate incidents, and do not include the detail that is required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since August 2021. A manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates strong values and high ambition for the child who lives in the home. She has a good understanding of the strengths of the home, and works closely with staff to develop good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and external professionals spoke positively about the home’s leadership, and described the significant improvements that have taken place since the current manager was appointed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively with external agencies to help ensure that the child receives appropriate care and support. Where necessary, the manager is able to constructively challenge services that are falling short.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team in place, and the turnover of staff is low. This helps to ensure that the child receives consistent care from people he knows well. Staff described a cohesive team whose members work together positively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they work in a supportive environment and receive good levels of training and supervision. A training programme is in place, which helps to ensure that staff have the skills to meet the child’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses quality assurance processes effectively, in order to monitor standards of safety and quality. However, the monitoring of records relating to behaviour support is not yet consistently effective, which means that opportunities to improve practice could be missed. A recommendation has been made to support improvement in this area. Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 4

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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

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

and 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 10 December Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 5 within 5 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 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should make the best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2621193 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North West Youth Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North West Youth Services Limited, Peine House, Hind Hill Street, Heywood OL10 1JZ

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Inspectors

Marie Cordingley, Social Care Inspector Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2621193 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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