Children's Home run by New Foundations Care Homes Limited in St Helens

Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 1 SC406636 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. The home’s statement of purpose states that it provides care for up to five children who experience emotional and/or behavioural 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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Information about this children’s home

Ofsted last visited this setting on 5 October 2021 to carry out a monitoring 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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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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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 2 Two compliance notices were issued following a full inspection on 11 August 2021, during which serious shortfalls were identified in safeguarding practice and around the leadership and management of the home. A monitoring visit was completed on 5 October 2021, following which these notices were deemed to be met. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/08/2021 Full Inadequate 11/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/04/2018 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 4

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improvement to be good

There are three children currently living at the home. Staff have worked hard to improve the quality of care provided. Over the past few weeks, there have been gradual improvements and progress made.

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improvement to be good

The home has recently undergone some redecoration in the lounge and kitchen. Children have helped to choose the decor. However, at night, the staff lock the kitchen and the lounge area. This restricts children’s access to all parts of their home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education is variable and intermittent. Managers and staff value education. The manager recently wrote to a child to explain why it is important to attend school. However, staff must ensure that there is an effective and robust timetable that provides all children with the necessary structure during normal school hours.

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improvement to be good

There are good-quality direct work sessions taking place to help children understand the importance of healthy relationships and staying safe. However, it is not clear how the child’s journey is being captured or recorded. As a result, children are not building on their life-story work.

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improvement to be good

Children’s achievements are celebrated and the use of individualised rewards is helping children understand the importance of good routines and boundaries. However, when evaluating the effectiveness of sanctions, the staff and managers must set clear timescales to ensure that these are fair and help children understand what is acceptable.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to take part in activities, and they have recently enjoyed fun days out and the opportunity to look after staff members’ dogs. As a result, the children are learning how to take care of animals and keep active in the community.

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improvement to be good

Staff support family time to ensure that all children spend quality time with people who are important in their lives.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are reviewed regularly. Assessments contain information to identify all children’s risks. However, not all staff have the knowledge and skills to keep children safe. Some staff have not had training around self-harm, bullying, substance misuse or internet safety, despite these being known risks to children. This compromises children’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 5 Room searches are completed when there are concerns for the welfare of children. Incidents are well recorded and now include direct-work sessions with children to help them understand and explore their feelings and emotions. As a result, incidents in the home have reduced.

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improvement to be good

Restraints in the home are minimal. The manager has made some improvements to the recording of restraints to ensure that there is a clear rationale for the invention.

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improvement to be good

Medication practices in the home are safe, and all medication is appropriately stored. Children receive specialist help from outside health agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services and outreach services, to support their emotional well-being. There are up-to-date health assessments in place.

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improvement to be good

Children said they feel safe. They can identify trusted adults that they can talk to about their worries or complaints. Warm relationships were observed between the staff and the children.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, there are clear plans in place for staff to follow. Staff understand the actions they must take in these circumstances, and they take all appropriate steps to ensure that children are offered a return home interview with a person who is independent of the home.

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improvement to be good

Robust recruitment checks are now in place through detailed reference verification systems to ensure that only suitable people are employed to work in the home.

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good

There is currently no registered manager in the home. There has been a delay in the director of the company applying to register with Ofsted. Staff are complimentary about the management support and improvements in practice.

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good

The manager has produced a report about the quality of care at the home. However, this does not include direct feedback or opinions about the quality of care provided in the home from the children, their families, stakeholders or staff. This is a repeat requirement from the previous full inspection.

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good

The manager has been working with a clinical psychologist who has provided staff with training in attachment and safeguarding. However, there are gaps in the manager’s monitoring to ensure that all staff have completed all mandatory training. For example, not all staff have received training in health and safety, physical intervention and food hygiene. This means that not all staff have the necessary skills to fully support children. This is a repeat requirement from the previous full inspection.

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good

Managers have improved the home’s paperwork. For example, the children’s case records have been redesigned and now contain children’s views and are easy to follow. Further work is planned to continue to strengthen documentation. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 6 There have been some changes to the staff team. Children benefit from a caring and consistent team that is committed to making a positive difference in children’s lives. One child said, ‘Staff are nice, and they listen.’

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good

Feedback from professionals is positive. One professional said, ‘The home is showing progression.’ Another said, ‘The staff work as a team and understand [name of child’s] needs.’

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good

Staff benefit from regular supervision. There is good use of reflective practice and the manager is helping to enhance and develop staff further by the introduction of competency checks. Team meetings are regular and a wide range of issues are discussed. This is helping to promote good communication across the team. Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 7

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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 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; 14 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 8 help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x))

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)) 14 January 2022

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)) 14 January 2022

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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. 14 January 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 9 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (5))

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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: SC406636 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool L10 6LZ

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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC406636 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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