Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 1 SC473375 Registered provider: Continuum Support – Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. It is registered to provide care for up to two children. The provider states in the statement of purpose that it provides care for children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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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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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: 4 November 2019

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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: SC473375 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/01/2019 Full Good 07/11/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Interim Not judged Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed warm relationships between children and staff. Both children currently living in the home told the inspector that they felt safe and happy living there. One child said: ‘I’m really happy here, it is very calm.’ Children are able to do things they enjoy, such as going to the theatre and participating in other activities with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a nice environment which has been personalised by them. One child told the inspector that they had chosen the decor and items for their bedroom. At the time of the inspection, children and staff were decorating the house in readiness for Christmas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living at the home are in full-time education. The staff communicate effectively with education professionals. When children have had difficulties in school or college, the staff work with the children, teachers and professionals to address these issues. This means that children have been able to sustain their educational placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff understand the importance of these relationships and they take steps to ensure that this time is a positive experience for children and their families. The registered manager shares any concerns regarding these relationships with the placing authority to ensure that the arrangements in place are the most beneficial for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with other professionals, to ensure that children’s physical and emotional health needs are met. One child has engaged with services to address concerns around substance misuse. This work was effective and as a result, this behaviour is no longer a concern for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to make a complaint. When complaints have been made, the registered manager has taken appropriate action to resolve these issues. This means that children know their concerns are listened to and taken seriously. Children are aware that they can access an independent advocate should they wish to.

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

Children’s individual risk management plans are detailed. They provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage and minimise risks. These plans also record engagement with the child and their view of risk.

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

However, for one child, there was no risk management plan in place for an identified risk. The practice of the registered manager and staff had ensured that this risk was Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 4 managed effectively, but written guidance was not in place for staff to follow should this behaviour reoccur.

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

The registered manager and staff understand the risks posed to children online and are managing this in a planned way. One child has recently been given a mobile phone. Prior to receiving this, the registered manager arranged for work to be done with the child to support their learning in keeping themselves safe online. A contract of expectations was also agreed with the child. Checks that staff undertake alerted them to a safeguarding concern; the registered manager has taken appropriate action to safeguard the child.

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

Children’s behaviour management plans are detailed and help staff to understand and respond appropriately to children’s behaviours. There is a strong emphasis on children’s positive behaviour being rewarded. When consequences are used, they are restorative and reviewed by the registered manager to ensure that they are effective in addressing the behaviour of concern.

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

Physical intervention has not been required for either of the children currently living in the home. Staff talk to children to help them to understand their behaviour. Conversations with children are recorded in detailed key-work sessions that are written in a child-friendly way. Records are signed by children, staff and the registered manager.

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

Children living in this home do not go missing. However, there are detailed plans in place with actions for staff to follow should a child go missing from home. Staff the inspector spoke to had a good understanding of the plans in place in the event this should occur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced and suitably qualified registered manager. She puts children at the centre of the home and knows them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has dealt with COVID-19 restrictions safely and appropriately. She has ensured that children and staff have followed the guidance in place and has tried to minimise disruption to children during this time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager will challenge professionals if she requires further information from the placing authority or feels that they are not acting in the best interests of children. She is a strong advocate for the children living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the home has experienced challenges in retaining a consistent staff team. As a result, an agency staff member has been contracted for a fixed period of time. However, the registered manager did not explore the skills and training they had undertaken in relation to this role, to ensure that they were suitable to care for the children living in the home. The registered manager now has a stable staff team in place with an experienced deputy manager joining the team in the coming months. Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 5 Staff receive regular supervision. Furthermore, staff performance is monitored through biannual appraisals, which include children’s views. The registered manager recognises specific areas for staff development and records show that development areas are monitored through supervisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team benefits from regular team meetings. Meetings encourage staff to reflect on their practice and the work undertaken with children living in the home. The registered manager has invited other professionals, such as the home’s local police community support officer, to attend these meetings, where COVID-19 restrictions have allowed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have completed relevant training to support them in their role. The registered manager has sourced local police to deliver specialist training to staff and children regarding key areas of concern, such as online safety. The workforce plan requires updating to include the qualifications and training of all staff currently working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose needs to be reviewed to ensure that it contains the most up-to-date information about who is working at the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that risk management plans are in place for all identified risks and include the strategies staff are to follow to minimise these risks. 29 December

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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 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is accurate and up to date. 29 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they consider the skills, training record and qualifications of any agency staff before they commence work in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)  The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan which details the experience and qualifications of staff currently working in the home and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 7 home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC473375 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support – Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St Mary’s Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC473375 9 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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