Children's Home run by Choices 4 Children Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 1 SC400880 Registered provider: Choices 4 Children 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 company. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities. Up to four children can be accommodated in the main house and up to two children in the extension to the main house.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been registered since 2014.

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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 this setting on 24 March 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2019 Full Good 20/06/2018 Full Outstanding 19/07/2017 Full Outstanding 11/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living in the home. They are supported by dedicated and nurturing staff, with whom they have positive relationships. Children have progressed in terms of their emotional well-being, confidence and maturity since living at the home. Additionally, staff have a good understanding of children’s communication needs and preferred communication aides. Because of this, children have improved their use of Makaton and PECS.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers and children’s families speak highly of the care provided to children. They said that children make amazing improvements, specifically in relation to their behaviour and their social and emotional independence skills. The staff team works closely with children’s families to agree suitable care plans and to promote regular family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Senior managers work effectively with local authorities and virtual schools to obtain suitable school placements for children. Children’s school attendance is improved, and they enjoy their education. The staff team works closely with schools to celebrate children’s educational achievements and works through any difficulties to sustain school placements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children lead healthy lifestyles and attend routine health appointments. Children are encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests, such as youth clubs and swimming, and also enjoy spending time together on activities in the community. Children have fun and their social time is key to their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’ views, wishes and feelings are listened to. House meetings support children to communicate their views effectively. Children also engage in regular direct work using photos and visual prompts. This improves children’s ability to communicate with others and develop their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some communal areas of the home would benefit from additional soft furnishings and pictures to make it feel less institutionalised. One of the children’s bedrooms requires decorating to repair damage. The external area of the home needs to be tidied up and broken items removed as a priority to ensure that children live in a homely and safe environment.

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

Social workers, children and their families all report that children are safe living at the home. There have been no serious safeguarding concerns and staff have an improved understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. For example, staff are confident in their use of whistleblowing and the action they would take should a child make an allegation. The manager has further embedded staff’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 4 knowledge by revisiting safeguarding in staff supervisions and displaying the procedures on the office wall.

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

The matching risk assessment to consider the impact of children living together is improved. It evidences that children’s individual risks and needs are assessed prior to their placement. As a result, children are matched effectively to live together and there is no reported bullying.

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

Staff are confident in their management of children’s behaviour. Incidents of missing from home are rare and the use of restraint has reduced significantly. Children and staff debrief sessions evaluate staff’s responses to incidents and the effectiveness of any restraint used. All children are supported to understand risks and identify strategies they can use to manage their behaviour safely.

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

Behaviour management plans provide staff with a clear account of triggers for children’s behaviour and effective de-escalation strategies. Risk reduction plans include evidence-based chronologies of children’s behaviour, and guidance for staff to promote children’s positive behaviour and interaction with others. Children are provided with structure, boundaries and routines. Consequently, children are calmer, and they make better choices about their behaviour.

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

There have been no complaints made by children. There has been one internal complaint, which has been formally addressed. The concerns have been suitably investigated and dealt with effectively to resolve the issue.

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good

The manager’s evaluation of restraint and incident records is not consistent. Some records have not been appropriately scrutinised in relation to the staff management of an incident or any lessons learned. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been reinstated.

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good

The manager’s oversight of safer recruitment procedures is not robust. For some new staff, he has failed to address gaps in employment or employees’ reasons for leaving previous care roles, and has not obtained overseas checks prior to individual staff commencing their employment. During the inspection, the manager produced an action plan in order to safeguard children in the interim, until the required checks had been completed.

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good

An updated statement of purpose, including details of staff changes, has not been sent to Ofsted. In addition to this, the home’s workforce development plan is out of date and does not provide a clear plan as to how staff are supported in their roles, how their development needs are met and their performance managed.

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good

That said, the manager is a good role model and there have been improvements in his general oversight of the home and its systems. He has positive relationships with the children and understands their needs. Staff are provided with clear expectations of how children should be cared for and safeguarded. The manager is passionate Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 5 about achieving the best outcomes for children and this is reflected in the practice of the staff team.

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good

A stable staff team provides continuity of care for children. Staff feel supported by the senior team. They receive regular supervisions, probationary reviews and annual appraisals. Staff are provided with up-to-date training and training that is specific to children’s individual needs, such as Makaton. Practice-related issues are addressed without delay and action plans implemented to support staff development. Mediation work between staff is facilitated to ensure that staff work together consistently.

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good

The manager and senior team work positively with social workers and families to promote children’s continued progress. Communication and partnership working with other agencies are effective. When required, the manager challenges decisions made by other professionals, to ensure that children’s needs are met and positive outcomes obtained.

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good

The quality-of-care report provides a comprehensive evaluation of care provided to children and the improvements that the manager plans to implement. It includes regular feedback from children, families, staff and social workers to consider a full evaluation of the quality of the service provided. Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 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 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that they oversee all incident or restraint records and provide a written evaluation of the management of each incident, including any lessons learned. 24 February 2022

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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)) 24 February 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 24 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 7 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, qualification 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)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that employees’ gaps in employment and reasons for leaving previous care roles are explored and accounted for prior to employment. When a potential employee has worked overseas, the manager should take action to obtain the appropriate police checks to ensure that the staff member is safe to work with children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of its children. Children’s bedrooms should be decorated to repair any damage, and the communal areas should be furnished to ensure that they provide a homely environment. Any broken items should be disposed of quickly and not left at the side of the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which includes the management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff and any further training required for staff, to enable the delivery of the 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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 8 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 for children’s home: SC400880 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Choices 4 Children Limited

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC400880 10 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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