Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 1 SC482410 Registered provider: Inspire 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 is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that it provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. He 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 inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 November 2020 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 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: 25 February 2020

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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 for children’s home: SC482410 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/09/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home who were settled and making progress. One child had recently moved out of the home. He was supported by staff to move to his new home, and staff have remained in contact and have continued to provide support. Consequently, the child moved out in a planned and positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector observed positive and caring relationships between staff and the children. Children benefit from living in a happy and relaxed home, and are treated with dignity and respect. Children have built positive relationships with the staff, and all the children rated the home ‘10 out of 10’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have created a warm and welcoming environment. Children’s photos are displayed throughout the home and their bedrooms are personalised. However, the casing around the front door and letterbox is rotten. The manager has a schedule of work in place to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities, such as caravan holidays, trips to theme parks and go-karting. Children have opportunities to try new things and take part in fun experiences. These are captured in photo albums, to help support their life-story work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they know how to complain and identified staff with whom they can discuss any worries. The manager ensures that he acknowledges children’s complaints. These are actioned and formally responded to in a timely way. Children say they are listened to and consulted about on all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The managers and staff value the importance of education. However, not all children are in full-time education, which is limiting their educational opportunities. Staff are working with the placing authority and the virtual school team to ensure that a suitable school placement is identified quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in developing their independence skills. This is a strength of the home. For example, a child is learning how to travel on public transport by himself and complete his weekly food shopping. This has increased his confidence and given him skills in budgeting, and is preparing him for moving on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage healthy lifestyles. The children all have up-to-date health assessments. Physical exercise is promoted through children regularly attending the local gym with staff. One child is enjoying playing rugby for his local community. As a result, children are learning the importance of keeping active. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 4 Staff work together with a range of outside agencies to ensure that the needs of the children are met. Feedback from professionals is positive. One social worker said: ‘Communication in the home is excellent. I receive good-quality reports and updates.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are not aware of the local offer, which sets out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is good. The use of effective strategies focuses on de-escalation in order to promote positive behaviour. Consequently, the number of physical restraints used is minimal, and any incidents are well documented and effectively evaluated.

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

Staff understand the risks that unrestricted access to the internet poses. All staff are trained in e-safety and promote the safe use of all devices through good-quality direct work and regular mobile phone checks. This helps children stay safe online.

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

Risk management plans are up to date and include strategies that staff follow in relation to individual children. All plans contain the children’s comments. Staff know and understand all children’s risks and are knowledgeable about what actions to take to safeguard children. As a result, children say they feel safe and well cared for.

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

When children go missing from home there is a well-coordinated response. Staff are proactive in searching the local area and follow all relevant plans. There are detailed records of all action taken to safeguard the child. However, independent return home interviews are not being completed or appropriately recorded. These are opportunities for the child to discuss any worries or concerns with a person who is independent of the home, and for staff to use information to understand triggers which lead to children going missing from home.

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

Some children in the home are prescribed medication. All staff are trained to safely administer medication. This is stored safely, and records are well managed.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. There are robust checks in place for all staff prior to starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager. He is currently completing his level 5 qualification in leadership and management. The manager is supported by a deputy manager. Staff say the managers are approachable and very supportive. They work well together and are passionate about making improvements in the home. The manager and deputy manager have high expectations and show enthusiasm in their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 5 There is a stable and committed staff team. It has a strong ethos of teamwork and provides good-quality care and continuity of care for children. Staff are ambitious for the children and want them to achieve good outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have opportunities to receive training that develops their understanding, knowledge and skills, and is relevant to needs of the children they are supporting. Training is also discussed in supervisions and team meetings in order to ensure that staff keep their knowledge up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions take place regularly, with appraisals taking place annually. Both are detailed documents which demonstrate a reflective environment in which to discuss the individual’s practice and ongoing development. There are detailed discussions where staff can discuss their professional development and reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff regularly consult children and their families and take their views into account. The manager ensures that all plans are child centred and contain their comments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are clear and well organised. Investigations are thorough and well managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight through his own internal checks. He understands the strengths and areas of development in the home and makes good use of the recommendations from the external monitoring by the independent person. This has helped him improve outcomes for children and ensure that staff provide good-quality care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 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; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and

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Requirement Due date

the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; 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; 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; and 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)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x)) 20 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care, they have an independent return home interview. Staff should take account of information provided by children when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45 paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that children’s homes are homely, domestic environments. In particular, repair or replace the door casing around the front door, doorbell and letterbox on the front of the door. (‘Guide to the children’s

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Recommendations

homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 for children’s home: SC482410 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3 Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC482410 9 regulates and inspects 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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