Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 1 SC423460 Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of three owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and support for up to three young people who may present with needs that are associated with behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since December 2010.

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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 (SCIFF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine 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 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

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2019 Full Outstanding 04/09/2018 Full Outstanding 19/07/2017 Full Good 15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for in a warm, caring and nurturing environment. They receive the help that they need to recover from harmful experiences and to move forward in their lives. A parent said that the change in their child was wonderful to see. Also, that they could not thank the manager and staff for all that they had done for their child and for them as a family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build warm, consistent and positive relationships with children. They show children that they care about them and know what is important to them. Children told the inspector that this is their home, and they are very happy here. They told inspectors about their own achievements and what this meant for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the time to get to know children who are new to the home and help them to settle in. One child who has very recently moved in said he felt happy here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child explained how his morning routine with the manager of having a cup of tea together and watching the news meant he had a good start to the day and filled him with confidence. Another child said that he attends a boxing club and can now travel independently to and from school. These are undertakings that he would not have achieved without staff’s support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said their increased confidence, reduction in anxieties and their ability to try new things were made possible because of the support they received from the manager and staff. Professionals are very complimentary about the care and support their children receive and the progress that they are making across all areas of their development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are very aware of the children’s individual needs and meet these well in practice. However, the children’s care plan and health care plans do not always reflect all of their specific needs in relation to their autism diagnosis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are strong advocates for children’s education. They work in partnership with schools to ensure that children receive the right help and support. Consequently, children have 100% attendance and are making good progress in relation to their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff fully support education in the home. They encourage children to read books and talk to them about the stories. One child in particular has relished these opportunities and has not only discovered a love of reading but has increased his reading age.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work tirelessly to ensure that the children remained in contact with their family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents of the children said that they Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 4 are happy with the progress that their children are making and are enjoying the opportunities to spend more time with them.

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

The manager and staff have created a safe home environment that protects children from harm. Children feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging. They know that they can talk to staff about their worries and that the staff will help them to be safe. As a result, the risks for children are reducing.

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

Children’s concerns are manged well. One child made a complaint about staff having to wear personal protection equipment in the home during the pandemic. Staff handled this sensitively and used this to further educate all of the children about the restrictions and how they applied in different circumstances. This provided reassurances to the child.

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

Children do not go missing or engage in high risk-taking behaviour. Staff have a clear understanding of good safeguarding practice and the action to take to keep children safe.

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

Children are increasing in confidence and self-esteem. They spoke candidly about how they are able to manage challenging or difficult situations and to consider their actions.

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

Children know the homes rules and understand the reasons why they may be given a consequence for poor behaviour. Staff are consistent in their approach to supporting children, and, as a result, the number of incidents in the home has significantly declined.

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

Staff work hard to make the environment as homely as possible and regularly talk to the children about what they would like to see in the home.

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

Children’s bedrooms reflect the individual personalities of each child. As part of the children’s preparation for adulthood, they are encouraged to keep their rooms clean and tidy and to carry out other household tasks, such as helping to do their laundry.

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

Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are secure, which means children are cared for by suitable adults.

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good

The home is led by an experienced and committed registered manager, and she is supported by her deputy manager. The manager and staff have created a family environment in which children can grow and develop.

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good

The past year has been challenging with regards to COVID-19 and meeting the needs of some children. This has resulted in the manager working numerous care Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 5 shifts in the home. While this meant that no agency staff were used, it has impacted on her managerial oversight.

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good

This has seen a slippage in the quality of record-keeping, in particular children’s key worker records, progress reports, and records of consequences. Furthermore, the manager’s last two monitoring reports contain similar information and lack an analysis of what the home does well, and of the areas for development.

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good

A child was recently admitted to the home. The placing authority has failed to provide all of the necessary documents and consents. The manager has been chasing this information, and, during the inspection, the placing authority told the inspector that this would be sent over that day. However, this delay may prevent the home accessing vital information to support the child.

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good

Ofsted has not received an updated statement of purpose since September 2020. This does not promote transparency or alert the regulator to any changes in staffing, or the care provided.

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good

Effective staffing arrangements ensure that there are enough suitable, experienced and qualified staff available to meet the children’s needs. Staff work together cohesively and receive good levels of support, and they say that the manager is approachable.

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good

Staff have regular opportunities to engage in personal supervision sessions and to discuss their training needs. However, the workforce development plan is not reflective of the current staff team.

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good

The manager works in partnership with other professionals and families to ensure that children have the right support. She ensures that professionals are kept up to date on the children’s progress and any emerging concerns. Professionals are very complimentary about the manager and comment on her commitment to the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 28 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)) 28 March 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 28 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 7 keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 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

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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; and

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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

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Requirement Due date

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 28 March 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 8 measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The relates specifically to the records of any consequences given to children.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the report provides a critical analysis of the quality of care provided in the home. 28 March 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that the workforce development plan is current and reflects the training and development needs of the staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered provider must ensure that records about the children should be recorded in sufficient detail to tell the story of the child’s time in the home in Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 9 particular progress reports, health care plans, placement plans and key worker records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4 and 14.5)

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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 for children’s home: SC423460 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lonsdale & Marsh Ltd, Cotton House, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, Liverpool L3 9TX

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 11 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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