Children's home run by Outbound Care

Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 1 Registered provider: Outbound Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to two children with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2019.

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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: 25 February 2020

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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: 2516349 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. One child said, ‘They have my back.’ Another child said, ‘They really do care about me.’ This has helped children feel secure, safe and loved. These foundations have supported children to thrive emotionally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to re-engage with education, and they have aspirations for the future. The adults need to have a greater understanding of children’s educational targets and academic levels. This will ensure that they are helping children to achieve their full potential. There also needs to be knowledge of the local special educational needs and/or disabilities offer to ensure that opportunities to utilise external resources are not missed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When there are delays for therapeutic services through universal services, managers ensure that children are not without the emotional support they need. Children are supported to engage with therapists that are sourced and funded by the provider. The team of adults caring for children are not currently benefiting from the therapist’s knowledge and expertise in order to enhance the children’s day-to-day care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Previously, children have experienced barriers to them spending time with their family due to distance. The adults caring for children travel hundreds of miles to ensure that children can maintain relationships with their loved ones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to create memory books about their experiences since living in their current home. This helps children to remember significant times in their lives. However, children are not supported to understand their earlier life story. Without this work, children may not understand their history, important relationships and significant memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop new life skills. The adults caring for children are creative in their approach to help children develop positive coping strategies. This practice has had a significant positive impact on children’s health.

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

The adults caring for children provide them with emotional containment to help them through difficult times in their lives. One child said, ‘I do not get angry anymore.’ The team of adults caring for children reflect regularly on strategies that help children develop resilience. The approach focuses on positive reinforcement, which has enabled children to develop skills to help them regulate their emotions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 4 The adults are aware of the risks in children’s lives, and there are plans in place to keep children safe. The adults follow the plans and demonstrate curiosity, which has enabled risks in children’s lives to be reduced. There have been occasions when safety measures have not been reviewed regularly. This practice can stigmatise children and reduce opportunities for children to safely manage risks with adult guidance.

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

Children rarely go missing from care. The adults have clear plans to follow when children go missing in order to support children to return home safely. The adults search for children relentlessly when they are missing and travel several hours to search and bring children home. This practice shows children that the adults care about them and want to keep them safe.

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

Children are cared for by a consistent and stable team of adults. There is, however, a shortfall in safer recruitment. On one occasion, the manager has been unable to secure references in line with the provider’s policies and procedures. These procedures are in place to ensure that the adults caring for children are suitable.

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

When a safeguarding issue arises the management team ensures that child protection procedures are followed. There are thorough investigations that are child focused and there is good liaison with external agencies to ensure that appropriate oversight is provided. The management team identifies training needs and ensures that disciplinary procedures are followed in line with their internal safeguarding procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has created a passionate and innovative team, whose members provide good care to children. One parent said, ‘My son would not have got this far if he was not where he is now.’ Parents receive a weekly update about their child’s progress. Managers also take complaints seriously. Investigations are robust and solutions to complaints are child focused. This practice promotes partnership working and helps children remain at the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The adults directly caring for children feel supported by their management team. They receive informal and formal support through supervision sessions and team meetings. Managers provide clear, specific and measurable targets for staff to continuously improve the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers create bespoke training for the team when there is a specific development area. Team members have benefited from this approach, and it has helped them develop their practice. However, the training available does not focus on children’s identity needs and specific health needs. Team members need to broaden their knowledge about contemporary safeguarding issues such as child exploitation. Addressing these shortfalls will ensure that the adults are equipped with the knowledge and skills to meet all the children’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 5 Managers champion children’s rights. Children are supported to express their views and influence their plans. There has been an occasion where this exceptional practice had a life changing impact on a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers and adults directly caring for children do not always utilise formal escalation procedures or independent advocacy to ensure that children consistently receive the support to which they are entitled. Utilising these services will reduce delays for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good knowledge of significant events in children’s lives. However, they do not always evaluate practice. This limits the opportunities for managers to reflect on good practice or practice that needs to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are shortfalls in the rota system that is used to ensure that there are enough adults caring for children. The full names of the adults are not recorded on the rota. It is unclear what hours managers are in the home, and who is providing management direction in the home when managers are not on site, and also who is first aid trained on shift. Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (Regulation 32 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that employment checks are completed in line with the provider’s safer recruitment policy and procedures, specifically relating to references. 10 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to there being a clear and accurate account of who is caring for the children in their home and day-to-day accountability. 10 April 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that risk is continually and actively assessed to ensure that control measures are not oppressive to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the adults directly caring for children can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, training to meet children’s health needs, to develop current knowledge relating to child exploitation and training to meet children’s identity needs. Also, therapeutic interventions informing children’s day-to-day care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should actively review incidents through evaluation and implement lessons learned to sustain good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s

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Recommendations

Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 7  The registered person should ensure that the importance of understanding who we are and where we come from is recognised, for example through undertaking life-story work. Staff in children’s homes should play a full role in work of this kind. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home. The home must challenge them using formal escalation procedures if required to meet the child’s needs (see regulations 5(c)). The team caring for children should act as champions for their children, expecting nothing less than a good parent would.

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Recommendations

The registered person should consider the use of an independent advocate. (see paragraph 4.16) if the child’s needs are not being met. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should ensure that the adults caring for children have the knowledge and skills to understand each child’s education and training targets and their next steps for learning. If a child’s progress is not in line with their agreed targets or next steps, staff should seek expert advice from education professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 27, paragraph 5.11)

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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: 2516349 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outbound Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Metropolitan Business Park, Preston New Road, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 9LT

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Inspector

Carly Quinn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2516349 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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