Children's Home run by My3 Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 1 Registered provider: My3 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private company. The provider states in its statement of purpose that the home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

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.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 3 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The inspector only inspected the social care provision at this school.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 4 December 2019

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/12/2019 Full Outstanding 06/11/2018 Full Good 01/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well cared for and are making progress as a result. Children have positive relationships with staff that they trust. One child said, ‘It’s lovely here, I get to do lots of fun things. I can speak to anyone. I’m so pleased I’ve been able to live in one place for a few years, I wouldn’t have coped if I kept moving.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers carefully assess whether they can provide good care. A thorough risk assessment is completed before a child moves in. Due to difficulties in recruiting staff, the manager and responsible individual have assessed that it would not be in the children’s best interests for another child to move into the home until additional staff have joined the team. As a result, the two children living in the home are receiving consistent care from staff who know them well.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is central to the culture and ethos in the home. Children engage well with their individual education plans. Staff support one child to continue to attend a school that is almost an hour away because it meets the child’s needs. This level of commitment by staff has been central to the child attending full time education and Making progress at school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are given wraparound support. On one occasion, a child’s education, health and care plan (EHC) limited their college choices because the plan did not capture the progress the child had made. The manager advocated for the EHC plan to be reviewed. The child is currently attending an educational placement that is building their skills for adulthood at the same time as reapplying for more preferred colleges. As a result, the child is now exploring plans to go to university.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an independent school within the same building as the home. School displays in the hallway, an allocated room for teachers upstairs and the fact that children need to enter the home to attend the school make the home feel less homely. In addition, locks on many of the internal doors around the home make it feel more institutional and prevent the children from having free access to some areas in their home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care provided is underpinned by research-informed advice from therapists and psychologists working with the children and staff. This support has been instrumental in the children being diagnosed with conditions, including autism spectrum disorder. Children have been supported to understand their needs. As a result, children can express their views and wishes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to build life skills. Building independence skills is done at a pace that is individualised to each child’s needs and wishes. Children who require high levels of support are given this in a non-intrusive way. Children really enjoy Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 4 spending time in the large gardens at the home and use this space to play, be calm and reflect.

p.3

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

Children are safe. The risks for each child have reduced since they moved in. Staff encourage children to review their monthly reports and use graphs to show children the progress they have made. Children are encouraged to use strategies to help them self-regulate. As a result, the need for physical intervention has reduced. One social worker said, ‘Incidents have reduced in severity and frequency. Staff are very professional and understand [name of child’s] needs.’

p.4

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Any incidents are recorded and reported appropriately. All staff have received relevant training to ensure that the de-escalation methods and holds used are appropriate. Children and staff are always given the opportunity to reflect after an incident. Managers also review the documents to ensure that any learning is captured and shared with the team.

p.4

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

Children very rarely leave the home without authorisation. When necessary, staff follow the child’s individual plan to ensure that they are located as quickly as possible. Staff recognise the additional level of vulnerability that some of the children have due to their learning disabilities. This is captured within the risk- management plans to ensure that all staff act in line with expectations.

p.4

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

Risk-management plans have been redesigned. Plans are now working documents that are clearer in guiding staff on which actions to take in the event of a presenting risk. Staff are aware of the plans for each child and are confident that they are working together consistently. When staff have not worked in line with the agreed plans, steps have been taken to address poor performance.

p.4

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

Multi-agency working is ongoing. Staff were flexible in providing care to a child who was moving back home with his family. Close working with the complex safeguarding team and the placing authority meant that he received additional support by staff when needed. As a result, the child was able to move home when they were ready and when it was safe to do so.

p.4

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

Formal complaints are treated seriously. The manager has responded in line with the company’s policy. However, on occasion when children have said something negative about staff or other children, the records have not always evidenced the follow up clearly. Although this has not had a direct impact on a child, it has the potential to leave children feeling unheard.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in management since the last inspection. The new manager has submitted her application to register with Ofsted. She is an experienced manager within the company, and she has worked in the home since June 2021. Feedback has been consistently positive about the new manager. One Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 5 social worker said, ‘The manager is a great advocate for [name of child]. The leadership style is very effective and proactive.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several changes in the staff team. Therapists have helped staff reflect on how they help children prepare for these changes. The new manager has also implemented several changes to the recording systems. Staff are now able to review live documents electronically. This has helped in meeting a previous recommendation as digital signatures record when documents are written or read by staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager spoke about the impact of COVID-19 being limited since the last inspection. Steps were taken by the staff to increase cleaning to limit the spread of the virus. Leaders were sensitive to the needs of the children when conducting a dynamic risk assessment. This reduced the impact on the children both emotionally as well as physically.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have the skills and knowledge to provide good quality care to children. Additional training is sourced when it is necessary. A focus on staff development, learning and reflection is central to the values of the leadership team. As a result, staff enjoy working in the team, and they are comfortable to make positive changes after reflection.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meet regularly as a team and in reflective supervision. Child-focused discussions take place and staff each take on specific tasks to ensure that the children can enjoy meaningful plans and activities. Children are encouraged to share their views regularly. One child told the inspector, ‘I have humongous half-term plans! I can’t wait!’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is visited monthly by an independent person. The manager uses this process as an opportunity to improve the care provided. The manager has been proactive in sharing information and seeking feedback from children, their families and professionals. As a result, the manager is aware of the strengths and is working on the areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the home’s premises;

p.6

Requirement Due date

and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to removing internal locks on the doors of communal areas and ensuring the environment is not institutional. 8 May 2022

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any allegation of abuse or bullying is addressed in line with the home’s child protection policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

p.6

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: 1246331 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 300 St Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

p.7

Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8