Children's home run by My Life - My Choice Ltd in Hyndburn

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 1 SC489038 Registered provider: My Life-My Choice Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care and short break accommodation for children and young people who have disabilities. Services are provided to children who are up to 17 years old. They can be continued through the transition period of their lives from the ages of 18 to 25.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified and experienced manager in place who has been registered with Ofsted at the home since March 2015.

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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 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: SC489038 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/08/2019 Full Good 14/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/07/2018 Full Good 22/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a high level of care for children. They develop close working relationships with each child which helps them to understand their needs. This means that children are happy and make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with health workers to develop bespoke communication systems for children. This supports children to express their wishes and feelings. This helped one child to buy food at a local cafe for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff team are passionate about their work and create a positive environment which is calming for children. A social worker said, ‘I regularly visit, announced and unannounced, and the children present are happy and settled.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have good relationships with schools. They ensure that children are accessing school and making progress. One parent said, ‘When the school refused to provide transport, the staff stepped up and now take him there and back every day. I can’t fault them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide care which is responsive to children’s personal needs and this helps them to develop their own identity. For example, staff support children with cultural awareness, costume, diet and religious celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress with developing their self-care skills. For example, they make progress with washing, dressing and cleaning. This promotes their independence and boosts self-esteem. One parent said, ‘I can’t praise the staff enough, such a big improvement with my child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of activities inside and outside of the home. For example, they enjoy different experiences using sensory toys, a hydrotherapy pool and trips out. This promotes children’s social skills and their health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with parents and social care, keeping in touch with them regularly. They work creatively to find solutions that best meet the needs of the child. One social worker said, ‘They are an invaluable support to the local authority and we would often be lost without them in times of difficulty.’

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

Risk management plans provide clear strategies for staff to follow. They use de- escalation techniques to help children to manage their behaviour. This reduces the need for physical interventions. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 4 There have not been any incidents of children going missing from home in the reporting period. Clear procedures are in place to prevent children from going missing and the actions to take if there is an incident.

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

Managers recruit suitable staff to provide care and support for children. They develop careful recruitment processes to ensure that staff are safe to work at the home.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding processes and act quickly. They work collaboratively with agencies to ensure that children are safe. One social worker stated: ‘Safeguarding, they’re all over it. They share information straight away and keep parents updated.’

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

The manager undertakes an assessment of children’s needs before they move into the home. This ensures that they can identify and manage children’s needs. However, this is not consistently done for emergency referrals. This can adversely affect children and staff.

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

The physical environment for children is safe, however, it does not feel or look like a family home.

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

The home is well equipped to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff receive training to use specialist equipment and regularly review risk assessments. This keeps children safe.

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

Children’s bedroom doors include glass panels in them. The need for glass panels is not recorded in children’s plans. This places limitations on children’s privacy.

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good

The manager has been registered at the home since 2015 and is suitably experienced. A newly structured management team supports her in her role. A member of staff said, ‘I have never felt more supported by my managers as they give me the continued support when I need it.’

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good

The registered person does not receive regular reports from the independent person. Reports are inconsistent and do not always include the views of children, parents and staff. This limits the manager’s evaluation and oversight of the home.

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good

Managers track and review all safeguarding incidents and reports. However, they do not report all significant events to the appropriate authorities. This can affect children’s welfare and safety.

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good

Staff enjoy their work and feel fully supported by their line managers. However, staff do not consistently receive supervision in line with the company’s policy. This means that staff are not able to regularly reflect on their performance and the needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 5 Children’s plans are colourful and easy to read which makes them more accessible for children. Staff regularly update their plans and case records. However, they do not consistently sign all records. As a result, managers are uncertain if staff understand children’s plans.

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good

The staff team receives a full induction to ensure they gain the necessary skills and knowledge for their role. They also attend regular training. This ensures that they can provide care and support for children with complex needs. However, the registered manager does not detail these processes in a workforce plan.

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good

When there is a concern regarding a local authority’s response to a safeguarding issue, the registered person escalates this. This includes writing to the director of children’s services. This helps to improve practice and protect children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 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 privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 (a)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)).

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that glass panels on bedroom doors are only used in agreement with the placing authority. This should be detailed in the child’s relevant plans and kept under review. 24 May 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(a)) 24 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 7 The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 24 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii) and (e)) 24 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to— 24 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 8 HMCI;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1)(4)(a)(b)(7)(a)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, reports should only be provided for periods of no longer than one month. The report should be a rigorous assessment of the home’s arrangements for promoting the welfare of children who are being cared for by the provider. Reports should be submitted on a monthly basis.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff receive regular supervision to enable them to reflect upon their practice and the needs of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have a workforce plan that meets the requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: SC489038 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: My Life-My Choice Limited

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Andrea Brighouse

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Inspector

Mark Woodbridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489038 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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