Children's home run by Young Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 1 SC068410 Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care for up to six children aged 11 to 18 with mental health and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

An experienced manager is in post, and they are in the process of submitting an application to become registered with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Date of last inspection: 10 November 2021

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 22 March 2022

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 2

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judged that it has sustained effectiveness.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. Two children moved from the home abruptly as staff could no longer safely meet their needs. This created a lot of animosity among all children. Poor initial matching decisions made by the previous manager meant that these children did not settle or make progress while living at the home. The two children living at the home now are more settled and get along.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The progress of the children currently living at the home is mixed as staff do not consistently provide them with good-quality care. For example, one child is not accessing any education. Although the other child is accessing education, staff do not know the child’s education targets and do not have records of the previous review meeting when education was discussed. This lack of understanding and mixed access to education does not enable children to make measurable progress with their learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One child is feeling anxious about their future care planning and transition into an adult placement. Though staff and managers are aware of this, they have not effectively challenged the child’s placing authority in order to ensure that a clear plan is formulated to help reduce these anxieties. Staff have not offered this child access to advocacy services in order to enable her wishes and feelings to be heard.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of children’s risk management plans has significantly improved since the last inspection. They now provide staff with clear guidance on how to manage and reduce risks to children. Staff follow these plans, which helps to protect children from harm.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, children do not receive independent return home interviews after they have been missing from care. This is a missed opportunity for children to discuss why they went missing from care and what happened while they were away. The manager has not sufficiently challenged the children’s placing authorities about this concern.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers lack the professional curiosity needed to explore staff’s employment histories and clarify discrepancies in employment dates. At the time of the inspection, managers did not have access to one staff member’s safer recruitment file. Shortfalls in recruitment practice do not help to ensure that only safe adults are employed to care for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 3 Some restraint records do not contain all the required information. For example, records do not always detail the child’s behaviour leading up to the restraint and it is not clear whether debriefs with staff and children are undertaken within the required timescales. This does not give children the opportunity to raise any concerns that they may have about the restraint or for staff to be able to reflect on the incident. These shortfalls do not give assurances about whether the use of restraints is

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The newly appointed manager is aware of the service’s strengths and areas for improvement. He is ambitious and has a clear vision of where he wants the service to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The manager has made significant changes in the monitoring and evaluation of the service through the introduction of effective auditing tools. Consequently, the staff and the new manager are in the process of addressing shortfalls identified at the last inspection. Some requirements have been met. For example, medication audits are being done regularly, and, as a result, there have not been any medication errors or shortfalls in staff’s practice. Work is underway to meet the remaining requirements, and this is ongoing.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some staff have outstanding mandatory training. However, the manager is in the process of getting all staff’s training up to date. Staff are now receiving regular good-quality supervision and have a safe environment in which to discuss their professional development, training and well-being.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The previous manager failed to submit a review of the quality of care provided to children to the regulator. This does not enable the regulator to have an overview of the care afforded to children or identify any potential concerns that need addressing promptly.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers have met four of the seven requirements raised at the last inspection. Three requirements have been repeated and five new requirements have been raised. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/02/2020 Full Good 15/01/2019 Full Outstanding 20/02/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 5

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, liaise effectively with a child’s placing authority to clarify plans about moving on to independent living. In addition, challenge children’s placing authorities about the lack of timely return home interviews. 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

is given appropriate advocacy support. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(iii)) 31 May 2022

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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. 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(ix))

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff receive training to support them with their roles when required, and that managers have effective systems in place to monitor check the quality of care that children receive.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 7 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all children experience as positive a move on from the home as possible.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 31 May 2022

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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 any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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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 31 May 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 8 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff record details of any de- escalation strategies used to divert children’s behaviour, including a clear description of the restraint technique used, and ensure that there are opportunities for staff and children to receive a debrief.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a)) 31 May 2022

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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: SC068410 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 7 Grosvenor Street, Chester CH1 2DD

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068410 10 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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