Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Fylde

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 1 SC476868 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s 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 operated by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2022.

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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: 21 September 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/05/2021 Full Inadequate 20/11/2019 Full Good 24/04/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children told the inspector that they are happy living in the home and have people around them that they trust. Staff build warm, consistent and positive relationships with children. They show children that they care about them and know what is important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are sensitive to the children’s cultural and linguistic needs. The registered manager sourced interpreters and online applications to help staff to converse with a child and their family, who speak English as an additional language. This has helped the family to remain involved in their child’s care. Social workers are complimentary about the support the child and their family have received.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate each other’s culture and beliefs. One child spoke to the inspector about the henna tattoo on her hand and the reasons for this. Children are developing a better understanding of tolerance and diversity because of the discussions that they have with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate well on the children’s behalf, particularly with regard to their education. Staff ensure that children receive the right support and funding so that they can overcome any barriers to learning. This has resulted in children re-engaging with their education after some time away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health and well-being is improving. Children are much more able to talk about how they are feeling. One child said that one member of staff had ‘been amazing’, and that they had really helped her to consider new ways of handling difficult situations. She said that she felt calmer now.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a wide range of self-chosen activities. They said that this has improved since the COVID-19-related restrictions have lifted. One child particularly enjoys the banter between herself and the manager about their favourite football teams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to prepare for the next stage in their lives, whether this is returning to their family or moving into their own property. Staff use everyday conversations to support children’s understanding of the need to budget for items, the cost of living and how this will affect them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children remain in touch with those people who are important to them. Staff ensure that children get to spend quality time with their family and friends.

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

The manager and staff are creating a safe home environment that helps to protect children from harm. Children feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Children said that they can talk to staff about their worries and that the staff will help them to be Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 4 safe. Children are now safer from the risks of being trafficked, sexual exploitation and going missing from home.

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

Staff are aware of the concerns in relation to children who have been culturally trafficked. They are working well with the placing authority to ensure that this child is safe. However, there are some concerns about the level of supervision and that the child is not able to have ‘free time’. This needs to be carefully considered so that this does not deprive the child of their liberty, especially as there are no court orders in place.

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

There have been several significant incidents in which two children have used crockery to harm themselves. As a result, the manager replaced many items with plastic alternatives. Children can access ‘real’ cups and plates, but the reintroduction of these items has not been considered. This hinders the children’s ability to develop the skills to keep themselves safe as they move on in their lives.

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

Children are developing the skills to manage challenging and difficult situations. This has seen a marked reduction in the use of physical interventions. Children said that they are more able to reflect on their behaviours and consider their actions. One child spoke at length to the inspector about why she ‘smashed things up’, and how the staff are helping her to overcome this.

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

Improved recruitment procedures ensure that employees undergo thorough background checks prior to being offered employment. These measures help to protect children from harm.

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

Children live in a warm, welcoming and well-maintained home. Staff are proactive in reporting maintenance issues, which means that issues are quickly resolved. Children’s personal space reflects their interests, and they enjoy the opportunities to select items for their room.

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good

The home is managed by a qualified and enthusiastic manager who wants to improve the life chances of the children that she and the staff care for. She has created a staff team whose members share her vision and ethos of the home. However, a significant number of staff do not yet hold a recognised childcare qualification. Many are attending training and are due to complete level 3 and 4 qualifications in residential childcare soon.

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good

Staff said that they are supported well by the manager. They said that they have access to a wide range of training courses, such as self-harm, suicidal ideation and trafficked children, which is helping to develop their knowledge and understanding.

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good

The manager has a comprehensive knowledge of the children’s needs. She works in a positive and proactive way with external agencies and involves professionals when Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 5 required to ensure that children’s needs are met. Children are fully involved in the decisions being made about their futures. This has resulted in the agreement for one child to return home.

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good

The home has introduced a new online recording system. However, there are inconsistencies in the quality of recording by staff. This means that records do not clearly tell the child’s story and are not always reviewed by the manager. Furthermore, some records, such as the children’s risk assessment, physical interventions, consequences and key worker records, do not contain all the necessary information.

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good

Several of these issues have been identified by the independent person. This has resulted in the manager and responsible individual completing a development plan to address the shortfalls. However, the monitoring by the registered manager is not yet secure and would benefit from a more critical analysis of what the home does well and the areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 24 June 2022

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

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; and

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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)(f)(h)) 24 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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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;

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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 measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv)) 24 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that no child is deprived of their liberty without the appropriate court order. Furthermore, any restrictions on a child’s liberty should regularly be reviewed and revised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 50, paragraph 9.63)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear record-keeping. Staff should understand that the records play a significant part in a child’s life history. Furthermore, records should tell the story of the child’s time in the home. (‘Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 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: SC476868 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8, Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspector

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 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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