Children's home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for one child with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2021.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that they are happy living at the home because, ‘it is homely, staff are fun and they make me laugh’. The child enjoys warm and trusting relationships with staff. Staff make sure that the child’s wishes and feelings are considered carefully and influence the arrangements for their care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house is welcoming and comfortable. It is personalised to meet the needs of the child. Photos of the child and their family and the child’s artwork and achievements are displayed throughout the house.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives good-quality individualised care that meets their personal needs. This support is providing the child with stability and enables them to make good progress in every aspect of their life.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child spends time with significant people in their life in line with their agreed plan. Staff ensure that spending time with family members is a positive and safe experience for the child. For example, the child’s sister has spent time with them at the home and they enjoyed horse-riding together. Staff recognise when the child may struggle during family time and provide appropriate emotional support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends school and is making measurable progress. Staff understand the child’s special educational needs and help the child achieve their learning objectives as set out in their education, health and care plan. This includes staff helping the child to learn to tell the time and build problem-solving skills. Staff have worked closely with teachers to significantly improve the child’s engagement in learning and their behaviour in school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to learn informally and have new experiences. The child has had opportunities to visit the beach, play football, join a gymnastics club, go horse- riding and for bicycle rides. Staff encourage the child’s talents in drawing and art. This is supporting the child to develop their self-esteem and confidence.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor the child’s health and emotional well-being. They make sure that the child receives the advice, support and treatment that meet their needs. Consequently, the child is leading a healthier lifestyle.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s records provide a detailed picture of their experiences and progress. However, some of the language used in the records is judgemental and may reinforce a negative view of the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 4

p.3

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

The home’s safeguarding arrangements protect the child from harm. The child feels safe and sees staff as trusted adults. Managers and s taff actively and continually assess the dangers to the child and follow up-to-date plans effectively that improve the child’s safety.

p.4

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

The arrangements for managing the child’s medication are safe. Staff understand how to respond to the child’s medical needs in an emergency as set out in the child’s risk assessments. However, these arrangements have not been included in the child’s health plan.

p.4

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

Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities, recognise the signs of risk of harm, and know what they must do to protect the child. Concerns about the child’s safety, including allegations about staff, are managed appropriately in line with safeguarding procedures and statutory guidance.

p.4

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

Management oversight of safeguarding concerns, difficult situations, complaints and allegations identifies learning that led to improvements in safe care practices at the home. Clear guidance for staff about how the child should be woken up in the morning and physical contact has helped to child feel safer and receive suitable physical affection when they need it.

p.4

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

The child lives in a safe and positive environment. Staff have carried out good- quality work to help the child to learn about socially acceptable behaviour and healthy relationships. Staff work consistently to help the child to understand risks and develop the understanding and skills to recognise and withdraw from damaging or harmful behaviour.

p.4

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

The child’s emotional well-being is improving. By listening to the child, staff have found the most successful ways to support the child when they are upset or in a difficult situation. Plans are based on the child’s wishes and feelings around keeping them safe.

p.4

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

Managers respond honestly to the child’s complaints and deal with the problems. They use mediation between the child and staff effectively to resolve things and rebuild positive relationships. However, managers do not always keep a record of the outcome of the complaint and what should happen next.

p.4

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

The bathroom is not well maintained. The provider understands the work that needs to be carried out in the bathroom to ensure this does not have a detrimental effect on the child’s welfare.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual have taken steps to address the shortfalls found at the last inspection and improve the quality of the child’s care, Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 5 experiences and outcomes. The registered manager is providing clear, confident, accountable and effective leadership that is benefiting the child.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual have created a positive working environment. Everyone working at the home understands the expectations of their roles and responsibilities. Staff morale has improved significantly. Staff feel supported, included and engaged. The registered manager provides opportunities for staff to use their skills and experience effectively and develop their knowledge. Better working relationships mean that managers and staff are working cohesively to provide the child with consistent good-quality care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and responsible individual have developed monitoring systems and working practices that provide them with a detailed understanding of what is working well and the areas for improvement. Consistent leadership and good oversight mean that managers identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that the child receives.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff use training to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet the child’s needs. For example, since the last inspection, staff have completed a wealth of training, including in self-harm, ligature awareness, missing from care and attachment theory and trauma.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staffing arrangements meet the needs of the child and safeguard their welfare. Managers respond flexibly to unexpected staff absences to provide continuity of care. The child is usually cared for by people they know well and can build meaningful relationships with staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they receive regular supervision in line with the home’s policy. However, during the inspection, records from supervision meetings were not available. Also, staff confirmed that they had not received copies of their supervision notes from their meetings in March and April 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 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, 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the bathroom is maintained and decorated to a suitable standard.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 11 May 2022

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to making sure that a record is kept of the outcome of any complaint and any recommendations made as a result. 31 May 2022

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that a record of supervision should be kept for staff and available at the home, and that the staff member has a copy of the record. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 61, paragraphs 13.3 and 13.4)  The registered person should make sure that children’s health plans are kept up to date and provide information about their current needs and arrangements for Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 7 their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should make sure that staff record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact and opinion and does not give negative views of the child. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the

p.6

Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.7

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: 2638202 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

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

p.8

Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2638202 9 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.8

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9