Children's home run by Young Foundations Limited in Wirral

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to six children with mental health and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager commenced in post in January 2022 and is the process of registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

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

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/02/2020 Full Good 15/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. Two children are relatively new to the home and are in the process of forming positive relationships with staff and one another.

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improvement to be good

When new children are admitted to the home, managers do not ensure that they receive important information from the children’s local authorities quickly enough to be effective. The home’s care plans are basic; they do not capture all known information and do not evidence children’s progress. The objectives of children’s placements are unclear. As a result, staff are not given clear guidance on how to care for the children and help them to progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out regular key-working sessions with children. However, staff do not record all of their important conversations with the children. In addition, conversations are not linked to children’s plans. This is a missed opportunity for staff to explore children’s difficulties with them and for staff to demonstrate the work that they are doing to support children. Managers do not ensure that staff document important pieces of work they carry out with children, for example when staff encourage children to read and contribute to their care plans.

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improvement to be good

One child is making progress in education. Her attendance has significantly improved with the support from staff. However, staff could be more proactive in encouraging activities that would promote informal learning for the two children who are not well enough to attend school.

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improvement to be good

Despite some changes in the staff team, children have received care from a core team of staff who know the children well. Staff reward children for their achievements and positive behaviour. This helps children learn to make positive choices.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is spacious, warm and welcoming. The home is set within large grounds that provide a relaxing space for children.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments put in place to keep children safe do not contain all known risks. For example, one child’s use of a smoking vape has not been risk assessed. Children’s risk assessments are brief and do not provide staff with sufficient strategies to support children in important areas. This has the potential to place children at risk. Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 4 Managers are not developing robust assessments to ensure that children are well matched to each other and to the skills of the staff team on admission. While this has not had an impact on children’s well-being, there is the potential that children could be admitted to the home who are not well matched.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that new staff working at the home are safely recruited. Managers have not verified the reasons why staff have left previous posts working with children or vulnerable adults. As a result, children may have received care from adults who are not suitable to work with children.

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improvement to be good

Serious incidents are rare, and when children display challenging behaviours or are distressed, staff are nurturing and supportive in their response. As a result, children have built or are in the process of building trusting relationships with the staff. Staff use de-escalation and distraction to help keep children occupied and to reduce the need for physical intervention. High staffing ratios mean that staff are always available to the children. As a result, children feel safe and are comfortable in the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager has introduced processes to ensure that the staff team are monitoring health and safety elements within the home, such as medication and environmental checks. These were previously missing or were not routinely taking place. These improvements mean that there is increased oversight of the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has not been a registered manager of this home since October 2020. A new manager started in post in January 2022 and has submitted his application to register.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager’s oversight of staff training is lacking. The training matrix is not accurate. In addition, not all staff have been trained in all the important areas, such as internet safety, reporting and recording and risk management. One member of staff has not obtained the residential childcare qualification within the required timeframe. In addition, the manager has not yet produced a workforce development plan. As a result, not all staff have had training to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have not received an annual appraisal and, as a result, staff performance and fitness for their role has not been reviewed. This is a missed opportunity to support staff to reflect on and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not completed the review of the quality of care. This does not enable the regulator to have an overview of the care provided to children or identify an action plan to improve the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has reviewed and updated the home’s location risk assessment. However, they failed to consult with relevant professionals as part of this review. Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 5 This shortfall means that there may be important information missing from the assessment and staff may not be informed of all the risks in the local community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The shortfalls identified during this inspection show that leaders and managers do not yet monitor all aspects of the home effectively. However, the monitoring and oversight of the home has improved since the last full inspection in November 2021. The leaders and managers are aware of the shortfalls and are working hard to make ongoing improvements to the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff feel supported by the manager and deputy manager. Regular supervision and team meetings take place and important information is shared. The managers have introduced shift-to-shift handovers and, as a result, communication within the team has improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff team are motivated and passionate about the children. Staff morale has improved and staff are now working together as a team to improve the care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 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

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 ensure that key paperwork is provided quickly to the home

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 7 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that robust and up-to- date risk assessments are in place for each child. In addition, managers should ensure that a robust impact risk assessment is completed for each new child coming into the home. Staff should also carry out key-working sessions with children to help them to understand and reduce their risk.

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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 meet the needs of the children, and that managers have effective systems in place to monitor 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 August 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that important information from local authorities is received on 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 8 admission to inform children’s care. In addition, the registered person should ensure that children’s progress is evident in care records.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is re- stated.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered person verbally verifies the reasons why a staff member has left a previous post working with children or vulnerable adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 9 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that all staff obtain the relevant training within the required timeframes.

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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 ensure that all employees— have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c) 31 August 2022

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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

The registered person must— 31 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 10 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))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete and submit a review of the quality of care within the required timeframes.

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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 review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider should ensure that as part of the review of the premises they consult with any relevant professionals to inform the review. 31 August 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that staff encourage children to view and contribute to their records in a way that reflects their voice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  The registered person should ensure that they develop a workforce plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that when children cannot be in education due to severe trauma or mental health difficulties, staff support children with informal learning opportunities in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.3)

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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 Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 11 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 12

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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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

Debbie Holder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC068410 13 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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