Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 1 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately operated home provides care and support for up to four children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since November 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 23 November 2021

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/11/2021 Full Good 23/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 3

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outstanding

Children are cared for by an enthusiastic, kind and compassionate staff team. Staff members are all very experienced. They share their knowledge within the team to inform practice. This allows them to enrich the lives of the children they are caring for. Children trust the staff and interact with them with smiles, humour and laughter. Staff work hard to create a nurturing environment, in which they demonstrate warmth and love in the care they provide.

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outstanding

The children are all making excellent and sustained progress due to the care they are receiving. Staff understand the children’s needs and capabilities, which allows them to put in place achievable personal goals for the children. One child’s mother previously felt unable to walk with him in the community unless he was on a safety harness and reins. She rarely took him out due to her concerns. This child can now walk safely without being restricted and is able to understand elements of road safety. Staff achieve this progress by setting and monitoring gradual targets which allow children to work towards independence.

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outstanding

Children are offered a wide range of exciting activities and experiences. Regardless of the complexity of their health needs, children are supported to take part in everything. Recently, the children went on an activity holiday which included rock climbing, swimming and water sports. All the children living in the home were supported to take part in all the activities. This was documented and celebrated through photos and mementos in the children’s files, which were also shared with family members. One child’s grandmother said, ‘We can’t do those things with her, it’s so nice to see she is getting to do more than even an able-bodied child might, and we get to feel like we’re there with her.’

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outstanding

The home is cheerfully decorated to give it a welcoming atmosphere of homeliness. The children’s bedrooms are colourfully decorated and personalised. One child loves the circus and Liverpool Football Club, so his room is themed as such. Staff have put up a circus tent mural, in which the child is depicted as the ringmaster. In another part of the house, the staff have installed a temporary ‘beach’, with deck chairs, seashells and other seaside items. They did this when the children were disappointed when the weather was not good enough to go to the beach. These personal touches capture the individuality of the children and allow them to take ownership of their environment.

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outstanding

Staff take great pride in the children’s achievements, however big or small. Each child has a memory book which contains keepsakes, certificates and diarised entries of their achievements. Notable events or accomplishments are also celebrated through a system of rewards and displays around the home. This environment encourages children to reach and exceed their potential. Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 4 Children are happy and thriving. The family members of all the children report that they have faced difficulties in supporting their children to have a good quality of life at home. They have each observed that their children are now flourishing and able to enjoy life, attributing this to the care provided by staff.

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outstanding

Children are kept safe by the care they receive. Staff are knowledgeable about a range of complex safeguarding issues. All staff have completed a range of mandatory safeguarding modules, as well as training related to the specific needs of the children they are caring for. This means that they understand the needs and vulnerabilities of the children they care for and can protect them from harm.

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outstanding

Children’s different methods of communication are valued and understood by staff. Each child has a communication passport. This is written in a child-friendly and accessible way and includes pictures of the children. The staff know the children well and are attuned to their individual communication styles. One child in the home is non-verbal and has very limited motor skills. Staff are attuned to her facial cues and use these to enable her to make choices in her daily life. The staff ensure that each child is encouraged to have a voice, feels listened to, and attains a degree of autonomy that they might otherwise miss out on.

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outstanding

Staff are passionate about promoting the physical and emotional health of the children they care for. All the children have personalised health plans and risk assessments for all aspects of their care. These provide a clear guide for staff in how to provide excellent care for each child. One child has particularly complex physical health needs. In her family home, she was frequently hospitalised under emergency circumstances and experienced extended hospital stays. Since living in this home, she has not needed to attend hospital, other than for routine appointments. Her family expressed amazement at how well the staff care for her and promote her physical health.

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outstanding

The registered manager uses a comprehensive impact risk assessment to ensure that admissions to the home are compatible with the child’s individual needs and with the other children’s needs. The local area risk assessment also extensively outlines information regarding relevant risks in the locality. This document is regularly reviewed and updated. This complete approach to the assessment of risk ensures careful matching of children and informs a culture of safe practice.

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outstanding

Children’s needs are met consistently and effectively. Transitions into the home are carefully planned and managed, and all relevant care planning documents are gathered as soon as a child moves in. These are used to inform individual plans for the children in the home, so that staff are always aware of the targets for each child. Staff are knowledgeable about the children’s needs across health and education. They work well in partnership with all agencies to ensure that all planning Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 5 interlinks. Consequently, children receive a holistic package of care, which enables them to make good progress, proportionate to their capacity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is highly experienced and uses this background to find creative and effective solutions for the children. He is ambitious for the children in his care, holding high aspirations for their futures. His leadership has cultivated a motivated team of staff who hold a shared aspirational ethos.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has established a similarly experienced and stable staff team. Staff members work well together. They feel supported by each other and by the leadership team. Regular team meetings are used as an effective forum to share skills and ensure consistency of care. Information-sharing and communication are effective between the whole team. As a result, the team of staff clearly trust each other and continually strive to develop the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has implemented effective systems of audit, evaluation and oversight. Identified actions are used to make continued, valuable improvements to the daily running of the home and to record-keeping. There is room for improvement in the records of children’s meetings, as they are written in the tone of a professional meeting and do not reflect the child’s voice. However, overall, the experiences, progress and voice of each child are evident in their files.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers use academic theory and research to inform their practice and develop the service. The registered manager and deputy manager have undertaken training in the ‘Positive Behavioural Support’ approach. Managers established that this approach is underpinned by research into how to support children with complex needs and disabilities, particularly acquired brain injuries, like one child in placement. The leadership team has disseminated this method to the whole team of staff, who are also now undertaking training. The team has also used attachment theory specifically to inform its practice with one child who experiences an attachment disorder. This leads to children receiving a high-quality, personalised and evidence-based care package.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular, high-quality supervision from the leadership team. There is an emphasis on personal development, and staff are encouraged to identify ambitious targets to improve their practice. Staff feel valued and supported. As a result, they are confident in seeking to extend their knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team is determined to champion the best interests of the children. The team is diligent in its efforts to advocate for the rights of the children via challenging partner services and professionals. Through effective advocacy, staff ensure that the children are always receiving the best possible care and services. One grandparent commented, ‘They are angels, really, I can’t tell you how much they do.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the practice of locking all external doors is appropriate and does not constitute as restriction of all the children’s liberty. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.63)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’ and be supported to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. Records of children’s meetings should reflect the voice of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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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 children’s home: 2496251 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Family Care Associates Limited, Business Centre, 60 School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire PR5 6QE

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Inspector

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2496251 8 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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