Children's home run by Life Change Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 1 Registered provider: Life Change Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home which provides care for up to three children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2021.

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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 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: 15 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and nurturing environment and quickly build trusting relationships with staff. This lays the foundation for them to learn to trust the adults who care for them and to develop meaningful relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A committed staff team provides children with consistently good-quality care. Children are provided with support to help them to manage powerful emotions and are given clear messages about acceptable behavior. This helps them to understand and learn how to respond in a more positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give careful attention to children’s needs. Any incidents or mishaps are not treated as failures but are used as opportunities for staff and children to examine and reflect on what has happened.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making important progress in their development, socially and educationally. A teacher spoke highly of the support provided to one child by the staff, and of the encouragement given to her. As a result, the child’s confidence has developed, which has allowed her to achieve more.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that all children’s healthcare needs are met. They support children to access specialist health services alongside the in-house therapeutic support provided. Staff support children with their health needs and safely administer medication as needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of enriching activities and experiences. Staff tailor activities to children’s individual interests and abilities. This helps to develop children’s confidence and contributes greatly to their high aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide exceptional support to children during contact with their families. They are acutely aware of how children’s relationships with their families can be a source of anxiety. Staff creatively support children with strategies. These help the children to begin to understand their emotions and how to cope with these more positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s opinions about the care they receive are important to managers and staff. Children know how to express their opinions and are encouraged to do so. One child described the home as ‘one big unforgettable family, who changed her life for the better,’ and said that ‘every minute and second she was given love, care and loyalty by the staff’.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the vulnerabilities and identified risks Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 4 for each child. Comprehensive risk management plans provide staff with detailed guidance about the strategies they should use to manage known risks to the children. These help staff develop their approach to children and inform the care they provide.

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

Staff members work closely together and show great insight and commitment to ensure that they meet children’s specific needs and understand their vulnerabilities.

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

Staff provide clear and consistent boundaries which contribute to a feeling of well- being and security for children. Effective positive behaviour plans are in place and staff know these well. Staff encourage children’s involvement in developing their individual plans. This helps children to develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe and to better manage their own behaviour.

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

Staff know how to keep children safe. They know how to respond to concerns about a member of staff. Staff are confident about the role of external professionals, including the local authority designated officer.

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

Managers ensure that health, safety and fire risk assessments are updated and that required checks are completed. Children are involved in the development of their own fire evacuation plans. One child took great delight in showing the inspector exactly what he should do in case of a fire.

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

All staff have received specialist training in managing challenging behaviour. Staff know how to use physical interventions when necessary. However, following an incident when a child was physically held, the manager did not ensure that the child was given the opportunity to discuss that experience with someone who was not actually involved in the incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers show an understanding of the needs of each child and demonstrate high expectations for what the children can achieve. They have a very clear understanding of children’s progress and monitor this carefully. Staff then review the approaches used and make changes as necessary to maintain progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When partner agencies fall short, the manager confidently chases them up. For example, when a child had no school place, the manager worked closely with relevant professionals to ensure that a tutor was provided, to minimise the disruption to the child’s education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers are effective in managing staff and provide a strong and supportive environment for them. Close working between the manager and staff ensures that the care provided is scrutinised carefully and that high standards are expected and achieved. Plans are consistently reviewed, and progress, no matter how small, is celebrated. Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 5 Supervision is consistent and of a good standard. Staff said that they feel supported by managers and benefit greatly from the wide range of training offered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. They address any identified shortfalls effectively. Consequently, the home is achieving its stated aims and objectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The children’s guide is written in a way which is not easily understood by the children who are living at this home. Similarly, the home’s statement of purpose contains language which is not conducive to the needs of children and other stakeholders who may ask to see it. Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

a parent of a child, or a parent of a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that the language used in the statement of purpose is conducive to the needs and understanding of children and relevant stakeholders. 1 November 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the language used in the children’s guide does not include jargon and can be easily understood by children living at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable with a person who was not involved in the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60) Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 7

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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: 2543640 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Life Change Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pennine View, Off Trafalgar Street, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 1TQ

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Inspector

Jacqueline Georghiou, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2543640 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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