Children's Home run by Considerate Care Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 1 SC059261 Registered provider: Considerate Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2016.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2022 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Good 13/12/2018 Full Good 23/08/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 3

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improvement to be good

Since the previous inspection, two children have remained living at this home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans are individualised and include their needs. However, plans are not always updated to include any changes in children’s lives. Therefore, this makes it difficult for staff to understand children’s experiences and their journey living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children attend school regularly. There is good communication between the staff and education providers. This has helped one child to experience a positive move to a new school, where he is making progress.

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improvement to be good

Staff have sufficient understanding of relevant health services. Staff support children to use these services, and staff advocate for their needs. Staff speak to relevant professionals to ensure children’s all-round needs are met. For example, one child now has access to a dietician and advice has been sought from a physiotherapist. As a result, children’s health needs are being met.

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improvement to be good

Children spend time with people who are important to them. For example, one child went to stay with his brother overnight, and they enjoyed going swimming together. However, the staff team does not consistently ensure that spending time with family members is safe for one child. Staff do not know the child’s whereabouts when she is staying away from the home. Staff told inspectors that the child is staying with her family. However, staff do not have clear plans in place to see the child to ensure that she is safe and that her needs are met.

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improvement to be good

One social worker said that staff have a good understanding of one child’s needs. The staff have built a good relationship with the child, and they have used activities to engage them, specifically dog walks. This is supporting the child to develop self-esteem and confidence.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding practice does not consistently protect children from harm. For example, one child is spending a significant amount of time away from the home. Staff told inspectors that they know where the child is staying. although there are no clear plans in place to monitor this to ensure that the child is safe.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are not updated to include any potential risks in relation to one child’s circumstances. Furthermore, the risk assessment does not include any clear strategies for staff to follow in practice to reduce this risk. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 4 Children receive help and support to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Staff respond with clear boundaries and positive behaviour is promoted. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques, and there have not been any physical interventions.

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improvement to be good

Children understand that boundaries are in place to protect them. Children respond well to incentives that the staff use to promote good school attendance and positive behaviour.

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improvement to be good

There have not been any incidents of children going missing from home. Staff spoken to during the inspection know what action to take if a child did go missing from home.

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improvement to be good

The staff work with other professionals to keep children safe after significant incidents. For example, staff have received advice from an independent therapist to help them support one child. Direct-work sessions demonstrate that follow-up work is carried out with children to ensure that they are supported by staff and their views are considered.

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improvement to be good

Medicines are stored correctly and children are taking them in line with their prescriptions. However, the administration of controlled drugs is not consistently robustly recorded to ensure records are accurate. For example, the times that children take medication is not clearly recorded. A requirement is issued. This is a repeat requirement.

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good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced manager who is supported by a deputy manager. They are child-focused.

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good

The home is adequately staffed for the children currently living in the home. New staff are being recruited and safer recruitment processes are followed. When additional staff are required, an agency worker who the children know works in the home. This helps to ensure consistency for children.

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good

Managers and staff have training to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet children’s needs. Staff have recently completed training in, for example, attachment theory, trauma, bereavement, and physical restraint, to meet children’s individual needs. New staff have had an appropriate induction.

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good

Effective monitoring and review systems are not yet in place. The manager does not have a detailed understanding of what is working well and the areas for improvement. This means that the manager and staff do not always identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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good

Rosters do not provide a clear picture of the staff working in the home and do not Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 5 include the actual hours worked by staff. Therefore, there is no clear record of who has worked in the home. This is a breach in regulation.

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good

Supervision records do not demonstrate that staff are receiving regular supervision. The records do not consistently demonstrate that staff have had the opportunity to reflect individually on their practice and the needs of the children they are caring for.

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good

The manager does not challenge concerns with placing authorities effectively in respect of children’s care plans. This led to one child not being seen by staff for a significant time.

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good

The home environment is not well maintained and needs to improve. The decoration and furniture need to be refreshed to ensure that the home is a pleasant environment for children to live in. The provider understands the work that needs to be carried out in the home and a plan for refurbishment is in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that all maintenance work is completed, enabling the children to live in a hone where the environment and décor are of a good standard. 2 November 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; 2 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 7 understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The relates specifically to the registered manager ensuring that risk assessments for all children are updated to reflect their current circumstances. There must be plans in place for all children which adequately ensure their safety and well-being if staying away from the home.

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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

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

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;

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person using appropriate monitoring systems to ensure a consistent quality of care is provided to all children. 2 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 2 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 8 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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)(ii)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person escalating concerns if children’s plans are not able to be implemented effectively in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to clear recordings being kept of the times that medication is administered.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 02 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 9 Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

Retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The provider needs to show on rotas all hours that all staff have worked, including managers and agency staff.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 02 November 2022

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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: SC059261 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Considerate Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys PCE Limited, Maybrook House, Second Floor, Queensway, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 4AH

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Inspectors

Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC059261 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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