Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has recently joined the home and is in 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 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: 2509800 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 27/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved on from this home. Both have moved to other homes within the organisation. There are currently no children living in this home.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, the home was being refurbished. Communal living areas have been redecorated and new carpets are due to be fitted to improve the quality of the home environment.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to the management and staffing arrangements of this home. There has been a significant turnover in staff since the last inspection, which means that children have not experienced continuity of care. A lack of consistency from the staff team has, at times, led to children becoming upset and agitated, resulting in an increase in incidents for children.

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improvement to be good

The child who has recently moved out of this home has done so in a planned and considered way. However, not all transitions have been well planned, which has impacted on children’s experiences in this home. For one child, there were no records available to evidence how staff had supported his move, both practically and emotionally, despite the child’s anxieties about this. Poor planning for another child moving into the home, despite this being a planned move, led to an increase in unsettled behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Staff have worked closely with teachers and professionals to ensure that arrangements in place support children to progress with their education. Staff have been creative in putting in place incentives that support children to attend education when they are having difficulties maintaining good attendance.

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improvement to be good

New staff members have been proactive in building positive relationships with children. Staff explore children’s interests and encourage them to spend time doing things they enjoy, including activities and trips away.

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improvement to be good

The child who has recently left this home was supported to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff appropriately supported the child’s relationships with friends in the local community.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk management plans detail the risks posed to children and the strategies staff should follow in order to minimise these risks and keep children safe. Plans are reviewed and updated following any incidents, to ensure that they contain the most current information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 4 There have recently been a number of safeguarding concerns. Leaders have informed relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer, regarding matters of concern within the home. However, on one occasion when the child has made an allegation about staff practice, records do not demonstrate that this has been explored appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used physical intervention on occasion, when it is necessary to keep everyone safe. However, the recordings of these interventions are inconsistent. Debriefs are undertaken with children, although they do not always fully explore the child’s feelings. Some records have had oversight from leaders who have not undertaken the organisation’s model of training, meaning they are unable to identify whether staff practice was appropriate or not. Furthermore, not all records include all the details required by regulation.

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improvement to be good

Children have not received a consistent approach from the staff team. This has resulted in an increase in challenging behaviours. The responsible individual took steps to address this with the staff team working in the home at that time.

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improvement to be good

Children have individualised reward plans in place to reinforce positive behaviour. When consequences have been used, the deputy manager has reviewed these to ensure that the measures are proportionate and are having the required effect on children’s behaviour. However, records have not always been reviewed in a timely manner.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment procedures are in place for new staff. This means that children are protected from unsuitable adults being employed to work in the home. One member of staff who has recently joined the home was able to talk confidently about the procedures to follow if there are safeguarding concerns.

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good

The home has experienced a period of instability due to significant changes in the management and staff team. A number of staff have recently left the organisation over a short period of time. A new and experienced manager has recently started, and they are in the process of registering with Ofsted. He is supported by a capable deputy manager who shares the same aspirations for children.

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good

Managers have undertaken a detailed assessment of the home. They have developed a clear plan to prioritise areas that require improvement. The manager has been proactive in recruiting new staff. Feedback from staff was positive, and staff spoken to during the inspection were clear about the ethos of the home.

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good

Team meetings have continued to take place regularly and staff have received monthly supervision. This provides the opportunity for staff to talk about what is working well and what needs to change. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 5 There are currently some gaps in staff training. New members of staff receive a planned induction and are gradually working through relevant training courses to ensure that they have the right skills to safely care for children.

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good

There are some shortfalls in the monitoring and oversight of specific incidents and records. There have been some recent changes to how records are maintained, with a move to an online recording system. The aim of this is to improve oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. However, this is not yet embedded in practice.

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good

A review of the quality-of-care report has been completed which includes feedback from others. The home is visited monthly by an independent person. However, these reports have not addressed some of the shortfalls identified during this inspection. The responsible individual has taken steps to address this.

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good

The statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted in line with regulation. This means that Ofsted does not have the most up-to-date information about who is working at the home.

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good

The manager needs to ensure that the actual hours worked by him, and staff, are included on the rosters. This will ensure that accurate records are kept if there are any safeguarding concerns. This was a requirement at the last inspection and is repeated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 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 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

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles in protecting children, specifically regarding the management of allegations made by children. 24 November

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 24 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 7 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)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home has sufficient experienced and qualified staff to care for children, and that there are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home are undertaken.

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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.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective arrangements in place for all children moving into and out of the home, including the consultation with the child’s placing authority. 24 November

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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

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 24 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 8 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 24 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 9 The registered person must ensure that records of physical intervention include all the required information and are subject to appropriate scrutiny.

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Requirement Due date

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

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all hours that all staff have worked are clearly recorded on rosters.

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Requirement Due date

This was a requirement at the last inspection and is reinstated.

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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: 2509800 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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