Children's Home run by St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 1 SC063550 Registered provider: St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority children’s home. The statement of purpose states that the home is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

Following a full inspection on 17 August 2022, the home was judged requires improvement to be good overall and inadequate in relation to leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

There has been no registered manager at the home since March 2020. This has had an impact on the overall leadership and management at the home and on staff’s ability to provide the one child living at the home with consistent care. Leaders and managers had not taken sufficient action to address this. Therefore, a compliance notice was issued under regulation 27, appointment of manager.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor the local authority’s compliance with this notice.

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This monitoring visit

The acting manager has submitted her application to Ofsted to register as manager at the home. Therefore, leaders and managers have taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notice under regulation 27.

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This monitoring visit

Other requirements made at the last inspection were not considered at this visit and are carried forward to the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/11/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 3

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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 homes 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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to ensuring that all relevant information is included in the child’s plans. 7 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 harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to ensuring that the child’s risk assessments include all known risks, with current strategies to manage risk. 7 November 2022

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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

promotes their welfare. 7 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 4 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

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; and

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to staff understanding the impact the care has on children’s overall progress and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers need to improve the overall monitoring and review systems to ensure that improvements to children’s care are consistently made.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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; 7 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 5 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 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 7 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 7 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 6 The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and the responsible individual (if one is nominated). (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b)(c) (5) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Children & Young People’s Services, Atlas House, 2 Corporation Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA9 1LD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Paula Swindlehurst

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC063550 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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