Children's home run by Pure Care Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 1 Registered provider: Pure Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The provider’s statement of purpose states that staff provide care for up to three children with emotional and social difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is very homely and comfortable. Bedrooms are personalised to reflect each child’s individual tastes. Staff have taken care to make this a warm, welcoming home for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer individualised care. Staff are working hard to support the children and understand their individual needs. Children feel cared for and that their needs are understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have opportunities to influence the care they receive. Children meet before the staff meeting and put forward issues as a group that they would like the staff to consider. Their views are listened to and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their starting points. Staff have aspirations for children and support their engagement in education. When discussing a child, a member of school staff said, ‘Communication is great. [Name of home] is definitely the right place for her.’ However, some of the children are not yet accessing education and are not engaged in educational activities during the day. This means that they do not have a settled daytime routine and are missing the opportunity to learn and socialise with their peers. Managers and staff are working hard to understand the barriers to education and to find a provision to suit this child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate effectively with each other and are reliable in their approach to caring for the children. Staff provide good boundaries and clear routines. This provides children with a sense of safety and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place emphasis on providing children with opportunities that expand their life experiences. Children have access to different educational and fun activities. They are encouraged to attend local activities, such as horse riding, going to the gym and taking part in local groups specific to their interests and needs. The opportunities that children are offered are helping them to develop their social skills and make friends. Developing these skills will help them communicate and improve their relationships with their peers and adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s meaningful and safe contact with those who are important to them. Siblings and parents are welcomed into the home. Children have been able to maintain the family relationships which will be important to them as they grow up.

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

Staff understand the children in their care well. There are detailed risk assessments which are regularly updated to reflect changes for the children. There have been some challenges in relation to managing children’s risks in the past few months and staff have worked hard to support children to stay safe. Additional training has been Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 4 offered to staff to ensure that they are doing all they can to reduce the risks to the children.

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

The manager and staff communicate very well with partner agencies to ensure that all agencies can contribute to helping the children stay safe. Managers take advice from professionals. There has been a recent shift in how staff support children by trying to understand the feelings and emotions behind their behaviour. This has already started to have a positive effect, with a reduction in incidents of children going missing from home.

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

Children have regular access to therapeutic support, which builds their self-esteem and helps them manage their feelings. Staff also access support from the therapist to help them understand the children’s behaviours and be consistent in their approach to caring for the children. The relationships between children and staff are enhanced by this work and children’s behaviour is more settled.

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

Staff are developing a detailed understanding of each child. They offer lots of nurture and support and ensure that children’s emotional needs are met. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child]’s level of risk has reduced because of the relationships that she has built with staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of the inspection, the acting manager had only been in post for a very short period of time. She was previously the deputy manager and knows the children and staff very well. The acting manager is ambitious for the children and has high expectations of the staff. She is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and has clear plans for future improvements. Children and staff are well supported in this environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have had access to regular supervision with the manager or senior staff members. Staff spoke very positively about the acting manager. They said they had felt supported by the previous manager and, as she had worked closely with the deputy manager, this had been a smooth transition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a consistent team of staff who communicate well with each other. Staff trust the acting manager and feel secure in their roles and in the good-quality care they are offering the children. Children know the staff who are caring for them well and know who is going to be there for them all the time. The stable staffing arrangements and consistent staff group provide a predictable environment and help children feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good working relationships with partner agencies, schools and family members. The acting manager challenges professionals if she feels that children are not receiving the appropriate services. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 5 Some records of safeguarding incidents that the acting manager has been involved in have not been overseen by another manager. This oversight is essential to ensure that children are being offered the most appropriate responses. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development,

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Requirement Due date

including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

and that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are involved in structured educational activities during school hours. 2 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that they enable, inspire and lead 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 2 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

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; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that monitoring and review systems are implemented when managers are involved in incidents, such as when a child is missing from home, and that the review is overseen by another manager.

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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: 2685250 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pure Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beehive Mill, Jersey Street, Manchester M4 6JG

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Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685250 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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