Children's home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St. Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 1 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to three children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since October 2022 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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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2022 Full Good 12/11/2019 Full Good 19/06/2018 Full Good 04/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress. One child said that the home is ‘really good’ while another said that they feel their needs have not always been met. Professionals say that staff support children and advocate for what children want.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to see their family and friends. Staff are trained to supervise the time that children spend with family when this is necessary. This means that children are safe and can build and maintain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Activities are promoted and supported. One child attends different sports clubs each week. Staff celebrate children’s achievements. They encourage children to go for days out with them or spend time with them watching films.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are attending full-time education and go to school daily. Children have both short- and long-term goals to work towards in their education. However, plans do not guide staff on how they need to support children to meet their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans in place to measure children’s progress in learning life skills are not being used effectively. As a result, children are less likely to be prepared for when they live alone as adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have moved out of the home have been supported by staff in a planned way. When this has not been possible, staff have still supported children as much as possible in a shorter time frame.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to stay healthy and support them to attend appointments. Older children are encouraged to make their own appointments and manage their own medication, with risk assessments in place for this. Children are up to date with all their medical appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular direct-work sessions with children to help them learn more about how to keep themselves safe. Sessions planned are of good quality and personal to each child. Each month, the manager evaluates the sessions completed with each child and recommends topics to be covered for the following month.

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

When considering whether staff can meet a child’s needs, the manager considers the needs of the children currently living in the home. The manager consults with the staff team and considers their skills and any additional training required to enable them to best support each child.

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

Assessments and support plans are in place to help staff understand children’s risks. These are detailed and specific to each child’s needs. However, risk assessments do Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 4 not have clear steps for staff to take should an incident occur. The language used in support plans is not always accessible to children.

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

Children are supported to provide feedback in a planned way. However, children’s views and feelings are not always fully explored and understood. Informal feedback and concerns raised by children have not been fully explored.

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

Children are involved in creating and updating their care plans and risk assessments. Children’s plans are updated regularly. However, some information that is no longer relevant is not removed.

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

Staff understand risks of exploitation and follow missing-from-home procedures when children are missing. All children have a missing-from-home support plan which includes clear steps for staff to take. Staff quickly share key information with relevant agencies. This means that children are located more quickly.

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort. Records of restraint are clear, and they detail all attempts to avoid physical intervention. The manager considers any patterns and trends to better understand possible causes of children’s distress.

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

Staff use consequences to help children learn more-appropriate behaviour. However, on occasion, staff have prevented children from seeing their friends as a consequence. This impacts on children’s relationships with those who are important to them.

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

Managers use safer recruitment processes to ensure that staff employed are safe to work with children. Staff understand safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures. Allegations against staff members are reported appropriately to the local authority and police for investigation. However, managers have not taken the opportunity to help staff learn and reflect following an allegation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good overview of the home and knows the children and their needs well. The manager advocates for the children’s wishes and ensures that meetings are arranged in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a fairly new but stable team of staff who are appropriately qualified to work with children. Staff have good opportunities to access and attend training that is specific to the needs of the children. Staff receive regular supervision and an appraisal of their performance once a year. However, the manager has not yet received an appraisal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and include learning which is specific to the needs of the children. The manager has arranged for different professionals, such as a nurse, to attend team meetings. This helps staff to understand children’s health needs. A therapist also attends to help staff understand children’s emotional needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 5 The manager has robust monitoring systems in place and evaluates records of incidents, consequences, and any work carried out with children. However, the manager does not speak to children to gather their views to ensure that all information is considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A risk assessment for the local area is available with input from the local police community support officer. However, this does not consider the risks to children that could be further afield but easily accessed from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 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, the 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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children who have a plan for semi-independence are supported to develop their independent living skills. 10 January 2023

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 10 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 7 Specifically, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments contain steps for staff to follow should an incident occur.

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(g)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children’s perspectives are understood by staff. Ensure that all feedback is considered, even when provided informally. Ensure that feedback provided is used to inform care in the home. 10 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

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Requirement Due date

a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends; 10 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 8 visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

a child’s communications with any persons listed in regulation 22(1) (contact and access to communications). (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(c)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that consequences do not restrict children from seeing people who are important to them, including their friends. Ensure that staff practice is reviewed and addressed if it is inappropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that managers’ appraisals take place at least once every 12 months. 10 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff are supported to learn and reflect after any allegations. 10 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s views are sought to inform care provided. Specifically, when completing evaluations, the manager should consider the child’s views of the incident or work carried out. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with the support they need to achieve in their education. Specifically, actions for staff to support children to meet their educational goals should be incorporated in plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records are kept up to date and that information is recorded in an objective and non-stigmatising way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62,

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Recommendations

paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the risks of exploitation further afield are considered when transport links connect to areas of risk. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 1240801 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1GJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Bradshaw

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240801 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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