Children's home run by Lancashire County Council in Preston

Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 1 SC039689 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who registered with Ofsted in July 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/08/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/04/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children make measurable progress from their starting points. Children who have recently moved into the home talk proudly of the progress and achievements they have made. A child said, ‘I feel like I am doing better in school. I would get excluded before, but now I want to learn.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers are clear that children make progress as a result of the support they receive while living in the home. A social worker said, ‘The support that is offered to [name of child] daily has a positive impact on her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A recommendation made at the last inspection in relation to behaviour management has been addressed. Staff now take a restorative approach to children’s behaviour management. Consequences implemented help children understand how their own behaviours can impact on others.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a warm, welcoming and relaxed home environment. Staff support children to develop mutually respectful relationships. Children say they enjoy positive relationships with staff and each other. A child said, ‘All the kids get on. I like that there is no drama.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the home has been modernised and a new kitchen has been fitted. Children’s bedrooms and communal areas are personalised and updated in line with children’s wishes. This gives children a sense of ownership and belonging. A child said, ‘They always try and make the home as homely as possible.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of family relationships and try to develop working relationships with parents and key people in children’s lives. For some children, significant progress has been made in developing a relationship with their parents. A parent said, ‘My relationship with my son has gone from strength to strength.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions help children to develop their independence skills in preparation for adulthood, but these sessions have been inconsistent. For one child, opportunities have been missed to build on progress made in ensuring readiness for adulthood. A requirement has been made to address this.

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

Staff develop positive and nurturing relationships with children while implementing clear and proportionate boundaries. This means that children benefit from clear and consistent care from adults they respect.

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

Children are supported to speak to staff about their worries so that support can be put in place. A child said, ‘They are brilliant here. Every problem I have had, they have done everything they can to support me.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 4 All children say they feel safe living in the home. Children are clear that they know that leaders and staff care about their safety and well-being. A child said, ‘I think they care about us a lot more than we would ever admit.’

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

Leaders and staff engage in a multi-agency approach to meet children’s needs and to keep them safe. Staff have developed good working relationships with social workers and keep them updated. A social worker said, ‘The communication is excellent. They are on the ball with everything.’

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

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to assessing risks when children move into the home. They now carefully consider children’s risks, the impact of risks and how staff can mitigate these risks. This means that children are well matched and incidents in the home have reduced.

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

When serious incidents have occurred, they have been reported to Ofsted. However, some of these incidents have been reported outside the timescales required. This means that the regulator does not have oversight of these incidents as required by regulation.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager is supported by two assistant managers. Staff report to be well supported by the management team. A staff member said, ‘They have been unbelievably supportive with me.’

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good

Staff report to benefit from positive working relationships with leaders and colleagues and enjoy working at the home. A staff member said, ‘The feeling is always happy. I can trust everyone; we are a proper team.’

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good

Social workers are positive about the management team and its oversight of the home. In relation to this, a social worker said, ‘I feel that the management of the home is to a very high standard.’

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good

Children’s risk assessments detail conversations had with children about risk. However, when incidents have occurred, these assessments have not always been updated by the manager. This means that opportunities have been missed to consider and implement additional support to reduce risks in the future. A requirement in relation to management oversight is made to address this.

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good

Children benefit from a home that has a very experienced staff team and where staff turnover is minimal. This means that children enjoy a good level of continuity of care and can invest in meaningful relationships with staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 5 Staff report to feel well trained to be able to do their job effectively. However, there are areas of training for some staff members that are significantly out of date. This was noted by the manager prior to the inspection and the training has been booked. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 2 December 2022

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 2 December 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

sexual exploitation; 2 December 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 7 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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: SC039689 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Rob Neild, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039689 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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