Children's home run by Exceptional Care Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 1 Registered provider: Exceptional Care 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 is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. A new manager is in post but has not yet applied to register 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: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 10, 11 and 18 August 2022. Following the inspection, two compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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requires improvement to be good

A monitoring visit was carried out on 30 September 2022. The provider had taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. The report is published on the Ofsted website. Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/08/2022 Full Inadequate 23/06/2021 Full Good 18/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 3

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improvement to be good

Since the monitoring visit, no children have moved in or out or the home. A new manager has been recruited. He has not yet applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children lived at the home. They both spent time talking to the inspectors. Children enjoyed sharing their views about the care that they receive and their relationships with staff. Both children identified improvements that could be made to help and support them with their education and behaviour. However, children said that they did not feel that they were treated equally, and they were unhappy about the number of times that there had been changes to the staff who are looking after them.

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improvement to be good

Education planning for children has not been carefully considered. When education settings are not meeting children’s specific educational needs, there is a lack of challenge by the provider. When children are not engaging in their education or are absent from school on a temporary basis, plans in place are poor. Children expressed their anxieties about their current education provisions. Further work is required to ensure that children are supported to achieve their full educational potential and overcome any barriers to learning.

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improvement to be good

Placement plans for children are out of date. Plans have not been updated to reflect their current circumstances. Children’s views are recorded in the plans with their agreed goals. However, they have not been achieved or reviewed by staff. This means that plans are not meaningful and they do not demonstrate that children are listened to.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health is promoted, and children attend appointments with medical professionals.

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improvement to be good

When children spend time with people who are important to them, including friends and family, risk assessments are not robust. This includes when there are identified concerns. When staff transport children to spend time with friends and family, they do not check the premises of where children are staying, even when this includes overnight stays. This leaves children vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose states that the psychologist ‘provides clinical consultation to the children’s residential homes’ and ‘one-to-one time is afforded to the young people when indicated, but in the main, staff are trained and supported to work with the young people in a therapeutic way’. Inspectors saw no evidence of this in children’s health plans. Children, staff and the manager were not familiar with the psychologist and could not recall their name. Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 4 The home itself is safe and spacious, but improvements are needed. Staff reported that the way the home is set up makes it difficult to manage and support all children. The provider is aware of the difficulties that are experienced at the home and is considering what changes can be made to the environment.

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improvement to be good

Children are not yet receiving good enough care and protection. Measures are not consistently applied to reduce risks. Children’s risks are not reducing.

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improvement to be good

Individual risk assessments are not kept up to date as incidents occur that do not reflect current behaviours or risks. Staff demonstrate insight into the risks for children. For example, they know what to do when children go missing from their home. However, staff are not consistent in their approach when children’s behaviours escalate.

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improvement to be good

Furthermore, when children are struggling with their emotional health, there is not a clear plan in place to monitor them afterwards. Serious incidents are not consistently evaluated. Although staff report that this takes place, there is no recording of the checks or rational to explain decision-making about not seeking follow-up medical advice.

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improvement to be good

Although staff use incentives and consequences to support children with their behaviour, there is not a consistent approach or rational for how consequences are agreed. Children said that consequences are unfair. This is not an equitable and transparent process. Additionally, when children receive a consequence, it is not always recorded or fully explained to them. Consequences are not time-limited or restorative. This does not ensure that children understand the decision-making process and they are not supported to reflect on and address their behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Children are aware of the complaints procedure and said that they know how to complain.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are consistently followed. Records demonstrate that appropriate checks have been conducted prior to staff starting in the home. This does not ensure that only suitable people work with children.

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improvement to be good

A range of health and safety checks are completed to assess whether there are any hazards that could pose risks to children. Children take part in regular fire drills to ensure that they know how to safely evacuate the home in case of such an emergency. However, new staff working in the home do not have a fire drill as part of their induction.

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good

Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 5 Management arrangements at the home have not always been effective. There has not been a registered manager since December 2021. Since then, there has been a lack of consistent management cover. This has created instability for children and staff.

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good

The new manager has only recently started working for the provider. He is an experienced manager. However, at the time of the inspection, he had not yet read key documents, including children’s risk assessments and placement plans, and was unclear of the legal status for a child’s placement.

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good

Staff members report that they feel happy and supported. They feel that they work in a safe, supportive working atmosphere. However, staff still do not consistently follow the boundaries in place. This includes challenging children when they use inappropriate language. When relationships between children have been strained, staff have not been proactive in addressing this and supporting all children individually. This means that children’s interactions with each other continued to be negative.

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good

Staff have access to training and support. Supervision has improved, and all staff are attending regular team meetings.

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good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there is a consistent and robust approach in place to maintain records with accurate and up-to-date information. Records are not always evaluated or signed off by management and can be confusing and contradictory. The language used by staff in some records is not child friendly or accurate, and can blame children for their behaviours.

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good

Most staff hold the required level 3 diploma qualification. A small number are currently working to achieve this or are planned to be enrolled on a training programme. Plans are in place to ensure that staff complete this qualification within the required timescales. Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have the opportunity to express their views and wishes and that these are responded to. 21 December Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 7 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 that staff 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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The refers specifically to ensuring that risk management plans contain all the relevant information for children and that staff follow the correct procedures when a safeguarding issue arises. 21 December

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 21 December Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 8 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 research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(a)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that there are systems in place to monitor the quality of care and the impact this has on children’s progress.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to ensuring that children’s plans are up to date and that staff follow them. 21 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the statement of purpose is sent to Ofsted when updated. 21 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. 21 December Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 9 (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This refers specifically to ensuring that the home has a manager.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that when children are excluded from education, they work closely with the placing authority to ensure that children can return to education. In the interim, children should be supported in a structured way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s health needs are met. Staff should work to ensure that children’s physical, mental and emotional health needs are met in line with the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policy on record-keeping. Records should be objective and should not stigmatise children. Information should be recorded in a way that will be helpful to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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 children’s home: 2537801 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malthouse Business Centre, Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

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Inspectors

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2537801 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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