Children's Home run by Connect Care Solutions Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 1 Registered provider: Connect Care Solutions Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is privately owned. The provider states in its statement of purpose that it provides care for one child who may have emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 3

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to get to know children when they move into the home. They develop positive relationships with them. The child currently living in the home said that she likes living here.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to develop independence skills to prepare her for transitioning on from the home. The use of weekly independence charts provides her with clear guidance to follow. Staff understand the difficulties for the child transitioning into independence when legal restrictions have been previously imposed on her freedom. They support the child to overcome these barriers.

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improvement to be good

A kitten has been welcomed into the home for the child to care for. Staff recognise the therapeutic benefit for her of caring for animals, and use this opportunity to promote a sense of responsibility in line with her independence plan. Follow-up work is undertaken with the child to educate her on caring for an animal and when issues arise in maintaining the level of care required.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to maintain relationships with family in line with her care plan. Staff respect the child’s relationships with people who are important to her. They advocate for her when she requests to spend more time with family. However, there are clear restrictions in place for her spending time with family, to safeguard her. Staff listen to the child and respond to her wishes and feelings. The child is treated with sensitivity and respect.

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improvement to be good

The child’s health needs are met. Staff encourage the child to engage with health services when issues arise in respect of her physical and sexual health. Follow-up work is undertaken when the child refuses to access or engage with services.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child well when she experiences a deterioration in her mental health. The manager can identify underlying emotional needs and source independent therapy for the child. However, the involvement of the child’s therapist is not included in her records. Therefore, there is no information available regarding the support being provided to meet the child’s therapeutic needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand barriers to children attending education. They work hard to identify education placements that meet the child’s needs. The child is actively involved in the decision-making process. Prior to moving into the home, the child was not accessing any form of education. Since living here, she has settled into education well and is engaging well. Education professionals said that she is making good progress. However, the child’s records do not include an up-to-date education plan. Therefore, staff do not have a clear understanding of the child’s education needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 4

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s risks well. They work hard to develop positive and trusting relationships with her. However, risk-assessment documents are not robust. They do not include sufficient details in respect of the child’s risks. Records do not include clear information as to what the specific risks are and what these mean for the child. Furthermore, there is a lack of guidance on strategies for staff to follow.

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improvement to be good

The child moved into the home with legal restrictions imposed on her freedom. Staff have a good understanding of the impact that these have had on her. The manager has worked with the local authority to support the child in adapting to the increase in her freedom and independence once these restrictions were lifted. However, since restrictions have lifted, the child’s risks have increased.

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improvement to be good

When incidents of the child being missing from home occur, staff manage these well. They actively look for the child and are proactive in their attempts to locate her. Decisions are challenged when professionals involved in locating her are not responding to concerns appropriately. The manager challenges the local authority when return home interviews are not conducted promptly.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s triggers for challenging behaviour. They adopt a nurturing approach to promote positive behaviour. There is a strong focus on respecting the child’s wishes and feelings. However, there are no clear or consistent boundaries in place to support the child to manage her emotions effectively or to protect her from engaging in unsafe behaviours both in the home and community. In addition, written consent has not been obtained from the local authority in respect of the child’s smoking habits in the home.

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improvement to be good

Room searches are undertaken with sensitivity. Staff respect the child’s wishes when she objects to these taking place. However, as a result, checks and searches are not undertaken on a consistent basis. This has enabled the child to conceal items and allow friends access to the home without staff’s knowledge.

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improvement to be good

The child is cared for by an established and stable staff team. Recruitment practices for new staff are safe.

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good

The manager previously worked in the home in a deputy role. This provided her with the experience and knowledge to progress. She has an established knowledge of the home and positive relationships with the staff team. The previous manager has progressed within the organisation and remains involved with the home. He provides good support to the manager and the team. However, the statement of purpose does not reflect the change of role for the manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 5 Staff said that they feel supported in their roles and enjoy working in the home. Professional development is encouraged and supported. Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. This supports staff to reflect on their practice and receive support when required.

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good

Staff have access to varied training and learning opportunities. One senior member of staff has created individual training files for her colleagues. This provides them with up-to-date research and develops their knowledge of topics relevant to the child’s needs. Staff said that they value these opportunities to learn and find them beneficial.

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good

The manager knows the child well and works hard to understand her needs and vulnerabilities. She acts as an advocate for the child to ensure that she is receiving the support she needs from the professionals involved in her care.

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good

The manager can identify when a child’s needs are not being met. Action is taken to ensure that the local authority responds to concerns and an alternative placement suitable to their needs is identified. However, the assessment process for children moving into the home is not robust. Records do not evidence consideration of how children’s risks can be managed. This leads to disruption for children having to move on from the home.

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good

Internal monitoring of the home is evaluative of the progress children make and includes clear actions for moving forward. The implementation of monthly trackers supports the manager to monitor the progress of the child and identify any outstanding areas of need. The manager has good oversight of the daily care being provided to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should obtain statutory documentation and consent forms in relation to children’s smoking habits from the local authority and escalate concerns when these are not provided. 30 December

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 30 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 7 Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff implement appropriate boundaries and strategies to manage and promote positive behaviour. Consideration of the staff’s skill set should be evidenced in the matching process for children moving into the home.

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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

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;

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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)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that risk-assessment documents are detailed and accurate, include all known risks for children, and specify clear strategies for staff to follow to manage risks. Matching processes for children moving into the home should evidence how risks can be managed. Furthermore, appropriate checks should be undertaken within the home to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively. 30 December

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is updated following any changes to staffing arrangements. In particular, ensure that the statement of purpose names the registered manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 13, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 8

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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: 2606135 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Connect Care Solutions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 Victoria Road East, Thornton Cleveleys FY5 5HT

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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2606135 10 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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