Children's home run by Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 1 Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures 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 registered to provide care and accommodation for two children who may have social or emotional difficulties. It is owned by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager. An interim manager has been working at the home since July 2022. The interim manager has submitted an application to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first full inspection since it was registered in July 2021. The home was closed from October 2021 to August 2022.

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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: 2633818 2

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Recent inspection history

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a cosy and pleasant home. They receive high-quality individual care that meets their assessed needs and circumstances. This is providing children with stability and a sense of belonging. The manager and staff are enabling children to have positive experiences and make measurable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff have the warmth, skills and confidence to build positive relationships with children. The manager and staff know the children extremely well. Children know that the manager and staff are on their side.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spend time with the important people in their lives. This is a positive and safe experience for children. Staff work effectively with children, families and social workers to repair and sustain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn and develop their skills. The manager and staff value education and encourage children to achieve their ambitions. Children live in a well- resourced home and a learning environment. Staff encourage children’s love of cooking, and hair and beauty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s school attendance is improving. The manager and staff make every effort to resolve any difficulties that children may have at school. They understand the barriers to children taking part in education. They work in partnership with parents, social workers and schools to make sure that children receive the right support to help them achieve their learning objectives and next steps for learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and monitor the children’s individual health needs and emotional well-being. They make sure that children receive advice, support, assessments and treatment to meet their specific needs. Staff encourage and support children to attend health appointments. Staff help children to know the importance of healthy lifestyles. This includes supporting children to understand the risks to their welfare from smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are unhappy about how staff can behave towards them at times.how some staff can be with them on occasions. One child said that sometimes ‘it is like living in a workplace’ and that some staff are ‘attached to the logbook’. The child does not like it when staff write everything down while they are talking to them. The child said that they have told the manager about how they feel about these staff, but nothing has changed. The manager is supporting staff to try to engage with children positively. However, the manager has not made sure children can see that their views have been considered seriously and acted upon. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 4

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

Children are protected from harm in this safe and supportive environment. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and risks, and know what they need to do to keep children safe.

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

Staff understand their responsibilities for safeguarding children. They recognise the signs when children may be at risk of harm, including from abuse, bullying or exploitation. Staff always take appropriate action when they have concerns about children’s welfare. Responses are well coordinated with parents, police and social workers when children are missing from home.

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

Staff actively and continually assess the possible dangers for each child. They follow up-to-date plans effectively to reduce the risk of harm. Since coming to live at the home, children’s identified risks, including from going missing from home, have reduced considerably.

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

Staff support children to be aware of risks and know how to ask for help to stay safe. The manager and staff develop a culture of openness and trust that encourages children to be able to tell someone if they are worried about their safety.

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

Staff have the skills to help children to manage their feelings and actions safely. They know the best ways to help each child when they are upset. Together with staff, children are finding the best ways to talk and deal with their own feelings.

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

Children are supported to have safe and healthy relationships. Staff help children to develop understanding and empathy towards other people. They help children learn how to resolve issues when they have fallen out with their friends.

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

The arrangements for managing children’s medication are safe. Staff make sure that children receive their medication in line with the prescription and instructions from health professionals. Staff seek medical advice when they are unsure if it is safe to give a child medication.

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

Managers follow safer recruitment procedures to make sure that staff are safe and suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. They provide clear and effective leadership. The manager is ambitious for children to be safe and reach their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations for the standard of care and support children must receive. They have a detailed understanding of children’s progress and take action when children are not getting the right support. This has included making sure that children get the specialist help that they require. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 5 The manager makes sure that staff have the right support, training and guidance to provide children with high-quality care and protection. Staff complete relevant training to make sure that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet children’s complex and additional needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are enthusiastic, warm and resilient. They enjoy spending time with children and seeing them make progress. Staff share the ethos of the home in providing a positive, nurturing and safe place for children to live.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a detailed understanding of each child’s needs and plans. They work together as a team to provide children with a high standard of consistent care and support. Monthly staff team meetings are used productively to consider children’s needs and progress, and for staff to share and develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The arrangements for children’s care are carefully planned. Children only come to live at the home once the manager is satisfied that staff can respond effectively to their needs, and that children are compatible to live together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual use monitoring systems effectively. They have an accurate picture of the quality of care and protection children receive and its impact on their lives. They make the necessary improvements to make sure that children receive the best possible support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The external monitoring of the home by an independent person does not evaluate critically how effectively serious events have been managed. The manager does not always inform Ofsted of serious concerns about children’s safety. This restricts Ofsted’s ability to monitor the effectiveness of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff do not always have the opportunity in supervision meetings to reflect critically on their work with children in their care and children’s progress or discuss their learning from training and its impact on their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 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—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

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—

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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. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager making sure that children can see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. 30 January 2023

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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

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; 30 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 7 a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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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.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person notifying Ofsted of serious events affecting the welfare of a child. This may include: a child being the victim or perpetrator of a serious assault; a serious illness or accident; a serious incident of self-harm, or serious concerns over a child's missing behaviour, particularly where the child is considered to be at grave risk due to age or vulnerability or where they have been missing for a considerable period of time and their whereabouts is unknown. The registered person must assess each case individually taking into account any patterns of behaviour or unusual behaviour which may indicate an increased risk to the child. The registered person should also consider the frequency of incidents and judge whether their cumulative effect makes notification appropriate even if in isolation each event would not warrant this.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the independent person evaluating critically any serious events involving a child, to inform their assessment of whether children are safeguarded effectively. 30 January 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supervision meetings provide staff with opportunities to reflect critically on their work with the children in their care to develop their confidence and skills, and consider the impact of training on their practice. In addition, the manager should agree with the member of staff clear Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 8 and specific actions to improve their practice and professional development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraphs 13.2)

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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: 2633818 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Positive Futures North Liverpool, Unit B1, Langham Street Industrial Estate, Tetlow Way, Liverpool L4 4QS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Constance

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Inspectors

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2633818 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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