Children's home run by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 1 SC037670 Registered provider: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority to provide short breaks for up to two children at a time who may be experiencing social or emotional difficulties. The staff also provide outreach support to children and their families or carers in the community.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/01/2022 Full Good 06/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/11/2018 Full Good 17/11/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are skilled in forming positive relationships with children and their families or carers, to build trust and willingness to engage with the support offered. In most circumstances, this enables children to remain living with their families or carers. Where plans for children are changing, the service provides support to sustain children’s current circumstances until new arrangements are finalised.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children enjoy short breaks at the home, where they received individualised and focused support in a safe and relaxed environment. . The staff meet with children and get to know their likes and dislikes before their first overnight stay. One child who was staying at the home for the first time said, ‘I know I’m going to have a brilliant time.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children choose to have short breaks at the home and therefore see it as a positive experience. Staff respond to their wishes and feelings sensitively, for example, by arranging for a child to go home earlier if they wish to. Some children only want support based in the community but are aware that they can have overnight stays if they change their minds.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Carers and family members value the support that their children receive from the staff. They say that the staff offer them support and a ‘listening ear’ during difficult periods, as well as making sure that their children are safe and are helped with any worries.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are listened to about the home. Compromises are made if their wishes cannot be fully met, for example, by having their favourite football team bedding, rather than the bedroom being decorated in the team’s colours. Children have the opportunity to try new activities which help them to make new friends, develop their social interaction skills and improve their confidence and self-esteem.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and homely environment where children can relax. At the time of the inspection, the home was being improved with new furniture and carpets. The home was also decorated for the festive holidays.

p.3

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

The staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. They follow robust risk management plans, which are regularly reviewed and updated with clear strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. Staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children.

p.3

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

Staff know children well and help them to understand the boundaries in place. As a result, consequences are rarely used and, when they are, they are natural consequences designed to keep children safe. For example, certain activities like go- Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 4 karting may be postponed by a day when children have not slept well and may not be able to concentrate properly.

p.3

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

Clear processes are in place to ensure that any medication for use during children’s stays is provided in the dispensing packaging, so that the staff are certain it is the correct medicine for that child. Administration records are clear, although on one occasion there was no indication of the person who had made an alteration to an entry.

p.4

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

Staff build trusting relationships with children. This helps children to feel able to talk about their worries and concerns. Staff share any information with safeguarding partners to make sure that children get the help that they need. A parent said, ‘[The staff] made her safe. Any worries, they checked she was ok and sorted it.’

p.4

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

All referrals are carefully assessed to ensure that the service is suitable for children, including consideration of the home’s location. Social workers understand that there may be circumstances when the service is not offered due to specific safeguarding concerns for a child.

p.4

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

A risk assessment is completed before a child starts their short breaks programme to consider their vulnerabilities and any potential effects on another child staying at the same time. However, some assessments do not provide a clear evaluation for those children who will need to be the only child staying overnight due to their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads an experienced, skilled and stable team. The staff share a positive and child-centred approach. The manager and staff are committed to support children, their families and carers, and take pride in their achievements.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular, reflective and meaningful supervision and team meetings to support their professional development. They access specialist training to meet the individual needs of children. Staff feel that the manager supports them well to deliver high-quality care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of staff practice and how it helps children to develop and make progress. However, records of some direct-work sessions do not indicate that the manager or her deputy have monitored the work that took place.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Other professionals value the support that the staff provide to children and their families and carers. Staff communicate well with other agencies and attend relevant meetings. Social workers welcome the input from staff that helps to plan for children and say that the support provided makes a real and positive difference to children’s lives. One professional described the service as a ‘lifeline’, which has prevented a premature breakdown in one child’s living arrangements.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children and their families and carers provide feedback about the service. Their views are included in the report completed at the end of their package of support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 5 The manager has also started sending postcards in response to children’s feedback, to show that their views are acknowledged and valued.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been one occasion when children had an extended stay, so that they received care from familiar adults who could provide a sense of stability at a difficult time. This decision was made in children’s best interests and did not exceed the permitted number of nights for short breaks. The manager is clear with other professionals that the service does not offer such support on a regular basis, in line with its statement of purpose.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Due to staffing sufficiency issues in other homes run by the local authority, there have been some occasions when staff have been needed elsewhere, which has affected children’s short breaks. When this has happened, the staff offer longer community-based sessions, or an alternative overnight stay is arranged for another time. This sufficiency issue is being addressed by further staff recruitment to minimise any future disruption to children’s stays.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A recommendation was made at the last inspection about the rigour of the independent person’s assessment of the arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. There has not yet been sufficient improvement and therefore a requirement is made at this inspection. Consultation to improve the format and quality of the report has been carried out. Ofsted has not yet been able to assess whether this is driving improvement. Other requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the independent person’s report should provide evaluation and analysis of the care provided. It should clearly and consistently indicate whether children are safeguarded and if practice in the home promotes children’s well-being. 29 January 2023

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the pre-admission assessment includes a clear analysis of why a child may need to access the service as the only child for overnight stays due to their needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that any alterations to records of medication administration clearly identify the author of the change. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s records, including those of direct work, are monitored to ensure that good practice is sustained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that the service is not unduly affected by staff shortages in other homes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

p.6

Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 7

p.6

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: SC037670 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Knowsley MBC, Children’s Services, Huyton Municipal Buildings, 6th Floor, Huyton, Knowsley, Merseyside L36 9YU

p.8

Inspector

Karen Willson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9