Children's home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 1 SC052744 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home is registered to provide care for up to five children with learning disabilities. There is a school on site. This did not form part of inspection activities

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2018.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/04/2021 Full Good 09/07/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Good 20/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, five children were living at the home. The inspectors spoke to the children. Children speak highly about their home and the staff who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and making progress. They have built good relationships with the staff. Inspectors observed warm, nurturing relationships between children and the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted in the home. The manager and staff support children to be in education. The children all attend the same independent school, which is on the same site as their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children’s health needs are fully understood or promoted. One child has a significant sensory impairment. The home is not adapted to support his sensory needs and records are not produced in a format that suits his needs, therefore he cannot understand them or contribute. There are no robust plans in place for this child and staff caring for him do not fully understand how to best support him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to pursue a range of hobbies and interests, such as going to football training and attending youth groups. This means children have opportunities to take part in things they enjoy and that keep them healthy and active. These experiences are captured in photos and memory books to help them understand their life story.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are some communal areas of the home that children cannot always access at night, as rooms are used for staff to sleep in. This means that children do not have full access to rooms in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is spacious and suitably decorated, with modern decor. However, some areas of the home are bare and one of the children’s bedrooms was not personalised. At the time of the inspection, two windows in the home were broken and awaiting repair. Although staff have been proactive in reporting the damage and the maintenance team was at the home during the inspection, they were waiting for new glass and could not say when the work would be completed.

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

Children told inspectors they feel safe and are well cared for. Children could name staff that they trust and said they would talk to staff if they were worried about anything or needed support to manage their anxieties.

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and are effective in preventing incidents from escalating. Children have developed strategies to manage their own emotions. Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 4 Restraint practice is used to support children during difficult times. This is only used as a last resort to keep children safe. All staff are suitably trained, and records of restraint are detailed and contain management evaluation.

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

Risk assessments and plans are individual to each child. However, one child’s records and plans are not produced in a way that meets his specific sensory needs and are therefore not accessible to him. This means that aspects of his care and support are not sufficient and require review. All staff caring for him also require specific training in caring for a child with a sensory impairment.

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

All the children spoken to told inspectors that they knew how to make a complaint if they were not happy.

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

The registered manager follows safer recruitment procedures and staff are suitably vetted to ensure children’s safety. The staff team provides consistent care to help children feel safe and protected.

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

Children have clear missing-from-home risk management strategies. This helps to reduce the likelihood of children going missing and the length of time of each missing-from-home episode. As a result, missing-from-home episodes have reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since 2018 and is committed to the children. The manager is well respected by staff. She is available to the children and this has helped her build positive relationships with them. Staff said that they feel well supported and that the manager is approachable and caring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children have been able to build positive relationships with staff, as the staff team is stable and consistent. When additional staff are needed, these are regular staff the children are familiar with. This further promotes the consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are suitably qualified or currently undertaking their qualifications in residential childcare. There is a training programme in place to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to meet the complex and challenging needs of the children in their care. However, staff have not undertaken specific training in relation to one child’s sensory impairment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that debriefs are completed following any incidents, providing the opportunity to discuss incidents and responses. As a result, the registered manager has a good insight into the home’s shortfalls and strengths.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff receive regular and effective supervision that is focused on children’s experiences. Supervision is reflective and allows staff to identify improvements they can make to their own practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 5 Leaders and managers have not made improvements to the home to ensure that sleeping accommodation for staff provides them with privacy and allows children access to all rooms in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a registered school owned by the provider on the same site as this home. Staff working in the school frequently spend time in the children’s home during the school day. This is confusing for children as the boundaries and expectations of school and care staff are unclear. Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(c)(i)(d)(i)(ii)) 18 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; 18 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 7 and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all communal areas are kept unlocked and accessible to children. 18 January 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date: and 18 January 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 8 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are available and accessible to them. Children should be encouraged to contribute to their records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that children have life-story work and that staff play a full role in this work. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on everyone in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that children moving on from the home are prepared practically. This includes ensuring they have all of their belongings and

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Recommendations

memory books. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: SC052744 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspectors

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Rachael Crook, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC052744 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

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