Children's home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 1 SC472480 Registered provider: Teen-Works Care 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 by a private company and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in 2014.

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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: SC472480 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/03/2022 Full Good 02/07/2019 Full Outstanding 21/06/2018 Full Good 02/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making excellent progress and have positive goals for their futures. Staff have developed close and trusting relationships with the children in their care, and children speak happily about living in the home. One child said, ‘I love it here.’ Another referred to the registered manager as being ‘like a second mother’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. This helps children to develop and maintain positive relationships and supports children’s sense of identity. One parent said, ‘I can give nothing but a glowing report of [name of home].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote healthy living for children and help them to access local services. When needed, staff identify further work to be done with children to help them keep themselves healthy. This identified work is not always followed through.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to learn about their emotions and behaviours. However, on occasion, while supporting children, staff have used language that suggests they do not recognise the reasons for their behaviour. This does not support children to feel understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a range of activities for children and encourage all children to take part in these. Staff have taken children on holidays abroad, which has provided children with new experiences and helped them to develop a better understanding of different cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported children to develop some independent living skills. One child spoke about her increased confidence in using public transport and going shopping alone. However, children have not been taught all the skills they will need for when they move on to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that their views are considered when decisions are made about their home. However, children’s views are not present in their plans, and feedback is not always clearly recorded. Therefore, it is unclear how or when children’s views are put into practice in daily life.

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home. They have identified adults to speak to if they are worried. Children say that they feel confident that adults in the home will address any concerns they raise.

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

Staff are aware of risks that each child may be vulnerable to. Risk assessments and missing-from-care plans are updated as and when needed to adapt to each child’s Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 4 changing needs. However, these plans do not give staff specific steps to follow should an incident occur.

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

Staff work well with other agencies and invite professionals to share knowledge with the staff team. When children are not given enough support, staff advocate on their behalf. One professional said that the staff team is lovely to work with.

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

Staff teach children how to keep themselves safe online. In preparation for living independently, older children are encouraged to take responsibility for using their mobile phones appropriately. This allows children suitable levels of freedom while giving them a safe place to make mistakes.

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

Staff working with the children are appropriately qualified. However, safer recruitment practices are not always followed. This does not ensure that all staff are safe to work with vulnerable children.

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

Staff only restrain children as a last resort. When children are restrained, they are not always spoken to about this. This does not support children to discuss their views and feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of each child’s individual needs and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Relationships between staff and managers are positive. Staff members report good support from each other and their manager. One staff member said, ‘I couldn’t think of anywhere I would rather work.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although staff receive adequate training, this currently remains primarily online. Staff receive supervision from management; however, this is not as frequent as the home’s policy states that it should be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses independent monitoring processes monthly to inform the development of the home. Internal monitoring is also carried out twice a year; however, this report lacks feedback from children and stakeholders. The manager does not identify clear actions and timescales in her own monitoring system and does not consider learning from practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been developing new tools to help her to improve her oversight of all the work staff are doing. However, these tools have not yet been implemented. The manager comments on work carried out with children. However, these comments are not evaluative in nature. This is a missed opportunity to identify trends and learn from practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak about the children with care and pride. They celebrate children’s accomplishments and support them during difficult times. One staff member said, ‘The children deserve only the best from us.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 5

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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—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children who have a plan for semi-independent living are fully supported to develop their independent living skills. 1 February 2023

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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

that staff— 1 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 6 understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that language used in records or with children recognises the reasons behind the behaviour.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all risk assessments contain clear steps for staff to follow should an incident occur. 1 February 2023

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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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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; 1 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should: ensure that they have oversight of all work being carried out; ensure that work is evaluated to establish patterns and trends; identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff supervision sessions and appraisals are completed within the timescales outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. 1 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that full and verified references are sourced for all employees prior to 1 February 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 8 their employment and that proof of identification is kept on file for all staff.

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children are spoken to following a restraint. All restraints and consequences should be evaluated to determine their effectiveness and to identify learning that can be put into practice. 1 February 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that the quality of care review incorporates feedback from children, families and professionals. The quality of care review should be evaluative in nature and should identify learning from the past six months. This should then be carried forward to create an action plan with clear, measurable goals. 1 February 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff follow up any further needs identified in key-work sessions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 9  The registered person should ensure that children’s views are clearly recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: SC472480 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lonsdale and Marsh Limited, Cotton House, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9TX

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC472480 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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