Children's home run by Tab Care and Support Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 1 Registered provider: Tab Care and Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care for one child who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since February 2021.

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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

Date of last inspection: 9 November 2021

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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: 2620359 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have lived at this home since the last inspection. One child is currently living at the home. The two children who no longer live at the home experienced some positive outcomes, but the staff could not meet the needs of either child on a long-term basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are actively helping the child to develop their independence. They have devised budgeting plans for the child and work with him on a daily basis to buy food and cook meals for himself. Although there have been some setbacks in this area, staff take action to address issues when they arise, discuss what has happened with the child and then reflect and develop new plans to find a way forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is at the centre of all discussions between staff and this is a strength of the home. Staff clearly know the child well and have high aspirations for his future. They have helped him to secure a job, and he was enjoying the additional benefits that this provided. However, following a period of instability for the child, he no longer has this job. Staff have worked with the child to discuss recent events, settle him back into a routine and begin to think about his future once again.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child child has taken responsibility for making his own medical appointments. Staff have carried out a lot of work with him around substance misuse and have further plans to help him understand the impact of substance misuse once he is living away from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and children currently have access to therapeutic support, which is provided as and when needed by an external organisation, but records do not yet reflect this. There are now plans for the psychologist and assistant psychologist to provide regular sessions to children and staff offering support, advice and guidance on risk management and behaviour management plans. They will also attend staff team meetings to offer support and guidance to the team as a whole, to ensure that there is a consistent approach to children by staff.

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

Staff take swift action to keep the child in their care safe. They notify other professionals if they have concerns about the child and keep detailed records to demonstrate the action that they have taken. The manager and her team then use these records to reflect on their practice to see if they could have done anything better or to help inform their future practice.

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

Due to the age of the child and their planned move to semi-independence in the near future, staff try not to use consequences. When the child displays negative behaviours, they prefer to use direct-work sessions to educate them about the impact of their behaviour. However, when consequences are used, these are not Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 4 always recorded in line with regulation. A requirement has therefore been raised to address this shortfall.

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

Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and the home’s procedures. They have listened to and supported the child to make complaints. They have also ensured that he has an advocate to support him. On one occasion, not all aspects of a child’s concerns were acted on. A requirement has been raised to address this.

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

Risk management plans are clear, as are behaviour management strategies for staff to follow. However, the system used to monitor whether risks are reducing or increasing is unclear and staff are therefore unable to use relevant information to inform their discussions about risks to children Staff have created a warm and welcoming environment for the child to live in. On the whole, the home is well maintained and staff carry out regular checks to ensure that the home is safe. However, the front door and windows are in poor repair and need attention. The manager and responsible individual say they are in discussion with the landlord and hope to find a solution to the issue. A recommendation is made to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager. The recent addition of a part-time deputy manager is positive and allows the manager to have time to reflect on the development of the home. External professionals said his presence has been a positive development for the child. The majority of the staff team are also experienced and qualified, and this is demonstrated in their approach to childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a consistent staff team who work well together to meet the needs of the child. There are regular handover sessions when staff keep each other informed about the child, as well as identifying any tasks that need to be carried out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of their manager and of the support that they receive, both formally and informally. Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and is used to ensure that children’s needs are met. In addition, there are plans for staff to receive clinical supervision from psychologists from an external organisation who work at the home. Although staff receive a range of training to meet the needs of children in their care, records do not clearly demonstrate the training that staff have received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals say that the manager provides a good level of support and guidance to staff and that they are kept up to date about their child. They also remarked on the consistency of the staff team and the benefits that this provides for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 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 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 that that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, replace the windows and front door of the property. 31 July 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(g)) 31 July 2023

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 6 details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s relevant plan includes a strategy for a particular type of care, treatment or intervention, for example therapy relating to neglect or abuse. Staff should understand the purpose of any such care and the way in which the past experiences of abuse or neglect may manifest in the day-to-day life of the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15)

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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: 2620359 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tab Care and Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 34 Castle Street, Liverpool L2 0NR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Willmore

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Inspector

Julia Toller, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2620359 8 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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