Children's home run by Tab Care and Support Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 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 home is privately run and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/05/2021 Full Good 09/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/05/2019 Full Good 03/10/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strong management team and a stable staff team provide children with a warm and happy home in which they can grow and develop. Children and professionals say that this is a strength of the home. They particularly comment on the relaxed atmosphere and the happy chatter that can he heard around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The building is well maintained, except for the downstairs bathroom. The shower cubicle is stained and worn. The manager provided assurance that this will be dealt with next month.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are promoted through regular medical appointments, in line with their individual health needs. They eat healthy, balanced meals. Children enjoy shopping for groceries with staff, who use the opportunity to help children to develop their skills for independence and budgeting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Arrangements for children to spend time with their families are a strength for this home as are relationships between staff and children. These elements allowed staff to work with a child and their family in preparation for the child returning home. Although this was not successful for the child, the positive relationships between the child and staff allowed for a positive transition for the child’s return to the home, where he continues to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities with staff and children at the home and in the local community but also independently with their friends and family. These activities are risk assessed to ensure that children can take age-appropriate risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff acknowledge the importance of education for children and work with professionals to ensure that the children in their care attend school regularly. One child who has recently moved into the home does not yet have an education placement, but staff are working proactively with professionals to secure this. In- house tutoring is in place and staff provide educational activities to keep the child busy when not involved in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home invests time in creating opportunities for children to visit the home and meet other staff and children prior to them moving into the home. Children and their social workers believe that these visits have helped children to settle into the home when they move in.

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

The manager and staff have created a safe home environment that protects children from harm. Children feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging. They know that they can talk to staff about their worries and that the staff will help them to be safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 4 Police support officers are complimentary about the staff and how they educate children on topics such as substance misuse.

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

Staff rarely use consequences and prefer to use positive reinforcement to support children’s behavioural development. When consequences are used, staff have not recorded details of these in line with regulation. This means that consequences have not been reviewed for effectiveness or to ensure that they are restorative and proportionate.

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

Staff are trained in safeguarding and understand the risks around child sexual exploitation, county lines and knife crime. Consequently, staff have the skills and knowledge to observe, identify any potential concerns and act to protect the children. Allegations against staff are dealt with swiftly and involve the relevant authorities. Clear audit trails show that the manager has dealt with matters appropriately and that the children are listened and their views are considered.

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

Risk management plans for children are detailed and accurate. They contain clear directions for staff to follow to reduce risk. Incidents at the home are minimal, as are incidents of physical intervention. When these do occur, staff take swift action to ensure the safety of the children in their care. On one occasion, the risk assessment for one child was not updated following the identification of a new risk. This prevents staff from working consistently to fully safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and qualified registered manager. She works in partnership with the deputy manager to ensure that the children and staff are fully supported. Staff speak highly of the support that they receive from the manager and her deputy, both formally and informally.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are trained to meet the needs of the children in their care. Staff speak highly of the training that they receive. Staff have recently received training from an external agency that will provide psychological support and guidance for staff and children. This will also include clinical supervision for staff as well as supervision from the registered manager or deputy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality and clarity of written records at the home are variable. While some are clear and accurate, others lack detail and do not provide an overview of discussions that have taken place. The manager acknowledged this shortfall during the inspection and training is now in place for all staff. A recommendation is raised to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. However, additional management oversight would ensure that there is greater consistency of reports. Monitoring by the independent person is beneficial and is helping the home to progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 5 Social workers, professionals and families speak highly of the care that children receive and of the role that staff play in the progress that children make. Inspection report for children’s home: 1270731 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 1270731 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: 1270731 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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