Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 1 SC035428 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short-term care for one child who may have social and/or emotional difficulties and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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: 18 October 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

All compliance notices were judged to be met at a monitoring visit on 29 November 2022. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2022 Full Inadequate 07/12/2021 Full Good 17/08/2021 Full Inadequate 22/06/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living in the home. The child is continuing to make progress from their starting points. Effective care planning and multi-agency partnership ensure that the child is supported to access specialist services that meet their individual complex needs. This means that the child is receiving personalised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff know the child well. The child is building trusting relationships with staff and is accepting the support and guidance provided. This is encouraging the child to build positive attachments. The child has written a letter to the inspector, which says, ‘I love my home and everyone in it. I am happy in my home and wouldn’t change a thing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends education that is tailored to meet their individual needs. The child is progressing well with their learning and has increased their hours of education. Their attendance is high, and they engage well with the educational tutor. This is supporting the child’s learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to understand their behaviours through an established therapeutic service. The child has made progress in managing their emotions and behaviours, and significant incidents have reduced. This demonstrates that this service is being effective. Furthermore, the child, who was unable to attend certain activities in the community, has now progressed to attending community-based activities with staff. This supports the child in developing their social skills, confidence and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Occupational therapy has supported the manager to make adaptations for the child living in the home. These changes have supported the child’s independence in being able to move around the home without the help of staff. Furthermore, the manager has made some improvements to the home’s internal decor, and the child has been involved in painting their bedroom and creating murals in their room. This has enabled the child to personalise their room in a creative manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with birth families to strengthen and repair relationships. Family time is supported, both within and outside of the home. The child benefits from this family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A requirement that was made at the last inspection remains unmet because no children have been admitted to the home since the last inspection.

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

Up-to-date risk assessments address any known risks and emerging risks effectively and set out what action should be taken to manage these risks. Behaviour management plans provide clear and effective strategies for reducing risks to the Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 4 child. Investigations into allegations are shared with the appropriate agencies quickly and in accordance with statutory guidance. This supports and protects the child.

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

Specialist services are used to keep the child safe, and they work interchangeably, whereby risks are shared, understood and managed well. Staff and therapists coordinate a joint approach to ensure that the child also understands these risks.

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

The home’s health and safety practices now identify the risks posed by the physical environment, and have taken action to remove these. This has resulted in a significant reduction in hospital admissions for the child, who self-harms.

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

Medication is safely stored, and records show that staff understand how to administer, check and record medication safely. This ensures that the child receives the correct medication at the appropriate times and contributes to the child’s overall well-being, health and safety.

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

Staff receive training to build their skills and knowledge, particularly around safeguarding. However, there has been a shortfall in providing specific training for staff to manage one of the child’s behaviours. This training could reduce actual harm or the risk of harm to the child and staff. A requirement has been made to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitability qualified manager who is motivated, passionate and child-centred. She has a wealth of experience and is well respected by her team. She leads by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support through monthly team meetings, group supervision and regular team consultation meetings with therapists. These meetings are used to reflect on practice and lessons learned to improve outcomes for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions that focus on supporting staff’s ongoing development. The manager is invested in staff’s well-being, and this is reflected in appraisals, which include both performance development and wellness action plans. This boosts staff morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from other professionals is complimentary of the care provided to the child, and the progress they are making is recognised. Social worker, therapist and independent reviewing officer benefit from regular communication and weekly reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s oversight of the home is good, and there is regular monitoring of the quality of care provided. The registered person should ensure that the appointed independent person is supported to make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 5 There is a shortfall in some of the staff team completing the relevant childcare qualification in line with the expected timescale. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive training on sexually harmful behaviour to help reduce actual harm or the risk of harm to children and staff. 15 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)) 15 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 7 This is a repeated requirement as no children have been admitted to the home since the last inspection.

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

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff who are now outside of this timeframe are supported to complete this diploma. 15 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual who is appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: SC035428 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035428 10 regulates and inspects 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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