Children's Home run by Prosperity Children’s Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 1 Registered provider: Trinity Care and Education Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a small private provider. It provides care and support for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently one child living in the home. The child took part in the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager has been vacant since August 2022. There have been two managers in post since this time; however, neither have progressed to registering with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 November 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Compliance action was taken following the last full inspection. Compliance notices were served under regulation 10 (the health and well-being standard), regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 2 At a monitoring visit on 15 December 2022, the inspector found that the provider had taken suitable action to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 4

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improvement to be good

The home is welcoming and personalised with the child’s photos and possessions on display. This helps the child to feel comfortable in their surroundings and gives them a sense of belonging. The child has lived in the home for over six months. This is the most settled they have been for several years.

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improvement to be good

The staff team has been largely stable since the last inspection. This helps the child to develop trusting relationships with staff, without fear that they will be leaving shortly. Staff have implemented clear rules and boundaries. The child was initially resistant to these changes but is now being supported to develop positive and respectful relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs. They show compassion and empathy for the difficulties that the child has faced in the past. Staff also support the child to maintain relationships with their family and friends, despite this involving them travelling some considerable distance on a regular basis. Staff respect the importance of these relationships.

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improvement to be good

The child engages in activities with staff in the home, such as playing board games, doing an art and craft activity or playing music. Staff also encourage and support the child to engage in activities in the local community. The child is anxious spending time in the local area due to previous incidents involving local youths. Staff have regular conversations with the child around developing positive relationships, but this remains an area of vulnerability.

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improvement to be good

The child has recently started to attend a new school. This transition has been difficult for the child, and the staff continue to provide support. However, opportunities to further support the child’s transition have been missed and there has been a delay in the manager following up some issues with the school. This was addressed during the inspection.

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improvement to be good

The staffing levels in the home are appropriate for the child’s needs and ensure that staff are always available to the child when required. The child told the inspector that the rules of the home are mainly fair and that staff keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

The child’s risk management plan aims to highlight known risks and ensures that staff know the best way to manage these. However, some known behaviours and serious incidents have been omitted. Furthermore, when identified strategies are proving to be ineffective, such as monitoring the child’s social media accounts, this Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 5 document has not been reviewed or updated. This limits the effectiveness of safeguarding practices in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff use an incentive system to promote positive behaviours. Incidents of physical intervention are rare, with just one incident since the monitoring visit in December 2022. However, the lack of an individualised behaviour management plan means that it is not always clear to staff how to identify if the child needs additional support or what measures they must take to prevent an incident from escalating.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of the child going missing from the home are rare. However, the child’s missing-from-home protocol does not contain details and addresses of individuals known to the child. This limits the timeliness of staff trying to locate the child.

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improvement to be good

The child confirmed that they know how to make a complaint and raise a concern, although none have been made since the last inspection. The child said that they would be able to speak to a trusted staff member if they needed to.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment processes are safe. However, staff have been allowed to work in the home prior to completing all the required core training and a full induction. This compromises this process, which has been introduced to keep children safe.

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good

An acting manager is currently managing the home. He is registered to manage another small home in the organisation. However, the organisation has yet to appoint a permanent manager for this home, which is essential to drive forward improvement. The acting manager is struggling to fulfil his responsibilities in two homes, as well as elsewhere in the organisation.

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good

Staff talk positively regarding the levels of support, but formal supervision is not taking place at the frequency required in the organisation’s own policy. Staff on probation are not receiving formal supervision in line with this policy. This does not support the development and practice of inexperienced staff.

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good

There are weaknesses in management oversight. The manager’s evaluation of incidents is not always evident, which results in some issues not being identified and addressed. Staff meetings take place monthly but identified actions are not followed up the following month, which potentially results in matters being overlooked. Following weekly meetings, there is no manager’s response to the child to discuss their thoughts about living in the home, even when specific requests are made.

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good

The home’s statement of purpose outlines the objectives of the home but does not currently include details regarding the current staff team or the use of external door alarms at night. There is no admission and discharge register in the home, and not all required information about the child is recorded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 6 An independent person visits the home monthly and the reports are now being forwarded to Ofsted as required by regulation. However, there have been no unannounced visits to the home since it opened. This does not give reassurance about the operation of the home when staff are not expecting the visitor to call. Furthermore, reports sometimes contain inaccurate information, which has not been challenged by the organisation. Reports provide insufficient detail to help to develop practice in the home.

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good

The organisation swiftly implemented several changes following the inspection of the home in November 2022, ensuring that all the compliance notices were met the following month. However, further shortfalls in practice were identified at this inspection and four requirements made at the last full inspection have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 7

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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—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that: risk management plans contain effective strategies to monitor the safe use of social media; all known risks are acknowledged and addressed; missing- from-home protocols include details of children’s known associates and their contact details; individualised behaviour management plans are clear about the most appropriate ways to de-escalate and address children’s challenging behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 7 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 8 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, recruit a permanent manager for the home; challenge the local authority and school when they are failing to fulfil statutory obligations or agreed actions; ensure that any interim management arrangements are robust and include effective management oversight.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 7 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have completed the necessary induction training prior to working in the home and that staff on probation are supervised in accordance with the organisation’s policy. 7 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 9 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, update the document to reflect staff changes and include details of the electronic monitoring that has been introduced in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 07 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, maintain a register which contains all the required information about children who live in the home. 7 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether— 7 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 10 children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (3) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that some visits are unannounced and that there is sufficient detail in reports to provide good- quality information to support the manager’s monitoring of the home.

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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: 2685151 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Trinity Care and Education Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8, Venus House, Altham Business Park, Altham, Accrington BB5 5BY

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Inspector

Mandy Williams, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 12 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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