Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 1 SC064735 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 care for up to three children. According to the home’s statement of purpose, the home provides a consistent and safe environment. The team works collaboratively to ensure that children receive effective help and support in the home as well as from a range of external agencies.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager left her position in December 2022. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: SC064735 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/10/2021 Full Good 07/01/2020 Full Good 03/07/2018 Full Good 17/01/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form trusting relationships with the staff. One child said, ‘The staff are great. They listen to me and spend time with me.’ A staff member said, ‘We are a very close team, and we work hard to help children achieve the best they can.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning is good. A collaborative approach is used to assess and plan for children’s care. This means that children have a high level of wraparound support to address their individual needs. When children have complex needs, weekly multi- agency meetings take place to review the support being provided and to adjust it if required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. Some children have a history of educational disruption, including prolonged periods of non-attendance. Children’s education, health and care plans clearly detail the steps to take to reintroduce children to education. Children who are eligible to take GCSE examinations are in receipt of additional support to enable them to sit these exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health needs. Children receive a range of external support to assist them in maintaining good physical and mental health. When a child experiences a decline in their mental health, a dedicated team provides additional support to the child and the staff caring for them. As a result, children feel supported, listened to and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children spending time with their families and friends. Families and friends are routinely invited to the home for meals or to join activities. Written plans are in place that detail the level of support each child requires to have good-quality and safe contact.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage with staff and take part in regular key-work sessions. Each session is linked to children’s individual placement targets. However, staff have not ensured that children comment on, or review, the work carried out with them. Therefore, the views and opinions of children are not sought to assess the effectiveness of key- work sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to personalise their bedrooms with pictures, posters and overall decor. However, bedrooms are not routinely checked to ensure that they are kept to a good standard, which has resulted in one bedroom being unkempt. Furthermore, children’s privacy is compromised because there are no window coverings, such as blinds, in their bedrooms.

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

Staff take swift action to ensure that children who are missing from home return safely. Staff follow missing-from-home protocols by following children to encourage Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 4 them to return, searching the surrounding areas and contacting all known family members and friends. Return home interviews now take place.

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

Staff and external agencies support children who have a history of self-injurious behaviours. Staff receive specific training, including in-house support programmes, to help them understand children’s individual needs and how these can be managed effectively. However, there is no explicit record to document a self-injurious incident. Therefore, records do not include the antecedents to an incident or the actions taken because of the incident. This reduces the opportunity for overall monitoring and identifying learning and reflection.

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

Individual assessments take account of children’s lived experiences and draw attention to potential triggers for behaviours that may challenge staff and the strategies in place to manage them. Overall, assessments are up to date and are relevant to the current concerns for the child. However, on one occasion, when staffing levels had reduced, this was not reflected in the risk assessment. This has the potential for staff to work inconsistently.

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

Staff are trained in the use of holding a child to keep them safe. This strategy is only used if a child presents as a risk to themselves or others.

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

Staff carry out a bedroom search in the event there is a risk to a child. Each search is recorded and includes a list of any items removed from the room. However, the record does not include where items are stored for safekeeping. As a result, children may not feel that their belongings are kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the appointment of the new manager, a great deal of work has been carried out to address low morale. Staff say, ‘Things are much better. The new manager comes in smiling and is always on hand to discuss anything.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A successful recruitment drive has led to three female members of staff being appointed. Once they commence their role, this will create a suitable gender balance in the home in accordance with the quality standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager monitors the care provided and is proactive in addressing shortfalls in practice. The internal monitoring identifies patterns and trends in relation to incidents taking place. Because of this, the acting manager has taken steps to make improvements to staffing levels and shift patterns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home employs a committed and enthusiastic staff team. Eight members of staff are qualified at diploma level, and one staff member is enrolled on this training. Staff are trained in the PACE model of care and receive ongoing mandatory training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support from the acting manager. Formal supervision sessions take place regularly and informal support is available daily. A staff member said, ‘The management is better. We get the support we need.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 5 Electronic records of incidents that have taken place are held and reviewed by the acting manager. However, current online systems do not allow staff to record in detail the events leading up to an incident or a child being held. This makes it more difficult for the manager to monitor and review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External monitoring is carried out by independent reviewing officers employed by the local authority. The external review is deficient. Consultation with children, parents and professionals does not routinely take place. Therefore, crucial feedback is not gathered to form the overall analysis of care or areas for further development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 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, the 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 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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b)) 7 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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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 7 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 7 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s personal space, which is usually their bedroom, has appropriate window coverings to provide them with privacy and that staff help children to maintain their bedroom to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.18)  The registered person should ensure that children are encouraged to read their records and add further information to them. Children should be regularly reminded of their rights to see information kept about them and be given information about how they might be supported to access their records later in life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 14.6)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and ensure the arrangements in place to protect them are

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Recommendations

routinely updated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 145, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that when a child’s room is searched and items are removed, a record is held of where items are stored for safekeeping. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that records pertaining to self-harm include the antecedents to the incident and any follow-up work carried out, including if risk assessments have been updated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: SC064735 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 9 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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