Children's home run by Continuum Support

Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care 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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a small but welcoming home. It is clean and well maintained. Children can personalise their bedrooms and contribute to the development of their home. The child living in the home says that they feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making good progress and has developed trusting relationships with staff. The child understands the reasons for rules in the home and says that staff are consistent with boundaries. The child describes the home as ‘amazing’, ‘fun’, ‘fabulous’ and ‘the best’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate for the child’s educational needs to be met. When the child has not been able to attend school, staff and managers have challenged other agencies and supported the child to find other opportunities for education. This has enabled the child to continue to make some educational progress. Staff do not have a formal education plan for the child when they are not in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer a variety of activities and outings. They encourage the child to remain active and take care of their health and hygiene. When needed, staff take the child to health appointments and ensure they take their medication as required. Staff have advocated for the child’s emotional health needs to be met. They are proactive in identifying different mental health provisions for the child to access in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff support the child to understand healthy relationships and boundaries. This helps the child to develop and maintain positive relationships and supports them to understand their family identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the child to develop independent living skills to prepare them for adult life. They have supported the child with job interview skills, which has enabled the child to successfully secure their first part-time job. This encourages the child to continue striving to reach their ambitions.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and advocate for these to be met. One professional said, ‘The staff have been really brilliant.’

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

Staff carry out frequent and thorough direct work sessions with the child to help them better understand how to stay safe. Staff support the child to reflect on incidents that have happened and to think about how things may be done differently in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 4 Incidents of the child going missing are rare. When they occur, procedures are followed. Plans are regularly updated to reflect the child’s individual needs. Staff follow these plans and know what strategies work best for the child.

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

Staff understand the child’s individual needs. They use individualised strategies to keep the child safe. Staff only use physical intervention techniques as a last resort. When staff have had to hold a child to keep them safe, they have recorded the incidents appropriately. The manager has good oversight and determines if the hold was necessary and proportionate.

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

Allegations do not occur frequently. When allegations are made, these are managed appropriately. Staff communicate well with family members and external agencies, which promotes partnership working. One family member said, ‘I’ve always found them to be very good, they’re very clear in their communication.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She has a good understanding of the child’s needs and high aspirations for their future. The manager and deputy manager are supportive of the staff team. One staff member said, ‘Management support has been amazing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When recruiting staff, managers follow safer recruitment procedures to ensure that they are fully vetted and safe to work with children. Induction training is thorough, and staff say they feel it prepared them well for their role. This promotes a safe and healthy environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is fairly new but appears stable. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings, which they find helpful. The manager ensures that all staff receive development opportunities and training relevant to the needs of the child living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good internal monitoring systems which enable her to have oversight of practice in the home. She makes good use of external monitoring processes to ensure that the child receives consistently good care and that their well-being is promoted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there is a clear education plan in place for children who are not attending education and that they are supported to engage in educational activities in line with their individual needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 2640245 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co. Limited, 300 St Mary’s Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 7 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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