Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 1 SC035477 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 children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2018.

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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: SC035477 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2022 Full Good 15/01/2020 Full Good 19/11/2018 Full Good 08/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting and positive relationships with staff. They are treated with dignity and respect. Children know how to make complaints. When children have raised concerns, their issues are addressed and responded to. These positive responses ensure that children feel listened to and know that their views are valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work with placing authorities and families to promote positive and meaningful family time in line with children’s agreed plans. Clear plans are in place to support children when they are away from the home. Children are helped to spend time with their friends. This means that they have age-appropriate social interactions and can build skills and strategies to form and maintain relationships. This helps children to develop their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well-being needs are met. They have access to routine and specialist health services as required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well supported by the team. All children attend education or employment. The team is proactive in ensuring that children’s education needs are being met, and staff have clear plans in place to support children who are not yet attending education full time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are always welcomed sensitively and with the best possible planning. There is a robust referral process that is used to assess the needs of children who already live in the home and the impact on children who may be new to the home. This ensures that there is a child-centred approach when making decisions about whether children should live together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home have left in a positive way, in line with their individual plans. One child was supported and encouraged to develop their emotional well-being alongside independent living skills. This targeted work helped prepare the child for their transition into a semi-independent placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is warm and welcoming, and it meets the needs of the children. It feels and looks like a family home. However, some areas of the home are in need of redecoration, and some carpets appear worn and in need of replacement.

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

Staff understand the individual risks for each child. Risk and behaviour support plans are detailed. Direct work takes place on relevant topics, such as substance misuse, emotional well-being and healthy relationships. This helps the children to learn how to keep themselves safe. These sessions are proactive but also delivered in response to new risks that arise. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 4 When children go missing from care, there are clear and comprehensive plans in place for staff to follow. The manager and staff work collaboratively with external professionals, such as the local police and missing-from-home team, to ensure well- coordinated responses to support children’s safe return.

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

When it has been necessary to physically hold a child, the measures used have been reasonable and proportionate. Following any incidents, children have the opportunity to express their views. However, there are no records of discussions taking place with staff involved in the incident.

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

Imposed consequences are not evaluated for their effectiveness. The manager should ensure that all incidents of control and discipline have regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and effective.

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

Any complaints and allegations are fully investigated. However, information has not always been shared with external agencies in a timely manner. This limits external oversight of safeguarding practices in the home.

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

Shortfalls in recruitment processes were identified. Gaps in employment history for staff are not always explored. The provider needs to ensure that the recruitment of staff is consistently robust and in line with regulation to ensure that all staff are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager shows an ambitious vision, with high expectations for what all children can achieve. The staff are positive about the manager and describe a supportive environment. Staff who were spoken to describe the manager as readily available to provide advice and guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have positive professional relationships with external professionals and work collaboratively to ensure that children’s needs are met. The manager has challenged professionals when necessary to advocate on behalf of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external monitoring systems effectively to develop practice in the home. He has a clear vision of the development he wants to achieve. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses, which enables them to take effective action when required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision; however, this is not always practice-related. Opportunities to support staff to understand how their feelings impact their responses to children’s behaviour have been missed. Not all staff have had their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised within the last year. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 5 Team meetings are well attended and occur monthly. They cover topics that are relevant to the current matters arising in the home. They are used as a development opportunity for the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is consistent and provides stability for the children. Children are always cared for by staff who know them well. Staff are suitably qualified and trained in mandatory subjects. However, there are shortfalls in training sessions to meet the children’s individual needs, including training in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the PACE (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) model of care and substance awareness. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 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 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

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 20 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 7 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that imposed consequences are recorded and reviewed for effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

In addition to this, the registered person must ensure that following a hold, there is a record kept showing that staff have been spoken to about the measure.

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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

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have appropriate training to meet the individual needs of the children, particularly training on ADHD, the PACE model of care and substance awareness. 20 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 20 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 8 undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 20 May 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive and meets children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. In addition, the registered person should ensure that any damage to the home is quickly repaired and that carpets are maintained to a good condition throughout the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 9

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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: SC035477 10

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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

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035477 11 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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