Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 1 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may have learning disabilities or physical disabilities. Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2022 Full Outstanding 23/11/2021 Full Good 23/01/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A monitoring inspection took place on 3 March 2023. This followed a complaint made to Ofsted by a local authority designated officer. Leaders and managers had failed to report two allegations to the local authority designated officer and Ofsted was not notified. The shortfalls identified have now all been rectified and the requirements met. The home continues to support three children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a good standard. Children have access to a wide range of toys and play equipment. Bedroom furnishings and decor are carefully planned around children’s individual needs and wishes. This includes a bespoke bed for one child with complex health needs, which minimises the need for staff to move them unnecessarily. As a result, the home environment is nurturing and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. They ensure that children’s educational needs are met and they attend all education meetings. All the children have excellent attendance in school, they engage well and are progressing in line with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend time with people who are important to them. The manager advocates for children and supports increased time spent with loved ones. This ensures that children maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage with staff and spend time discussing topics linked to their individual placement targets. However, children do not routinely comment on or review their placement plans. Therefore, the views and opinions of children are not sought to assess the effectiveness of their plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in activities. These activities enrich children’s experiences and strengthen their relationships with staff. Additionally, activities help children to make developmental progress and promote positive self-esteem. For example, one child was fearful about going on public transport when he arrived at the home. He has been supported to overcome this fear and now loves to go for days out on trains and buses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are highly creative and flexible in the way they work with children. They use research-informed approaches which they embed in their day-to-day care of the children. This, combined with well-established and strong relationships with children, ensures that staff continue to have an in-depth understanding of children’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s internal care plans reflect the aims and objectives of the placing authority. However, the most recent local authority plans for some children were not on file. This means that staff may not have access to all the information required to support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 4

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

Staff support children and respond extremely well to any behaviours that challenge. They demonstrate a commitment to finding different and innovative ways to manage situations that children may find difficult to cope with. This approach reduces children’s anxieties and helps to minimise incidents.

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

Children’s different methods of communication are understood by staff. Each child has a communication passport. The staff know the children well and are attuned to their individual communication styles. One child is non-verbal and has very limited motor skills. Staff are attuned to her facial cues and use these to enable her to make choices in her daily life.

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

Staff support children with their emotional well-being. Clear plans help to guide staff in how to care for children when they feel upset, worried or anxious. Staff are able to quickly identify when something is not right for a child.

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

Staff work collaboratively with other professionals and family members to understand children’s complex needs. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children. Staff communicate well with relevant professionals to provide a holistic and multi-agency approach to children’s care.

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

Staff are trained in safeguarding and understand safeguarding procedures and their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Managers discuss with staff their understanding of safeguarding in supervision sessions and team meetings. This promotes an effective safeguarding approach.

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

Staff are competent and understand the importance of meeting children’s health needs. There is an effective system for safely administering children’s medication. Staff robustly support children’s individual needs. For example, when one child required additional support to manage a complex health need, the actions taken by staff were excellent. The team adapted quickly to revise the child’s plans so that dietary needs could be fully supported. This included effective consultation with specialist health services.

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

Suitable background checks are completed before any staff start work at the home. This ensures that children are not placed at risk from inappropriate adults caring for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified. He is highly motivated and enthusiastic and well supported by a deputy manager. Both are child-focused and knowledgeable about the specific needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers offer regular supervision to staff and team meetings are well attended by all. The staff say they find managers supportive and helpful. New staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 5 say they received a detailed induction that included working with more experienced staff who helped with their learning. They are provided with additional support through their probation period, which helps them fully understand their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out a regular quality of care review and conducts appraisals with staff on an annual basis. Staff reflect on their work and set targets for the year ahead. However, the appraisals and reviews of care do not include the views of children, their parents or key individuals. This limits the manager’s understanding of children’s experiences and reduces opportunities for leaders to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers follow up and escalate concerns if responses from agencies are not satisfactory. This helps to ensure that children receive the right support and their needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager shares information with other people who are important in the children’s lives. One social worker said, ‘The manager is great. He stays in touch and always contacts us to share good news, and when he needs to share concerns. I couldn’t ask for anything more.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable. One member of staff said, ‘We are the [name of home] family, we get on well together.’ Staff feel involved and listened to. Inspectors observed staff practice as caring and warm. This helps create a happy and relaxed environment for children. One parent said, ‘They take good care of [name of child] and take care of me.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care.

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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

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(vi)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure the views and wishes of children are recorded in their relevant plans. 26 May 2023

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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

promotes their welfare. 26 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals and the home’s six-monthly review include the views of other professionals who have worked with staff over the year and the views of children who have been cared for at the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date plans from the local authority relating to each child. 26 May 2023

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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: 2496251 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Family Care Associates Ltd, Business Centre, 60 School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire PR5 6QE

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2496251 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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