Children's Home run by Discovered Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 1 Registered provider: Discovered Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/05/2021 Full Inadequate 30/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good relationships between the young person and staff. The young person can identify trusted adults to go to for help. The young person said: ‘I know they are there if I need them. I feel supported and safe.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person’s care planning is comprehensive. There are detailed weekly reviews undertaken by managers. There are clear links to supporting documents, which are reviewed monthly. The young person is involved in and is at the centre of their care plan. Staff and the young person work together to plan the care and support needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s plans for moving in and out of the home are detailed and well managed. Young people feel welcomed to the home and are given the right support when they leave. The manager and staff make every effort to include young people in the process. There were excellent plans and support in place when a young person left the home to live in foster care. The support from staff was exceptional. This continued when the placement ended and up to when the young person moved back into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is supported to spend time with family. This is particularly well managed by staff despite the long distance between the home and young person’s family. As a result, the young person has a closer relationship with family. This is particularly important as the young person is approaching adulthood and making decisions about where to live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is currently not in education, employment or training. The manager has arranged placements, but the young person has not felt able to access them. Staff make efforts to engage the young person in educational activities. This could be developed further for young people who are not in formal learning settings or employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individual support sessions involving the young person and staff take place daily. These have been specifically adapted to meet the young person’s needs. Staff are creative and plan work into everyday interactions with the young person. The sessions are well recorded and written directly to the young person. This has meant that important issues are tackled in a way that the young person can cope with.

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

Staff support the young person well to help them to protect themselves. The young person’s risk assessments are clear and detailed. They identify the level of risk and set out how staff can recognise specific risk-taking behaviour. Therefore, staff have the knowledge to help the young person when risks arise. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 4 The young person’s individual behaviour support plan is updated regularly. It gives clear advice to staff about how to identify specific behaviours that may be of concern. It identifies what may trigger these behaviours. It then informs staff of how to support the young person when they are struggling.

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

Staff know how to talk about risks with the young person. They are trained in how to manage incidents. This includes how to de-escalate behaviours. They are also taught how to physically intervene in a safe way if required. The responsible individual is a trainer for the company’s preferred method of behaviour management. This ensures that staff receive training during their induction. Physical intervention has not been necessary owing to staff’s good handling of incidents.

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

There is very good support for young people with regard to their mental health. A consultant clinical psychologist from a local hospital provides a range of services. This includes one-to-one sessions for young people. The young person receives direct weekly support from a consultant clinical psychologist. This has led to them feeling able to tell staff more about her risks so she can get the help she needs.

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

Staff can also receive individual clinical supervision to look after their own mental health and better understand children’s needs. There is group training and discussions in team meetings, which helps staff to better understand children’s behaviours and how to help them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly dedicated to his role in supporting and developing young people and staff. He knows the young person extremely well. The young person says that they like the manager and get on well with him. Staff also say that they like him and really appreciate how approachable he is. The young person likes living at the home and staff like working there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that team meetings take place every other week. They are well-planned meetings that discuss young people’s plans and progress in depth. Other important areas discussed include training, policies and teamwork. Therefore, staff have the time to develop and make decisions together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a very good working relationship between the registered manager and the responsible individual. They speak daily and have monthly recorded supervision meetings. The responsible individual visits the home for at least a day every week. He knows the staff and young people well. The manager feels well supported by the responsible individual, who has given him time and help to reflect and change how the home is managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that supervision meetings with each staff member are held regularly. The content of these meetings is good. They provide a reflective and supportive environment to staff. Staff feel able to raise any issues and know they are listened to. This has helped staff to feel supported and to enjoy their work. Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 5 The manager has developed and implemented effective quality assurance systems. A new quality assurance report was developed and is completed monthly by the manager. This is then sent to the responsible individual and discussed between the two so that both leaders can monitor the home effectively. There are also daily and weekly checklists undertaken. The manager views daily direct observation of staff practice as the most powerful means of quality assurance. This ensures that the manager knows about young people’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has improved all the areas identified at previous inspections. Major changes have been made to staff and management practice and the care of young people. An occupational therapist said: ‘There has been vast improvement under the current leadership. He is a very good leader and very supportive and encouraging.’ A psychologist said: ‘More recently, the staff have been stable, with key members of staff working with [young person]. It has allowed [them] to mature and find some value in [themselves].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘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: 2545027 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4–4a Blackburn Road, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 1HD

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2545027 8 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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Inspector

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