Children's home run by 3S Adolescent Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2672244 1 Registered provider: 3S Adolescent Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The new manager has submitted an application 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

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2022

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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: 2672244 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2672244 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made considerable progress since coming to live at this home. They have begun to form trusting relationships with most staff and say that they feel safe and happy in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is helped to understand their emotions by a dedicated and caring staff team. This nurturing approach has enabled the child to build confidence and to start work with a psychologist who is helping them to understand their past.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has previously not attended school for over two years. The staff have listened to the child and provided the support required to attend school. The child now attends mainstream education and is taking exams in English and mathematics at GCSE. This is a tremendous achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child’s healthcare needs. The child’s previous reluctance to attend appointments has dissipated due to staff support and education regarding the importance of good health and well-being. As such, the child has made improvements with personal hygiene, relationships and emotional regulation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support, supervise and promote the child spending time with their family. Staff understand the complexities of the family relationships and ensure that these do not impact on the child’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to undertake activities and build friendships in the community. Suitable checks are undertaken to ensure the child’s continued safety. A social worker commented, ‘This has been the most settled [name of child] has been in years.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Bedrooms are suitably furnished and personalised. However, when furniture has been damaged, there is a delay in having it repaired or replaced quickly.

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

Staff prioritise the safety and protection of the child and understand their role in protecting them. Robust assessments take account of the child’s life experiences and past concerns and set out clear strategies for staff in the management of any concerns. This has resulted in a significant reduction in episodes of the child being missing from home, with no incidents reported since November 2022.

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

Behaviour management strategies are developed in line with a therapeutic parenting approach. This approach is overseen by the home’s psychologist, who spends time coaching the staff and helping the child to understand their thoughts and feelings. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672244 4 Although behaviour that can challenge staff is still prevalent, it has decreased considerably.

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

Staff are trained to safely hold a child should they be a risk to themselves or others. Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents requiring a child to be held. Appropriate records reflect the de-escalation strategies, and the support and care offered to the child during the period of crisis.

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

Robust recruitment and selection processes ensure that staff working in the home are suitably assessed as safe to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the home was registered in June 2022, two managers have left the service. A new and experienced manager has been appointed to the post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has experienced some difficulty in recruiting and retaining female staff. This means that there have been frequent changes in staff in order to support the needs of the child. However, the manager has not completed a review of staffing trends. This is a missed opportunity to reflect and make any changes necessary to improve retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous manager and responsible individual have been active in challenging the placing authority with regard to delays in securing a suitable moving on placement for the child. However, they have not effectively used escalation processes when they have not received an appropriate plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive suitable training and coaching from experienced professionals. Their learning is regularly reviewed in supervision and additional learning is arranged when required. Supervision takes place regularly. The staff are provided with clinical supervision and team supervision. This level of support assists the staff to develop the work they undertake with the child and their own professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff employed at the home are experienced in residential care. The majority of staff have completed the relevant childcare qualification. The training and being qualified help to ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge required to care for children. The responsible individual said, ‘We have very high standards and we only want the best staff to work with the children who come to live in our home.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2672244 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that damaged bedroom furniture is replaced and that bedrooms are routinely monitored to ensure they are kept to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able to understand and, where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)  The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child’s transition is planned and help each child to prepare for leaving, both practically and emotionally. The registered person must use effective escalation processes when there is a delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2672244 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 9b, Turner Business Centre, Greengate, Middleton M24 1RU

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672244 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

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