Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 1 SC423460 Registered provider: Teen-Works Care 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 and cares for up to three children with social and emotional challenges.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has recently retired. A new manger has been appointed but has not submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. They all spoke to the inspectors about their experiences of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/02/2022 Full Good 29/10/2019 Full Outstanding 04/09/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 3

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improvement to be good

This home is warm and welcoming with plenty of space for the children who live there. The children have influenced the décor of their own rooms as well as the communal areas. Walls are decorated with the children’s photos and art that they created with staff. Downstairs, each child has their own space for homework and gaming, which means they spend less time in their bedrooms and more time around staff.

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improvement to be good

Children have well-established relationships with staff and are making progress. Staff care about the children. One child’s social worker said, ‘The progress made is unbelievable and it’s down to staff who have shown [the child] they are committed’. However, due to their familiarity with the children, staff do not use appropriate professional curiosity when safeguarding concerns arise. Consequently, this impacts on the experiences and progress for some children.

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improvement to be good

All children have excellent attendance at school. Staff are supporting one child to continue further education in line with their strengths and interests. Another child has been supported to find a work experience placement that is linked to their interests for a future career. When additional educational support is needed, this is either in place or being sought.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to understand healthy relationships and boundaries. They encourage children to spend time with people who are important to them safely. Children enjoy spending time with their friends in the home and in the community. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging and to maintain positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff offer children a variety of activities and outings. They support children to enrol and engage in local clubs. Staff encourage children to remain active and to take care of their health and hygiene. When needed, staff take children to health appointments.

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improvement to be good

Staff teach children life skills and support them to develop independent living skills to prepare them for adult life. Staff help children to think about their future and what they will need to achieve their goals. This encourages children to continue striving to reach their ambitions.

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improvement to be good

Staff are strong advocates for children. They know the children in their care well. One child said they are, ‘Confident that if we needed anything the staff would help’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 4 All children said they feel safe living in this home. There have been no complaints or allegations of harm during this inspection period.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand risks for children. Children’s plans are regularly updated to reflect significant changes in risks and behaviours. However, staff are not provided with clear strategies to follow when difficulties arise.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s behaviours and ensure there are clear boundaries and consistent routines. Staff know children well and are able to help them calm down when upset. This means children have not had to be physically held by staff for their safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete regular work with children to help them understand positive behaviour. However, when risks are identified, staff do not always follow appropriate safeguarding procedures. Similarly, other key professionals have not always been informed of information shared with staff. This does not ensure the safety of children.

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improvement to be good

All staff complete regular fire drills with children. As a result, children are aware of how to safely leave the home in the event of a fire.

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good

Leadership and management in the home are undergoing a period of transition. The registered manager has recently retired from her post. The previous deputy manager has been appointed into the manager’s role. She knows the home and the children well. Managers are experienced and are valued by staff and children alike.

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good

Managers support staff to understand how children’s experiences impact on their emotions and behaviours. Staff and managers aspire to provide the best care for children.

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good

However, there have been shortfalls in management oversight in the home and key safeguarding risks have been missed. The new manager is aware of some of these gaps and is introducing new systems to improve monitoring and oversight in the home. However, these have not yet been put into practice, so their impact cannot be assessed.

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good

Staff are provided with appropriate training centred around the specific needs of the children living in this home. However, not all staff have completed their qualifications within the required timescales. This does not ensure that children are supported by a qualified and knowledgeable staff team.

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good

The staff team is provided with regular supervision, which they find useful. Positive aspects of their practice and opportunities for learning are identified. One member of staff said: ‘Supervision is somewhere we receive positive feedback on good practice. I come out feeling great’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 5 Team meetings are held monthly. The managers have made team meetings more accessible to all staff to increase attendance. This ensures that all staff are aware of key updates for children and have opportunities to reflect on their practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that appropriate professionals are consulted when making safeguarding decisions for children. 1 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if 1 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 7 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all risk assessments contain clear steps for staff to follow should an incident arise. Ensure safeguarding procedures are followed through in liaison with other professionals.

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they have oversight of all work being completed. Ensure incidents and work are evaluated to establish patterns and trends and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements. 1 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 8 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff working in the home are qualified to the appropriate level within 2 years of their start date in children’s residential care. 1 August 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: SC423460 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lonsdale & Marsh Ltd, Cotton House, Old Hall Street, Liverpool, Liverpool L3 9TX

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Inspectors

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Sarah Jackson, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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