Children's Home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 1 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to three children with emotional and social issues. There are currently two children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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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: 13 December 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: 2689544 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are working hard on building relationships with children, getting to know them and creating a pleasant environment. One child said, ‘It’s got a good vibe here, everyone is always laughing and joking.’ Children feel comfortable living in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend education regularly. One child has just taken their GCSE exams and has gained a place in college, starting in September. This is a huge achievement for the child, who has progressed extremely well from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to lots of different activities. Each child has a photo memory book which shows all the fun activities they have done with staff. Children go for walks, to the driving range, the gym and youth clubs. Children have fun with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family relationships are supported. Staff facilitate contact and communicate well with family members, which means that children’s identity needs are supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff support children to go to all their health appointments and to make positive decisions about their own health. This will ensure that they remain healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals say that the manager and staff communicate well with them and that they are kept up to date with what is going on for their child. This ensures that everyone who is working with the child is clear about how the child’s needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable, like a family home, but lacks personalisation. Children would feel more at home if their pictures were on the wall and their rooms were decorated to their taste.

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

Children have individual risk management plans and care plans, which are updated regularly. Staff know the children’s risks well and can keep children safe. Children have very clear boundaries. There are incentives in place for good behaviour.

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

Children’s meetings include learning sessions, which discuss and promote different cultures and diversity. This helps children be more accepting of difference.

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

Children have individual missing-from-home plans. There have not been any episodes of children going missing in this inspection period. Incidents of self-harm have reduced significantly since the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 4 Safer recruitment is practised in this home. This means that children are cared for by staff who undergo thorough checks to ensure that they are appropriate to care for vulnerable children.

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

Staff do not always respond quickly to the signs that children are becoming upset. This has on occasion led to prolonged incidents that have necessitated police intervention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular reflective supervision with the manager, which has been in a formal and also informal format. Staff attend induction training sessions and training is identified in a workforce development plan. A qualified therapist is part of the staff team and offers staff drop-ins and reflective debriefs which relate to the needs of the individual children. Staff can reflect on their work with the children and develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager challenges professionals when the services offered to children are not appropriate to their needs. This means that children are listened to, and their needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the service well. He knows the team’s strengths and is transparent about any areas that need improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the service and offers staff and children the opportunity to debrief after incidents. Following one incident, training issues were identified for the staff but were not followed up by the manager. This means that similar issues could occur again if not addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked hard to ensure that staff have the skills and experience to care for children who come to live at the home. There are still some areas of learning to cover, and a clear assessment for a child who it is proposed comes to live at the home has not been completed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 21 July 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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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) (g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff development is supported by debriefs after incidents and that staff are aware of all actions that they should take during such incidents. 21 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is homely and comfortable, and that children’s rooms are personalised to their own tastes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2689544 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 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 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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