Children's home run by Truly Timeless Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 1 Registered provider: Truly Timeless Care Ltd 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. It is registered to provide care for three children. This may include children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in February 2023.

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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 inadequate

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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: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 2

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improvement to be good

One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection. Staff support the child to attend an alternative education provision, in line with her education plan. Staff work with the teacher to resolve barriers to learning for the child. Staff are working with the child and the careers service to identify further education opportunities for September.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have supported the child to take part in reviews of her care plan. This means that the child contributes to decisions made about her care. Staff provide the child with opportunities to share her views about the care she receives. The child understands how to make a complaint. The child said, ‘I feel listened to. I know [the staff] care about me.’

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to develop independence skills, including using public transport on her own and doing her own food shopping. However, efforts by staff to encourage the child to access new activities have not been successful. As a result, the child has had limited opportunities to develop new interests.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not supported the child to manage some aspects of her personal hygiene. The lack of action by staff in some situations is because staff want the child to learn and take responsibility for meeting her own needs. However, staff are sometimes insensitive in their approach and, as a result, their efforts are counterproductive and not effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not ensure that the child’s bedroom is clean and well maintained. In part, this is because the staff are trying to encourage the child to take responsibility for this task. At the time of the inspection, the child’s bedroom was unkempt and dirty, and there were items of broken and soiled furniture. Leaders acted during the inspection to address this. However, many areas of the house need redecorating, due to the damaged paintwork.

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improvement to be good

Some staff do not understand the child’s known risks, including her risk of exploitation. This reduces staff’s ability to take effective action to safeguard the child. Staff are not sufficiently skilled or consistently confident in managing the child’s behaviour. This means that some staff do not enforce boundaries or challenge her inappropriate behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not acted on information which suggests that the child may be using substances when away from home. Furthermore, staff have not shared these concerns with the home’s leadership team. This lack of action has the potential to expose the child to harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 3 Staff lack professional curiosity. For example, when the child goes out to see her friends, staff do not check which friends she is going to see or where she is going to be spending time. This means that staff are not able to have an accurate understanding of any potential risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not taken sufficient action to support the child to understand her own sexual health needs. This means that the identified risks have not been resolved.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always keep clear records of administered medications. This means that it is not clear that prescribed medications have been administered as needed.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used rarely. However, when it is used, records of these incidents do not always include information about the steps taken to support the child before the use of physical intervention. Records do not show that the child was given an opportunity to discuss the incident afterwards.

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improvement to be good

Since the home was registered, the frequency with which the child has gone missing from home has reduced. This behaviour remains a concern, but when the child does go missing staff take appropriate action to locate her and return her home. Staff ensure that the child is spoken to on her return and give her the opportunity to speak to an independent person. This is helping staff to understand the reasons for the child going missing and to inform staff’s management of this risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been absent from the home for several weeks for personal reasons. The interim management arrangements have been insufficient. In the registered manager’s absence, there has been a patchwork of management cover. Managers who have other responsibilities in the organisation have provided limited and ineffective oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Although there has been a designated manager in charge each day, this has sometimes consisted of managers providing support remotely. The quality of management oversight, particularly over recent weeks, has been poor and has contributed to the child receiving inconsistent and at times poor care. This has compromised the child’s safety and well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that the child’s plans identify their needs or provide sufficient information to inform staff of the actions they need to take to keep them safe. This means that staff’s responses to the child have been inconsistent. This does not provide the child with continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

All staff have completed mandatory training. Despite this, staff do not feel that this training has given them the knowledge and skills to keep children safe. Furthermore, induction arrangements for new staff do not help them to understand their roles and meet the child’s needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 4 Managers have not provided staff with the support and help that they need. For example, staff are not given regular supervision sessions. This is a missed opportunity to review staff practice and address any performance issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the home was registered, two staff have left. This has meant that non- permanent staff, including agency staff, have been used regularly. The lack of permanent staff has contributed to the inconsistent quality of care provided to the child. The child has expressed her unhappiness with the use of agency staff, in particular when she does not know them. New staff have been recruited but have not yet started work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have working relationships with external agencies and contribute to multi- agency meetings. This informs decisions about the child’s care. The child’s social worker said that staff communicate with her regularly about the child and she has observed positive interactions between the staff and the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 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 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 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff understanding their responsibilities in keeping children safe and having access to plans that provide guidance on how they should respond to children’s individual needs. 16 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who —

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

Treat each child with dignity and respect; 16 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 6 Provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to –

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Requirement Due date

Meet the needs of each child (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to planning for each child, to have all necessities they need to live in the home, that staff respond consistently to their needs and that the home is well maintained.

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

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the homes workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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)(a)(e)(h)) 16 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medications received into the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that –

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Requirement Due date

Medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and no other child. (Regulation 23 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to having arrangements in place to administer prescribed medication as directed and to ensure a record is kept of all medication administered. 16 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 7 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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all physical intervention records include detail of the actions taken by staff and of debriefs held with children. 16 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: 2704313 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Truly Timeless Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Truly Timeless Care Ltd, Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2704313 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 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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