Children's Home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 1 SC441410 Registered provider: Inspire Childrens Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022. He submitted an application dated 15 May 2023 to cancel his registration.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/04/2022 Full Good 09/02/2022 Full Inadequate 11/06/2019 Full Good 18/12/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 3

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inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice, care planning and the leadership and management of the home. These weaknesses have had a significant impact on the safety and well-being of the child and his overall progress and experiences.

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inadequate

The child’s relationships with staff have been adversely affected by the numerous changes to the staff team. As a result, the positive relationships that the child initially developed with staff ended. Therefore, the child does not have any staff members that he is comfortable to talk to and who he can trust.

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inadequate

New members of staff do not have the skills to establish trusting relationships with the child. Staff do not demonstrate that they understand the impact that changes in the child’s life have on his emotional well-being. Records do not demonstrate that staff have the skills and experience to help the child understand decisions that are made in his life.

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inadequate

Staff are not proactive in seeking the views of the child. Staff do not talk sensitively to the child to understand how he feels about important decisions in his life. This does not support the child to have a sense of belonging.

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inadequate

Staff do not help the child to develop a consistent daily routine. Staff do not implement clear and consistent boundaries to help the child day to day. For example, the child does not attend education or any home learning as part of his daily routine.

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inadequate

Staff do not have clear strategies in place to support the child to attend school. When the child does not attend school, educational activity is not promoted in the home, and the child is able to go out in the community. This limits their future opportunities.

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

Leaders’ and staff’s response to risk is not robust, and action is not consistently taken to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Leaders and staff do not demonstrate that there is a strong and proactive response to managing risk and reducing harm. Safeguarding practices are weak, and staff do not have effective strategies to protect and support children.

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

Leaders and staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and keeping the child safe. Effective action is not taken when there are serious concerns about the child’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 4 Risk management plans are in place. However, staff do not follow the strategies outlined in these plans to reduce the risk to the child. When the child is missing from home, staff do not consistently follow strategies as outlined in the child’s plans. For example, staff do not consistently contact the child when he is missing from home.

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

Leaders do not identify the significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice. Therefore, ineffective and unsafe practice has continued, which has left the child at risk of harm.

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

There have been increasing concerns about the child leaving the home during the night. Leaders identified safeguarding measures; however, these have not consistently been in place. For example, staff do not take timely action to ensure that window restrictors have been replaced when broken. This means that staff do not always know when the child has left the home during the night. Therefore, the child is at potential risk of harm in the community.

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

The child is not consistently spoken to by staff when he returns home after being missing. Staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity about where the child has been. These are missed opportunities to try to identify any triggers to these incidents to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Leaders and managers do not take sufficient action to arrange independent return home interviews for the child, so the child can speak to somebody independent from the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the home, and there is no registered manager in post. As a result, there is a lack of accountability, which has impacted on the stability in the home and led to serious shortfalls in the help and protection of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders' and staff’s oversight, review and evaluation of risk management are poor. Leaders and staff do not review and evaluate strategies to keep the child safe. Records do not demonstrate effective management evaluation. As a result, leaders and staff do not reflect and learn from incidents to reduce the risk of harm to the child and improve the quality of care that staff provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and staff are not working in line with their aims as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Additionally, CCTV has been installed to the external walls of the home. This is not recorded in the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, written consent from the social worker has not been sought to allow the home to monitor the child when leaving and returning to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and staff do not take sufficient action to address gaps in the child’s care plans. There has been a lack of challenge to the local authority to ensure that the child is aware of his care plan. This contributes to the ineffective overall care planning for the child and significantly impedes staff’s ability to improve the quality of care provided for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each child— 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 6 is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

keep the children’s guide and the home’s complaints procedure under review and seek children’s comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(b)(i)(iii)(c))

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 7 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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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)(a)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 staff— 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 8 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(x))

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)(e)(i)(f)) 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 9 The registered person should ensure that there is an up-to- date care plan in place.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that the statement of purpose is updated to include the use of CCTV. 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that written consent is received from the placing local authority regarding the use of surveillance and monitoring. 21 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 21 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 10 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should seek feedback from relevant stakeholders to inform the quality of care review.

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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: SC441410 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Childrens Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St. Helens WA10 1GJ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Bradshaw

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Inspector

Kayleigh Treanor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 12 regulates and 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 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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