Children's home run by Tressell Homes Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 1 Registered provider: Tressell Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties or learning disabilities. It is operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/05/2022 Full Good 17/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 26/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/03/2020 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with the small core team of staff. They engaged in genuinely warm, playful interactions during the inspection. The home was filled with children’s laughter when they came home from school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care planning is effective. There is careful consideration of children already living at the home as well as the needs of a new child, before a place is offered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The team understands the importance of education. Staff act as strong advocates for children when challenging other agencies about delays in finding new school provision. However, independent advocacy should be considered to ensure that children’s rights are promoted. Children attend school regularly, which also helps them to develop their social and communication skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the individual health needs of children and encourage them to understand the importance of attending appointments. Children access specialist support for their physical and emotional well-being. Staff seek guidance from health professionals to help children through difficult life events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are growing in confidence and are able to share their views and opinions. The staff respect children’s wishes and feelings about seeing friends and family members. Children’s friends are made to feel welcome in the home. Staff and children have participated in local community events and children enjoy a range of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a say in how the home is decorated. Their bedrooms are personalised to their individual tastes. The home provides a welcoming environment for children to live in. However, some redecoration would improve the appearance of the bathroom.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities. Individualised risk management plans have clear strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. Staff follow procedures to ensure that children who go missing return home safely and as quickly as possible. The manager challenges the placing authority when independent return home interviews are not arranged promptly.

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

The manager checks medication records and takes action to improve practice shortfalls. However, shortfalls have been missed, including changes to records not being signed and in the disposal of medication, which does not follow good practice guidance. This has not affected children’s welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 4 Staff use consequences in response to children’s negative behaviours. These include restorative practices to help children to understand their behaviour and how it may affect others.

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

Children are sometimes held to keep them or others safe. Records are detailed, and the manager speaks with the staff involved. However, individual debriefs with staff are not consistently recorded to promote learning and changes to practice.

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

Alarms are used on external doors. These are risk assessed as a safeguarding measure, with consent provided by the social worker. The manager does review their use, but this is not recorded on a regular basis to show that they remain necessary to keep children safe.

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

The staff understand their responsibilities to follow safeguarding procedures. Any safeguarding concerns are appropriately referred to relevant safeguarding agencies. The manager takes prompt action to address any shortfalls in practice that contribute to safeguarding concerns. Additional measures are introduced to minimise reoccurrence.

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good

The manager’s oversight of practice in the home remains inconsistent. Although monitoring systems are used to review and evaluate documents, the manager does not always use them effectively to drive improvements in practice. Any recommendations from external independent monitoring are considered to support improvement.

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good

Information is duplicated across different documents. This means that staff are doing additional work that takes them away from spending time with the children. Information stored in different locations makes it difficult for the reader to understand children’s experiences of living at the home. Some language used in documents is institutional and unhelpful.

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good

Staff retention remains a challenge, which undermines children’s sense of stability and consistency of care. However, efforts are made to reassure children that they are valued. The manager ensures that agency staff are consistent individuals who understand the children’s needs.

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good

Some staff supervision is not taking place in accordance with the provider’s policy. The manager is taking steps to improve this. Staff say that they feel well supported and that they can approach the manager for advice when they need to. However, opportunities to spend time reflecting on practice in a formal way have been missed.

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good

The staff access a range of training to meet the specific needs of individual children. However, they are yet to undertake training in bereavement and loss to support their understanding and practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 5 Two staff sleep at the home overnight. One of them is sleeping in a reception room. This prevents children from accessing a part of their home.

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good

External professionals from children’s social care, education and health services say that the staff are always cooperative and communicate well to support children’s needs. They say that children are thriving and are loved by the staff who care for them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 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, 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

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that debriefs with individual users of the measure are fully recorded, to identify any practice improvements and learning. 27 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 medicines received into the children’s home. (Regulation 23 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff dispose of any medication in accordance with good practice and sign any amendments to errors in records. 27 August 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

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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

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; 27 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensuring that the home has a consistent staff team, and that the manager has appropriate monitoring and review systems in place.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, all staff should receive supervision in accordance with the provider’s policy. 27 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that a communal reception room is not used to accommodate staff sleeping at the home overnight. 27 August 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are clear, avoid the use of institutional or unhelpful language, are signed by the author and help children to understand their journey of living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraphs 14.4 and 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff complete specific training to develop their skills to meet children’s needs, including bereavement and loss. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)  The registered person should ensure that records are kept demonstrating that the use of modifications designed to safeguard children, including audible alarms on external doors, is reviewed regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the use of an independent advocate is considered when necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.18)  The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained to a high standard, including redecoration of the bathroom. (‘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: 2540658 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tressell Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 41, Price Street Business Centre, Price Street, Birkenhead CH41 4JQ

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Inspector

Karen Willson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2540658 10 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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