Children's home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 1 SC063673 Registered provider: After Care Northwest Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties. One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home currently does not have a registered manager.

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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: An assurance visit in March 2023 found serious and widespread concerns. As a result, two compliance notices were issued in relation to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. The compliance notices were met appropriately at a monitoring visit in May 2023. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 23/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 3

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improvement to be good

The child living in the home told inspectors, ‘I like living here. Staff are good and I go out on regular activities.’ However, the child raised concerns that staff who they trusted and got on well with had been moved to other homes in the company without seeking the child’s views. This means that the children’s views, wishes and feelings about important relationships are not always considered.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager made the decision for two of the children to move out with immediate effect. Both children moved to unregistered settings. There was limited information on how these decisions were made or what plans were in place to prepare the children. Therefore, it is difficult to see what other options were explored before the notices were given.

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improvement to be good

Generally, the children’s information is in good order and is accessible to the children. However, there is little information about the steps staff have taken to secure good progress and outcomes for the children in health, education, relationships and behaviour. For example, children who were previously not attending school are now attending a mainstream school. The acting manager and staff worked closely with a range of educational professionals to ensure that children had an identified educational provision. However, this information is not recorded in the children’s documents. As a result, there is little information on how this progress was achieved. Therefore, there is little information in the children’s files for children to review in adult life.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the children to adopt healthy lifestyles by encouraging them to eat a healthy diet and to engage in physical exercise. Children are supported with their individual health needs and they have good access to local health services when they need them.

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improvement to be good

Staff make sure that children see the people that are important to them. Staff transport, supervise and take children out on activities with their friends and family members so that it is a more relaxed environment.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with other safeguarding professionals to support children. Staff follow their safeguarding procedures to make sure that children are safe and that they are cared for well.

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improvement to be good

Staff have clear information on the actions that they need to take to lessen the risks to children. Documents are regularly reviewed and updated as required. Therefore, Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 4 the acting manager can continually evaluate the risk to children and alter staff practice, if necessary.

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improvement to be good

Staff contact professionals and parents when children are missing from the home. Staff take action to follow the child and search for them if their whereabouts are unknown. On their return, children receive an independent return home interview in line with statutory guidance. This means that the children can talk about the reasons why they went missing and express any concerns that they may have.

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improvement to be good

When children’s behaviour has become a concern, staff have called the police to make sure that children are safe. Strategy meetings have been held after these incidents, but the acting manager is not consistent in requesting a copy of the minutes from the local authority. As a result, staff were not clear on what changes they needed to make to their practice. In contrast, effective incentive plans have reduced some incidents and the child is making progress in this area.

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improvement to be good

There have been occasions when children have been held for their own safety. Staff do not routinely reflect with children after they have been held. This means that children are not given the opportunity to speak about their experience and learn about what they or staff could have done differently.

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improvement to be good

Staff at the home use praise and incentives to encourage positive choices and establish clear routines with children. As a result, children’s achievements are recognised and celebrated. For example, a child said that they had been to a theme park to celebrate their good attendance at school.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious, welcoming and decorated to a good standard. Children can express their likes and personality in their bedrooms. Staff complete regular health and safety checks. This means that the home environment is safe, secure and meets the children’s needs.

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good

The home has not had a registered manager since 2021. The home has been overseen by an interim manager for a year.

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good

There is a stable staff team. Staff have a range of life experiences and some staff have a relevant qualification in childcare. Newly recruited staff are at different stages of completing the qualification. However, not all staff have completed mandatory training or additional training to meet the children’s needs, such as restraint training, understanding child sexual exploitation and substance misuse. This does not ensure that staff have the skills to identify concerns, to take appropriate action or to support their continuing professional development.

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good

The staff team receives regular supervision that is reflective and is underpinned by development and individual strengths. In addition to this, staff have monthly team Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 5 meetings where they share examples of good practice and development to aid their learning. As a result, staff say that they are supported, valued and motivated.

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good

The interim manager works collaboratively with a range of external professionals. A social worker said, ‘Communication between the home and me is very good. I am pleased with the progress the child is making, especially in education.’

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good

External monitoring of the home helps the acting manager to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the care provided. The acting manager is then able to make changes when necessary to make improvements that are in the best interests of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 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

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. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 30 September

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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

promotes their welfare. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 7 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)) (2)(a)(c)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all staff have received training in restraint training, substance misuse and child sexual exploitation.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)) 30 September

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the minutes from strategy meetings are requested robustly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.3)  The registered person should ensure that the steps taken by staff, to secure good progress and outcomes, are clearly recorded within the children’s records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: SC063673 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care Northwest Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Kensington Road, Southport, Lancashire PR9 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

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Inspectors

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Tracey Sykes, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063673 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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