Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 26 January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager who is suitably experienced.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is living in the home. Transition planning for the child moving into the home was good. The registered manager ensured that the child was invited to visit the home on several occasions prior to the child moving in. The registered manager explained to the child what life at the home would be like and this helped to ease the child’s anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress in the short time she has been at the home. For example, the child has started to go out in the community more. This is something which she found difficult previously. The child is now accessing a variety of activities, including trampolining, bike riding and water sports. The child is currently attending a week glamping holiday at a working farm supported by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage the child to develop age-appropriate life skills. This includes completing the weekly food shop and helping with the cooking. Staff have helped the child to manage her worries about being in large crowds, and this has meant that the child is becoming increasingly confident and able to complete tasks such as going to the shops.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager has developed a child-friendly version of the placement plan that is appropriate to the age and understanding for the child. This means that the child understands what to expect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff carry out direct work with the child to explore her views, wishes and feelings. The child finds it difficult at times to communicate but staff are encouraging the child to be more open about her feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in full-time education. The registered manager has high expectations of the child attending school and facilitates the transport to and from school. The child’s attendance is currently 96%. The staff are developing good communication links with school. The child has an education and health care plan, but staff do not have an up-to-date copy of the plan. The absence of this document has not impacted on staff’s understanding of how best to support the child’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good health. The staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs and past traumas. They are working with other professionals to help and support the emotional needs of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from positive family time. She gets to see her sister and they spend quality time together. The staff also support the child to see her previous foster carer, as the child identifies this person as being important in her life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 3

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

The child feels safe in the home. The child said, ‘I am happy at the home. I feel safe. Everything is nice .’

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

The child is new to the home, and she is beginning to develop trusting relationships with the staff team. There have been no complaints, but the child said she knows how to raise concerns. The manager ensures that there are clear risk assessments in place. These are constantly under review. As the child’s relationships with staff develop, the staff are getting a better understanding of the child’s potential risks.

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

The staff have a good understanding of the child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. They take appropriate action to address them. The staff promote positive behaviour effectively and, as a result, there have been no risk-taking behaviour. The child does not go missing and physical interventions are not needed.

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

The home has enough staff to meet the care for this child. The registered manager has identified that they need to recruit more staff before any more children move into the home. Recruitment for staff is ongoing. Safer recruitment practices have been followed for those staff who are already working in the home.

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

The child enjoys a comfortable and homely living environment. The registered manager has created a safe environment, which is clean, tidy and free from hazards. All health and safety checks have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and has management responsibility for one other home operated by the same company. There is a good working relationship between the registered manager and her deputy. This helps and supports the smooth running of the home and ensures that there is clear management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable staff team which provides consistency for the child. The staff say that they enjoy working at the home and they feel supported. Team meetings give the staff an opportunity to raise issues and this helps good practice to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training and induction of new staff is in depth. The training consists of mandatory courses and additional training to meet the specific needs of the child. The registered manager has developed a training matrix that allows her to identify gaps in training and to consider the individual developmental needs of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The supervision records are up to date. There is a clear agenda and the staff have an opportunity to reflect on their practice. This ensures that staff are receiving the appropriate support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have developed positive relationships with the professionals involved with the child. The staff send out weekly updates to both the social worker and school to ensure that they are all working together to meet the child’s needs. There was Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 4 positive feedback from professionals regarding the communication from the staff at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are aware of whether a child has an education and health care plan and the information in it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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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: 2714558 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2714558 7 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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