Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional needs who may also have learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is no longer working in the home. However, Ofsted has not received a formal application to cancel their registration.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate on 4 May 2023. Due to the serious shortfalls identified, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 35, the behaviour management policies and records standard. Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 2 At a monitoring visit on 15 June 2023, Ofsted found that the registered provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the compliances notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 35, the behaviour management policies and records standard. These notices were issued again.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At this full inspection, actions in relation to the compliance notices were monitored, and it was determined that the provider had made sufficient progress to meet the steps in the compliance notices. Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/05/2023 Full Inadequate 24/05/2022 Full Good 19/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/10/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 4

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, there were two children living in the home. Inconsistent management and staffing arrangements have impacted on children’s overall progress and experiences. However, since the last inspection, children’s overall experiences and the quality of care they receive have improved. Leaders and staff have been more effective in working together to support children and keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with staff, and they can talk to staff about how they are feeling or if they are worried. Children say that staff listen to them and help to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their own individual tastes. They have their pictures and personal items displayed around the home. This helps them to develop a sense of permanence and belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to enjoy a range of activities, for example, mountain biking and a trip to a theme park. Children talk enthusiastically about going out on activities with staff and other children. Staff encourage them to try new activities. This is improving peer relationships and increasing children’s self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to understand the importance of education for their future. Since the last inspection, children have started to attend education, where they are making some progress. Leaders have started to work collaboratively with education providers to identify any potential barriers to learning. However, staff do not engage children in informal learning when they do not attend school. One child does not have an up-to-date education plan that reflects his current educational arrangements.

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improvement to be good

Children are in good health and staff support them to attend routine medical appointments. There has been an improvement in staff identifying specialist services for children, in line with their individual health needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see family members and people who are important to them. This helps children maintain relationships with their families and important people in their lives.

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improvement to be good

Children told the inspector that they feel safe living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 5 There has been a significant improvement in the quality of children’s risk assessments. These now provide staff with clear information and actions to take to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s understanding of risks and procedures has improved, resulting in better safeguarding practices. Their understanding about what action to take when children go missing from home has improved. Leaders and staff now try to understand any triggers to these incidents. Staff work with the relevant professionals to ensure children return home safely.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have challenged effectively and taken action to escalate concerns when the placing authority has not arranged independent return home interviews for children following missing-from-home incidents. This improvement in safeguarding practice means that children have somebody to speak to who is independent from the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, incidents when staff need to hold children have reduced. When staff do use restraint, this is appropriate and proportionate. Restraint records are detailed and are evaluated. Following incidents of physical intervention, leaders support children and staff to talk about the incident.

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good

Leaders have worked hard to meet the compliance notices previously issued. They have improved monitoring and review systems. Leaders understand the shortfalls and have worked hard to make improvements. However, there has not been sufficient time for these to be fully embedded in practice.

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good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the home. The registered provider has not taken urgent action to recruit a manager. Currently, the responsible individual is overseeing the day-to-day management of the home. The responsible individual knows the children well and he is working hard to make the necessary improvements.

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good

Leaders have improved some documents, such as risk assessments. However, not all children’s plans are updated. For example, children’s plans do not include all relevant information from the local authority. This means that staff do not have the most up- to-date information relating to children so they can help them to reach their full potential.

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good

The quality of care review does not identify the strengths and weakness of the home effectively. This is a missed opportunity to meaningfully evaluate and review the quality of care that staff provide for children and to identify areas for staff development.

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good

Leaders have taken action to ensure that there are clearer plans in place for staff to follow in practice to support children. Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 6 Staff say that they feel supported by leaders. However, staff are not receiving supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. New staff are not receiving probationary reviews as outlined in the home’s policies and procedures. These shortfalls do not help leaders identify gaps in staff skills and knowledge so they can support staff to continually improve their practice.

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good

Some staff have not achieved their diploma qualification within appropriate timescales. A requirement is made to address this shortfall.

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good

Since the last inspection, there has been an improvement in staff morale. Team meetings are frequent and well attended. Records demonstrate that these meetings are positive and staff contribute to discussions about the care they provide for children. Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 7

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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 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

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. (Regulation 14 (1) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children benefit from up-to-date local authority plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 26 September Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff complete relevant qualifications within required timescales.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 26 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; 26 September Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 9 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(c)) 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

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 26 September

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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: 1271998 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Your Chapter, Hobart House, 3 Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspector

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1271998 11 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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