Children's home run by Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 1 Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social or emotional difficulties. It is owned by a charity.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 November 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 3

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in the help and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home mean that children’s overall experiences and progress are not consistently good.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy warm relationships with the staff and identify individuals who they would talk to about any worries they might have. They enjoy spending time with staff and taking part in activities at home and in the local area. One child visits an animal sanctuary as a volunteer, and another helps to teach dance to younger children. These activities help children to develop their confidence, self-esteem and social skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote a healthy lifestyle and make sure that children attend health appointments. Children access therapy to support their emotional well-being and to help them manage their feelings.

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improvement to be good

Children attend school regularly and are making positive progress. There is good communication between the staff in the home and education professionals to help children access any extra support that they need. Children’s achievements are celebrated, and staff encourage their future career ambitions.

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improvement to be good

The staff understand the importance of children’s relationships with their families and support them to stay in touch and to see family members safely.

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improvement to be good

Children’s current local authority care plans are not held on their files to inform the plans developed by the team. Care planning does not always clearly show how the staff support children in their individual development. Some records contain institutionalised language and jargon, which do not help children to understand their experiences. The manager recognises these as areas for development to show how the staff are helping children to achieve their outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The staff understand the risks and vulnerabilities that affect the children. However, one child’s plans did not identify their vulnerabilities and how this may affect their behaviour, and there were no strategies in place for staff to follow in response. Staff were observed during the inspection to put in place appropriate boundaries. Consequently, this omission has not affected the child’s safety to date.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow procedures to ensure that children return safely if they go missing from the home. Safeguarding partner agencies, including the police and a member of the Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 4 team who completes independent return home interviews, commented on the effectiveness of communication from the staff to assist them. For some children, the risks to their safety due to being missing from home have been reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand their responsibilities to safeguard children. However, on one occasion, poor communication during the senior on-call management response resulted in a male staff member was left working alone with the children. This contradicts the risk assessment in place and does not follow the statement of purpose for the home about the sufficiency of staff. On this occasion, this did not result in any harm to children. A full investigation undertaken by the board of trustees has identified the necessary changes to improve practice, ensuring that staff and children are not left vulnerable in unforeseen circumstances in the future.

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improvement to be good

Children access specialist services to help them understand and reduce risks to their health, for example from substance misuse. Although a child’s risk assessment identifies the potential harm to their health, the home’s fire risk assessment has not been amended to reflect that there have been occasions when the child has smoked on the premises.

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improvement to be good

Clear and consistent boundaries mean that children do not need to be held to keep them safe. Consequences are rarely required to address negative behaviours. However, the duration of such measures is not always recorded, for example when children’s access to pocket money is supervised.

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good

A suitably qualified and experienced manager leads the home. Staff say that she is supportive and provides positive guidance and leadership. Improvement is needed for arrangements in the manager’s absence if staff need support from senior leaders.

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good

Recruitment records are held at the organisation’s head office. No summary of the checks completed as part of safer recruitment practices is held in the home to show that the staff working there are suitable to work with children.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision. This allows them to reflect on their practice and helps them to identify any training needs for their continuing professional development. Unqualified staff enrol on a suitable course to obtain a qualification for the residential care of children. However, the central training record reviewed is not up to date to show that staff have refreshed mandatory or specific training to meet children’s needs.

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good

The team discusses the care of the children at regular team meetings and makes suggestions to improve the children’s opportunities and experiences. Children’s views and contributions to the running of the home are considered through children’s meetings and individual consultations. Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 5 The manager has a good understanding of the children’s progress. She is aware of areas for development to improve the recording of the support that the children receive. However, internal audits and independent external monitoring systems are not fully effective in identifying shortfalls and areas for improvement of practice in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 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 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; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that each child’s risks and vulnerabilities are documented and include clearly identified strategies for staff so that they can respond to children’s needs effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Care provided to children should be delivered in accordance with risk management plans.

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Requirement Due date

The fire risk assessment for the home should reflect additional risks to safety as a result of children smoking on the premises. 8 October 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

promotes their welfare. 8 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 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;

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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; 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)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that the home operates in accordance with the statement of purpose and that there are sufficient staff on duty to provide continuity of care for children.

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Requirement Due date

Training records should be kept up to date to demonstrate that staff have the relevant skills to meet the children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

Monitoring and review systems should be effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls to drive improvement in the quality of care.

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 8 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 8 the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, records, or a summary of records, that identify the checks completed under Schedule 2 should be maintained in the home.

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that children’s relevant plans, including their local authority care plans, are obtained and kept on children’s records. Information within relevant plans should be used to inform plans developed for each child and demonstrate how the staff are to support children to make progress. 8 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the independent person should critically evaluate the information reviewed and identify recommendations to improve practice. 8 October 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records about children do not include institutional or jargonised language that hinders the child’s understanding of their journey of living in the home. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that all records about consequences in response to children’s behaviour clearly include the duration of the measure. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2633818 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Homes for Positive Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit B1, Langham Street Industrial Estate, Tetlow Way, Liverpool L4 4QS

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Constance

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Inspector

Karen Willson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2633818 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 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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