Children's home run by Holistic Care Service Nationwide Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 1 Registered provider: Holistic Care Service Nationwide Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to two children. The home’s statement of purpose states that it cares for children who may have experienced previous abuse and who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager in post.

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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: 22 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: 2632889 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 3

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improvement to be good

Three children have moved in to this home since the last full inspection. Two children have left. One child talked to the inspectors. They said, ‘I like living here. It is much better than the previous places I have been. The staff are great.’ However, there is little information about how children move in to the home, such as whether the move was planned or an emergency, whether they visited the home prior to moving, or how the move went. Likewise, children have left the home without any firm plan in place. This does not ensure that children know what is happening and that staff have a clear plan to follow. In addition, the acting manager did not consider the home’s location area report as part of the process. As a result, they had not considered any potential risks in the area and whether these would have any bearing on the suitability of the placements.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager and staff are not aware of the local offer that sets out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between the child and staff are caring and positive. The child rated the home ‘nine out of 10’. Children engage well in meaningful discussions with staff around topics such as how to keep themselves safe, their health needs, and their independence.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager and staff have a good understanding of the child’s health and development needs. They ensure that children attend routine health appointments and that they seek specialist help when required. Children are encouraged and supported to engage in social and recreational activities that promote a healthier lifestyle.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to individual therapeutic support, and most children access this service. The therapist works closely with the staff to provide advice and guidance on the child’s care. However, at the last inspection, the manager was asked to ensure that any therapeutic intervention is documented, evaluated and reviewed. This was not done by the previous therapist. The acting manager has recently changed the service that was providing this support. Therefore, the recommendation has been repeated.

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improvement to be good

A recommendation was set to ensure that any independence work completed with children is clearly planned, evaluated and reviewed. The current child has only been in the home for a short period and no work has been undertaken with them yet. Therefore, the recommendation has been repeated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 4

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improvement to be good

A child said that they are happy, safe and enjoy living at this home. They said that staff are friendly and approachable, and they could talk to staff if they had a concern or if they were worried about anything.

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improvement to be good

Generally, allegations and safeguarding incidents are managed well. They are reported to the appropriate safeguarding professionals. However, there was a delay in reporting one allegation. When this was brought to the acting manager’s attention, safeguarding procedures were followed immediately. A social worker spoken to at this inspection said that they are confident that the manager and staff take the necessary action to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour management plans do not highlight all known risks that are recorded in children’s local authority documents. There is little information on the agreed strategies to use in order to de-escalate situations, and there is no clear guidance for staff to follow if an incident occurs. Consequently, staff are not provided with clear guidance on safeguarding matters, which undermines continuity in the staff team’s response to the children.

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improvement to be good

All staff have received safeguarding training and additional supportive training, such as in preventing child sexual exploitation, county lines and child criminal exploitation, which is refreshed regularly. This means that they have the knowledge to support children and can identify early signs of involvement.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with placing social workers and receive additional support from an independent therapist who helps to develop strategies to support children. Despite some challenges, staff are keen to further develop and build on these strategies with children to support them to develop socially acceptable behaviours.

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improvement to be good

Children and staff are not always consulted with after an incident. This is a missed opportunity to understand the actions of the child and for staff to reflect on their practice.

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improvement to be good

Missing-from-home procedures are in place, which staff understand and follow. Staff work in partnership with other agencies responsible for safeguarding, including the police. The manager ensures that independent return-home interviews are provided to help to gain a greater understanding of the reasons why children go missing. Consequently, some children have significantly reduced their missing-from-home episodes.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment and health and safety practices ensure that only the most-suitable staff work at the home and that it is a safe place to live. Records show that children, staff and visitors are taken through the emergency evacuation procedure. This means that everyone is kept as safe as possible. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 5

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good

There has been no registered manager in post since December 2022. A permanent manager was appointed, but this appointment did not progress to registration with Ofsted. A new manager has now been appointed and she is due to take up her employment this week.

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good

Most of the staff have a relevant childcare qualification. Children are cared for by a qualified, experienced and well-trained staff team. Staff turnover has been high since the last inspection. However, core staff members have remained working here and have provided a consistent level of care for children. The members of the newly formed staff team are working well together and building positive relationships with children.

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good

Staff have not received regular supervision. This does not ensure that they are given the opportunity to reflect on their practice. However, staff say that they feel supported, valued and motivated because they have daily handovers, discussions with the therapist, and monthly team meetings. They say that they can share their knowledge and discuss the children in depth. The staff also benefit from a wealth of training and development opportunities to support their continued professional development.

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good

Management oversight is not yet consistent across all areas of practice. Recording standards are also inconsistent. In some instances, information is sparse. The evaluation of incidents and records is limited. Therefore, there is no real reflection of what needs to change or for staff to develop. Leaders had recognised these shortfalls and they are beginning to take action to address them. However, these actions and systems are not yet embedded to improve the day-to-day care delivered by staff at the home.

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good

External monitoring is good. The independent visitor attends monthly and raises actions for improvement. A quality-of-care review has been completed to inform and develop the standard of care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 31 October 2023

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 7 Specifically, ensure that any allegation against members of staff is processed through the formal safeguarding procedure without delay.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 31 October 2023

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)) 31 October 2023

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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)) 31 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is located in an area that supports children’s safety. Specifically, ensure that the safer area report is used when considering a new referral to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.23)

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Specifically, ensure that children have reflective debriefs after any incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 26, paragraph 5.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that therapeutic input and consultation for children and staff is clearly recorded and evaluated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that support offered to children to increase their skills relating to independence are clearly recorded and evaluated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2632889 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holistic Care Service Nationwide Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Holistic Care Service Nationwide Limited, 4 Rose Hill, Southport PR9 0SN

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Inspectors

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Helen Fee, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2632889 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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