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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 1 SC042652 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 home is owned and operated by a private company. The home provides care for up to three children. It specialises in caring for children who may have social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant. An acting manager is in place, who is in the process of applying to register.

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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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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Following the inadequate inspection, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, regulation 13, and regulation 14. A monitoring visit took place on 11 July 2023 and the notices were judged to have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/05/2023 Full Inadequate 09/08/2022 Full Good 27/09/2021 Full Good 03/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 3

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improvement to be good

Staff have made improvements to the home environment. Children have been supported to personalise their bedrooms and there are photos and mementos displayed in the communal areas. One child described experiencing an improved sense of belonging as a result.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are not being consistently met. Children regularly miss important healthcare appointments. Staff always rearrange missed appointments, but this is often on multiple occasions. Staff have not successfully supported children to prioritise their health needs.

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improvement to be good

Planning for children’s education has improved. One child has started college and staff have confirmed workplace apprenticeships for the other two children. Children are being better encouraged and supported to achieve their educational targets.

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improvement to be good

Children report feeling happier about their day-to-day experiences of living in this home. Children have improved daily structure, including a variety of fun activities with staff. Children’s complaints are taken seriously and effectively resolved. Children feel more valued and listened to.

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improvement to be good

The quality of children’s plans and records has improved but remains inconsistent. Important local authority documents, which were missing from children’s files, have now been gathered, and updates are added to children’s files quickly. However, the written language used by staff is sometimes very complex and challenging to understand. Information about children is not always recorded in the correct place or in enough detail. Children are also not consistently encouraged to contribute to their own records. Records and plans do not support children to make progress.

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improvement to be good

Improvements have been made in how staff respond to potential risks. Staff now share emerging concerns in team meetings and at shift handovers. Relevant resources and support services have also been identified, which could help children to become safer. However, staff are not always successful in engaging children with this support. As a result, children’s risks are not being effectively reduced.

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improvement to be good

Staff are now more confident about their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. They have now all completed mandatory safeguarding training. Children receive a consistent response to known risks from the adults looking after them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 4 The number of times that children go missing has reduced. Each child has a clear missing-from-home protocol, which staff consistently follow. Children are always offered a return-home interview with an independent professional. Children return home safely and the reason behind their choices is explored.

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improvement to be good

Conflict between children is better understood and managed. Staff listen to children when they raise worries about their relationships with their peers and effectively mediate when necessary. Children feel safer at home.

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improvement to be good

Robust background checks are completed before any adults come to work in this home. This means that those who work in the home have been assessed as suitable to care for children.

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good

There is a manager in post, who has applied to register with Ofsted. Since the last inspection, the manager has put together a comprehensive plan, which they hope will continue to improve the quality of care being provided to children.

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good

The home is now fully staffed. There has been a lot of change of staff and, as a result, children have felt unsettled. The newly established team are working towards building positive relationships with children.

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good

Improvements have been made to the regularity of supervision. However, there are still some occasions when there has been delay, particularly for the supervision of the manager. Staff feel more supported by leaders and managers.

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good

Leaders and managers have improved oversight of staff practice. The manager now reviews staff training each month, and all training is up to date. Managers also complete a monthly audit to review children’s files. However, these systems of oversight have not yet successfully identified and addressed all errors.

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good

Leaders and managers do not have an effective system for tracking children’s progress. Children are making some progress, but there is no easy way to see evidence of this. Staff record targets for children in their placement plans. However, some have remained unmet for a long time, and others have not been set or reviewed. This is a missed opportunity to make sure that children experience positive outcomes because of the care that they receive.

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good

The manager has completed a review of the quality of care. This has been improved to include relevant feedback and has been sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 5

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that children are supported to attend all necessary medical appointments.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must make sure that when additional mental or physical health support needs are identified for children, staff find effective ways to support children to work with these services. 15 November

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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 arrangements are in place to— 15 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 6 manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation (14)(1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must make sure that children’s records contain the child’s own voice, views, wishes and feelings. Their views must be sought and recorded, particularly in relation to significant events, incidents and complaints.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that children’s records and plans always reflect what is currently happening in their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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

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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that their oversight is used effectively to identify and address concerns, 15 November Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 7 risks and shortfalls in practice that impact on the quality of care being provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that there is a good system in place to measure the progress that children are making. When progress is not being made, the registered person must ensure that effective support is put into place.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child, this includes the consistent use of language that children will be able to understand. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision of their practice in accordance with the home’s own policy and timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 61 paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC042652 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care NW 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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Inspector

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 9 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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