Children's Home run by Continuum Care Support – Care Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 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 run children’s home provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2022.

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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 outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 8 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Good 10/08/2021 Full Good 16/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and two children have moved in. Children have had positive transitions moving in and out of the home. One child told the inspector that they are happy and feel safe and have a trusted adult they could speak to if they had any worries.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in a spacious and welcoming home which has a relaxed atmosphere. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to reflect their individual tastes. The home is set in spacious grounds where children can play out. There is a vegetable garden where children and staff grow fruit and vegetables.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide excellent care and support to children. Both children have made significant progress since moving into the home. For one child, this has meant that they no longer self-harm or go missing from the home. Another child’s level of aggression has reduced significantly. Children have built trusting relationships with staff members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are now accessing education. Staff and leaders and managers value children’s education and have been proactive in supporting children to achieve positive outcomes. The manager has escalated concerns relating to children’s education and has been a strong advocate for them. Children now have aspirations for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a wide range of activities and hobbies. Staff promote children’s individual interests and are keen to introduce them to new experiences. One child attends weekly horse-riding lessons which help with their confidence and self- esteem. Children and staff have recently taken part in a memory walk and raised money for charity. Photos are displayed around the home of children enjoying the activities they have been part of. Staff make memory books for each child to take with them when they move out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to learn independence skills. One child’s personal hygiene has improved significantly since moving into the home. They have been given prompt cards which are displayed in the bathroom, which has supported their progress.

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

Staff know the children well and have built trusting relationships with them. Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and how to keep children safe. They know what to do in a range of different safeguarding scenarios. This means that children feel safe and protected. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 4 Risk management plans clearly identify risks and vulnerabilities. These are supported by detailed behaviour management plans. There is oversight and evaluation of plans by the leaders and managers. Staff use their positive relationships with children to de-escalate situations in line with these plans.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home and consequences are rarely used. When consequences are used, they are fair and proportionate. There are clear house rules and boundaries in place, which means children understand what is expected of them and they feel safe and secure.

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

Children have regular opportunities to share their views about the home and the care they receive. They are aware of the complaints procedure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a strong and highly experienced manager. She is supported by a capable deputy manager who shares the same aspirations for children. They are child-centred and hardworking. Children are at the heart of everything the manager does. The manager ensures that children’s input and ideas are always fully considered in her decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There are strong systems in place to monitor the progress children make, which means that children receive high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers provide each member of staff with excellent support, guidance and encouragement. Staff receive regular, high-quality supervision and say they feel well supported by the registered manager. One member of staff said, ‘Managers and the staff team are brilliant. I feel like I can make progress.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff received annual appraisals which are of very good quality. A recommendation has been made for leaders and managers to include feedback from professionals and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are well attended and held regularly. Staff deliver an area of research into practice at team meetings, which enables the team to strive to improve. Leaders and managers now plan to embed this in the team’s practice to continue to provide positive outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have undertaken a range of training, including mandatory training, all of which is child led. Staff hold relevant childcare qualifications. New staff are enrolled on the training for the relevant qualification as soon as they start working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager receives support from the responsible individual and through independent external monitoring visits. Together, this helps ensure that practice in the home is constantly developing and that improvements are made in the best interests of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 5 Leaders, managers and the staff team have well-established and excellent working relationships with local services in the community. This enables children to receive high-quality care from a range of services in a timely manner. When children do not receive a prompt response from services, the manager actively challenges on the children’s behalf. She has been instrumental in securing education placements for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The placing local authorities are extremely complimentary about the staff and the care provided to children. They hold leaders and managers in high regard. One social worker said, ‘I am over the moon with staff. Communication is excellent. I want to give a special shout out to [name of staff] - they are amazing. They have a realistic approach. I feel my experience and theirs combined has worked for [name of child].’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of children and other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2509802 7

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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

Helen Fee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509802 8 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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