Children's home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 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 home is privately owned and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced.

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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 good

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is currently living at the home. The manager carried out a detailed assessment to understand the needs of the child before their move into the home. The child said, ‘I am happy at the home and wouldn’t change anything, it is the best home I have been in.’ This shows that the staff have been able to build a positive relationship with her in the short time she has been at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing and caring in their approach. This has helped the child to trust staff. Staff are quick to praise the child for their achievements, which helps to increase the child’s self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is struggling to engage with their current education. This is a long- standing issue. The manager is working with relevant professionals to review the current education offer. Currently, the child is accessing a tutor each morning and completing educational activities in the afternoon.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child’s health and well-being and encourage the child to attend routine health appointments. Staff are also educating the child on healthy eating and being more active.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed a good relationship with the child’s mother, which has helped the child to have positive family time. The child is now having daily contact with her mother and planned overnight stays on a regular basis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child participates in a wide range of activities. This helps her to feel part of the local community and is helping her to develop existing and new skills. The child is also developing her independence skills. Staff encourage her to clean her room and to be involved in shopping for and cooking the evening meals.

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

The child feels safe in the home. She says that she is happy, feels safe and is aware of the complaints procedure. The child feels comfortable to go to any staff member if she is worried about anything. There have been no complaints raised.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the risks associated with the child. There are clear risk assessments in place, which are reviewed regularly. However, at the time of the inspection, not all staff were aware that the child was subject to a deprivation of liberty order. There is no evidence that this lack of knowledge has compromised the child’s safety.

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

The child has a history of going missing from care but has not been missing while living at this home. Similarly, the child has a history of self-harming behaviour but has only self-harmed on one occasion while living at this home. This incident was Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 3 well managed and appropriate safeguarding procedures have been put in place to help reduce further occurrences.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s behaviours and are consistent in their approach. As a result, the child’s behaviour is well managed and there is a focus on promoting positive behaviours. This has meant that physical interventions have not been required.

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

The manager is working with other professionals to keep the child safe. The child has now started to engage with a psychologist. This means that the child’s emotional well-being is being appropriately considered and promoted.

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

The manager ensures that all necessary checks are carried out before staff start to work at the home. This helps to ensure that adults working with children are safe to do so.

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

The home provides a safe, homely and welcoming environment for the child. The manager ensures that all relevant health and safety checks are carried out and any shortfalls identified are quickly rectified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced, caring and child-centred manager who has clear oversight of the home. This enables her to identify any shortfalls and quickly respond to these. The manager has created a culture in the home around high expectations and aspirations for the child, which is shared by the whole team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager builds positive relationships with other professionals and family members. She advocates for the child to ensure that her needs are met. This was confirmed from positive feedback from the mother of the child who said, ‘[Name of manager] has been a great advocate in meetings, and this has really helped as I have not felt I had this before. I feel supported as a parent when raising issues with other professionals.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that there is a comprehensive placement plan in place which reflects the needs of the child. Staff have created a child-friendly version of the document. This has enabled the child to understand her needs and contribute to her plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed to meet the child’s needs. There is a committed group of staff who work well together. The staff and the child speak positively about the manager and say that she is supportive and understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular, reflective and meaningful professional supervision and team meetings. This gives the staff an opportunity to develop their practice and they feel they have a say in how the home is run. This helps them to have a shared ownership in the development of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 4 There is a comprehensive training programme in place and all staff have completed their mandatory training. The manager has ensured that additional training has been provided for all staff to meet the child’s individual needs. New staff receive a thorough induction programme of training and guidance in their new role. Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have the knowledge of the child’s deprivation of liberty order to give them the skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate the child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2725038 6

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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

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2725038 7 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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