Children's Home run by My3 Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 1 Registered provider: MY3 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 offers care for up to four children who may have social, emotional and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has had no registered manager since January 2023. An interim manager is in post and they have applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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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: 10 January 2023

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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: 1246331 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2023 Full good 22/03/2022 Full good 04/12/2019 Full outstanding 06/11/2018 Full good Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved in and two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. Children’s moves in and out of the home are well considered by the manager. For one child, they had to leave at short notice following a safeguarding concern. This was managed sensitively by staff and, as a result, the child had a positive move to their new home. In addition, the staff supported the other children in the home to understand why the child had moved so quickly and helped them to manage their own feelings about this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are understood and acted on by the staff. This enables children to be involved in decisions made about their care. For example, one child asked to change schools. The manager has advocated this view, which has informed care planning decisions. Children know how to complain. Children’s complaints are responded to appropriately by the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help to nurture relationships between the children and their families. This enables children to maintain important relationships. One family link worker said that staff have worked closely with her to support one child to establish relationships with family that he did not know he had. Staff have facilitated for children to spend time with their family. When needed, staff have supported children to manage some difficult emotions related to their family relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the individual health needs of the children well. The manager has effective oversight of the administration of children’s prescribed medications and works closely with health professionals. Staff complete good-quality direct work with children, which supports them to develop the knowledge and skills to understand their own health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All of the children attend full-time education and complete learning activities at home. Staff have high aspirations for the children. One headteacher said that the staff support the children to develop a positive attitude towards learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to learn about a range of cultures and the local community. One child has applied to complete some voluntary work at a local farm. Staff have supported all of the children to contribute to local charities. This supports the children to develop an understanding of where they live and promotes their involvement in the local community.

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

Children benefit from having a stable team of staff who understand their needs and know them well. Children’s relationships with staff help them to feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 4 Staff have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Children’s plans capture all known risks and provide staff with clarity in respect of the actions that they need to take to keep each child safe. All known risks for the children have reduced as a result of the care provided by staff. One independent reviewing officer said that one child’s self-injurious behaviours had reduced because ‘staff have supported him to learn ways of managing his feelings safely’.

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

Children are enabled to take risks in line with their individual abilities. For example, staff support children to access a range of activities and develop their own independence. This supports children to develop their confidence and pursue their own interests.

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

Boundaries for children are clear, and positive behaviour is rewarded. Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. The manager ensures that all physical interventions used are recorded, and that debriefs take place with the child and staff after any incident. This ensures that practice in this area remains safe and appropriate.

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

The home is a physically safe environment. The children benefit from a spacious and welcoming living environment. There is one internal door in the home that is locked. This separates the manager’s office from the main house and deflects from the otherwise homely environment. The manager has taken action to resolve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The departure of the registered manager and appointment of an interim manager has been seamless and has not compromised the care for children. The manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a culture in which staff are ambitious for all the children. The manager has a thorough understanding of the quality of care that the children receive and has effective monitoring systems in place. The manager takes prompt action when shortfalls in practice are identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel supported by the management team. Staff access regular supervision and training opportunities. The manager facilitates staff reflection and continuous learning. This supports the staff to develop the knowledge and skills to care for the children. Staff morale is extremely high. One staff member described feeling ‘proud’ to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has external monitoring systems in place and responds to feedback to improve the children’s experience. However, the monthly independent person visits do not provide the manager with a detailed assessment of the care that the children receive, or provide the children with opportunities to share their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not identified that some language in children’s records is blameful and derogatory. This does not support a child-led approach, or clearly distinguish Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 5 between fact and opinion. The manager took steps to address this during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has built effective working relationships with external professionals. This has included providing written monthly updates to key professionals. One independent reviewing officer identified that these updates support the review of a child’s care plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information about children in a non-stigmatising way, which distinguishes between fact and opinion. (‘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 ensure that the independent person appointed to carry out visits makes an impartial and thorough assessment of the home’s arrangements for promoting the welfare of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 1246331 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1246331 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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