Children's Home run by We are Juno CIC in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 1 Registered provider: We are Juno CIC 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 up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. This is the home’s first inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 2

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inadequate

Two children live in the home. They have lived in the home since it opened in May 2023. Children’s overall progress and experiences have been impacted by significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and the poor leadership and management at the home.

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inadequate

Children’s individual needs were not adequately assessed before they came to live in the home. Consequently, there is a plan for one child to move out of the home as the staff cannot meet their needs. This does not ensure that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. This impacts on their care experience.

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inadequate

Children have mixed views about living in the home and their experiences are varied. Not all children are happy living in the home. This does not ensure that all children receive a quality of care that supports their progress and safety. However, children have identified staff within the team who they can talk to if they are worried or concerned.

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inadequate

Staff do not provide children with consistent routines and boundaries to enable all children to feel safe. Staff reward children for their positive choices and behaviour. However, consequences and incentives are not in line with the objectives of the home and lack a therapeutic aspect. Furthermore, consequences are not consistently documented or evaluated to ensure that they are proportionate and effective.

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inadequate

Staff promote a healthy and balanced diet and encourage children to engage in regular exercise. However, the manager restricts access to chocolates and crisps. These are locked in a cupboard to prevent access. This means that children are not supported to develop their understanding of healthy food choices.

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inadequate

The manager works with external professionals to ensure that children have access to suitable education provision. One child has recently resumed education after a significant time out of school. Another child is preparing to start at an alternative education provision. However, children do not have a clear plan or structure for educational activities when they are not in school. This is a missed opportunity to help children develop independent study skills and support their learning.

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inadequate

Despite the shortfalls identified, staff help children to understand the importance of developing their emotional and physical health. Staff support children to attend relevant appointments. As a result, one child has successfully accessed essential dental care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 3 Staff support children to spend quality time with family and friends. Staff ensure that arrangements are in line with children’s plans and are safe. Additionally, staff carry out routine welfare checks to ensure that children are safe when they are away from the home.

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inadequate

The home is decorated to a high standard and offers children plenty of space to play and relax. Children can personalise their bedrooms. The manager ensures that the home is maintained, and any damage is rectified in a timely way.

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

Safeguarding practice is reactive rather than proactive. Oversight by leaders and managers of the care that children receive is inconsistent. They do not always take prompt action when there are concerns about staff practice, and they have not reviewed or evaluated, in any depth, all actions taken to safeguard children. This does not ensure that there is continuous improvement to the quality of care that children receive.

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

Staff try to understand the risks and vulnerabilities that children may face. They support children to develop their own understanding on topics such as keeping safe online and safer relationships. However, written plans and assessments do not provide consistent or clear guidance for staff to follow. This has resulted in inconsistent approaches to safeguarding children and managing behaviour.

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

One child is at risk of exploitation. Staff do not have a clear understanding of the risks that the child may face and lack professional curiosity when incidents occur. Staff work with external professionals and share information in a timely way. However, the manager has not been proactive in responding to all known risks and staff have not followed the plans in place to ensure that children are safe in the home and community.

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

Staff do not consistently follow missing-from-care procedures to keep children safe. On two occasions, staff did not follow the procedures in place to ensure that the safety of the children was prioritised. This left children at risk in the community. In addition, not all relevant information is included in the children’s records, resulting in an incomplete account of the incidents. Furthermore, the manager has not evaluated missing-from-care episodes to ensure that there is a consistent and appropriate response from staff when children go missing.

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

Staff use a range of de-escalation techniques to support children when they are experiencing distress. However, there have been occasions when staff have contacted the police for assistance to manage behaviour. Staff are not suitably trained or skilled to manage behaviour effectively. The manager has recognised this and has identified appropriate actions to address shortfalls in practice.

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

Staff carry out room searches to ensure the safety of children. However, records of room searches are not detailed and do not include children’s comments to demonstrate their understanding of why the measure was necessary. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 4 Staff report allegations against their colleagues correctly. Staff are aware of the whistle-blowing process and their duty to protect children. However, allegations are not always reported to the local authority designated officer in line with safeguarding procedures. Internal investigations lack clear documentation. During the inspection, the manager contacted relevant professionals to report the outstanding allegations in line with safeguarding procedures.

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

Recruitment checks are robust. New staff are suitably vetted following safer recruitment guidelines before they start to work in the home. This promotes safe working practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023. She is suitably experienced and qualified. The manager and responsible individual have identified shortfalls in the home and have a detailed action plan in place to address these. However, this plan has not been embedded into practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff are suitably trained or experienced. Some staff have not received necessary training that would enable them to meet children’s needs appropriately. This includes training around behaviour management, therapeutic care and physical restraint. This does not ensure that all adults caring for children have the skills and knowledge required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has not been a stable and consistent staff team in place since the home has been in operation. Due to staffing issues, the manager and responsible individual have been covering shifts in the home. This caused significant delays in the manager’s ability to review care practices in the home. However, there is now a staff team in place. The manager has identified shortfalls in care practices and developed an action plan with a timescale for how these will be addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff said that they feel supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision and attend monthly team meetings. Staff have access to a trained psychologist to reflect on incidents and their own emotional well-being. This support provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss their development needs, as well as the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager ensures that external monitoring takes place each month. However, the reports lack evaluation and do not provide actions or areas for development for the home. This limits the manager’s oversight of areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 6 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take effective action to safeguard children when they are missing from the home. The registered person must ensure that staff are aware of policies and procedures and that staff follow these to ensure the safety of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that risk management plans are accurate and that staff are aware of the identified risks and the strategies to manage them.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all allegations are reported to the local authority designated officer and investigated in line with safeguarding policies.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is delivering care that meets children’s needs, as set out in the statement of purpose. 28 November

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with appropriate routines and structured activities that provide opportunities for them to learn and develop while they are not accessing formal education.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 8 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are skilled and experienced to meet the needs of the children. The registered person must ensure that staff receive training to be able to provide consistent boundaries and safe care for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place so that there is oversight of all aspects of the day-to-day running of the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 9 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s individual needs are assessed before they move into the home and that staff have the relevant skills and experience to meet children’s needs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, just as in a family home, children can access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. The registered person should ensure that food items are not locked away and that children are supported to develop skills to make healthy food choices. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person appointed to complete regulation 44 visits has the skills and understanding necessary to assess all relevant information, form an impartial judgement about the quality of the home’s care and make recommendations for the registered provider to improve the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)  The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are only searched if

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Recommendations

the child has been informed or asked for their permission. Immediate searching may be necessary where there are reasonable grounds for believing that there is a risk to the child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. The registered person should ensure that such searches are recorded clearly and include the child’s and the manager’s comments. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address unwanted behaviour are recorded clearly and that the manager has oversight of these to ensure that they are proportionate and appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place to regularly reward and celebrate positive behaviour and recognise when children have

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 10 managed situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)

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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: 2722941 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3A Queen Insurance Building, 24 Queen Ave, Liverpool, Merseyside L2 4TZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Quennell

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Inspector

Jenni Gadsby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2722941 12 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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