Children's Home run by Outbound Care in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 1 Registered provider: Outbound Care 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 provider. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has been registered with Ofsted since 19 May 2022. The manager is also registered for another home owned by the organisation.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 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 for 2510201 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2023 Full Good 07/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home is settled and says that they enjoy living there. Staff know the child well and are actively involved in their interests, such as playing golf and using the games console together. Staff place high importance on the celebration of key events, such as birthdays, which makes the child feel valued. Staff take the child on holidays abroad in the summer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well decorated and maintained. The manager ensures that any damage is repaired quickly. Staff assist children to personalise their bedrooms in line with their wishes and tastes, such as an outer space theme. One child, who no longer lives in the home preferred a different bedroom which was supported by adjusting staff sleeping arrangements. Communal areas are well furnished, comfortable and used by the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. When children move into the home whose health needs are not being met , staff ensure that they have access to local services and get specialist support. Staff provide extra support to the child when they are reluctant to access medical treatment, such as vaccinations. Staff prioritise the child’s mental and emotional health and the manager arranges support from their preferred service. Staff support physical and mental health issues sensitively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is enrolled at school. The manager attends regular meetings with relevant agencies to support the child’s education. However, the staff’s attempts to consistently encourage school attendance, is not always effective, meaning the child has sometimes failed to attend. This does not support the child’s learning and academic progress. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints made by children. The child said they know how to make a complaint and would approach the manager if they had any issues. The child feels they would be listened to. The child does not currently have an advocate but is aware of their role and how to access one if needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with those people who are important to them. Time with family is organised in line with the child’s wishes and transport is provided by staff. Staff know the child’s friends and they are welcomed into the home.

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

The child feels safe. They trust the staff team and would approach them with any issue. Staff give the child opportunities to learn about risks and how to protect themselves, such as in relation to sexual health and substance misuse. Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 4 Staff know the child’s individual risks. Risk management plans contain all the relevant risks and clear strategies to mitigate them. The documents are updated regularly. Therefore, staff have clear and detailed guidance to support children in all areas of need and use this to keep the child safe.

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

The child rarely goes missing from the home. When incidents of the child going missing do occur, they are managed well and staff actively look for the child. Staff make detailed records of these incidents. The manager reviews the incidents promptly and takes action to prevent reoccurrence. The manager’s actions have been successful in reducing risk, as there have been no further incidents.

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

Staff have held children to ensure their safety and others. When staff have physically held children, this has been proportionate to the risk to the child. Staff debrief with children after a restraint to ensure that their views are obtained.

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

Staff put in place consequences when there has been damage in the home. However, the consequences have been financial not restorative, and are ineffective in promoting positive behaviour. A recommendation has been made in relation to this.

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good

There is a suitably experienced and qualified manager in post. A skilled deputy manager supports the manager in the home. Together, they have excellent relationships with the child and are involved in their daily care.

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good

The manager provides a supportive environment for the staff team. Staff have regular supervision and timely appraisals. All staff are provided with good training opportunities. The manager has provided extra support and time for staff to achieve their qualifications when required. Staff say that the managers and leaders are accessible and approachable.

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good

The manager encourages the staff team to work collaboratively and consistently with the child. There is a strong ethos in the home of shared ownership and responsibility among the staff. This provides children with a sense of stability.

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good

The manager has a good understanding of the child’s progress and identifies areas of unmet need. But no plan is then developed to drive progression in those areas. This means that opportunities to support the child to achieve are missed.

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good

The manager has systems in place to review incidents. However, they do not recognise when staff recording is not sufficient or reflective of practice. The manager’s oversight of the consequences given to children does not identify when these are ineffective. Therefore, opportunities to identify staff development needs and make improvements to the quality of care have been missed. A requirement has been made in relation to this. Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 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 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

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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the manager’s oversight of key documents evaluates practice and recording, and action is taken to address any shortfalls. 15 December 2023

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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.

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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

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(x)) 15 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 6 In particular, that the manager and staff ensure that attendance and punctuality at school are supported consistently.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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 for 2510201 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outbound Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Metropolitan Business Park, Preston New Road, Blackpool FY3 9LT

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home for 2510201 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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