Children's Home run by GS Social Care Solutions Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1271222 1 Registered provider: GS Social Care Solutions 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 company. It provides care for up to six children who may have been diagnosed with a learning disability and/or physical disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 2 November 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 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: 28 February 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 children’s home: 1271222 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2023 Full Good 16/03/2022 Full Outstanding 03/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/06/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1271222 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children who live in this home have learning disabilities and/or complex health needs. Most have lived in the home for several years. Currently, three children live here. Since the last inspection, one child moved to adult services in a well-planned move. One child recently sadly passed away due to his life-limiting health condition. This was managed with the utmost sensitivity by all involved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a nurturing, family environment. One professional said, ‘The home has an absolute family ethos.’ Children receive highly individualised care that is tailored to meet their needs. This is a key strength of the home. Children enjoy continuity of care from a dedicated and stable staff team. Staff speak enthusiastically about children’s progress and achievements and the skills they have acquired.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is purpose built and is well equipped with specialist resources to meet children’s complex needs. The home was nicely decorated for Christmas. Staff have taken great care to ensure that children’s bedrooms are personalised in line with their needs and interests. However, some of the corridors and one child’s bedroom require painting to freshen up the walls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are responsive to children’s needs. This is because they know the children well. One child said, ‘It’s perfect here.’ He scored it ‘10 out of 10’. Children are doing well at school and all their health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are learning skills to be more independent. Each child has goals they are working towards. For example, children have been learning to pay for items at the local shops, improve their personal hygiene and prepare meals for themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s hobbies and interests are a priority. Children enjoy a wide range of activities. One child spoke about his passion for music and recently took part in an audition for a talent contest. During the summer break, all the children enjoyed a holiday of their choice. These memories have been captured in photo books. These will provide children with happy memories and give them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s unique methods of communication and are skilled at interpreting their body language and reading changes in their presentation. There is high-quality multi-agency working in place, which supports children’s complexities. One professional said, ‘It’s like a massive family here, the care and love the staff show for the children is wonderful.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are not aware of the local offer which sets out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children. Inspection report children’s home: 1271222 4

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

Due to children’s complex needs, staff provide a high level of supervision. Children say they feel safe in the home. Recently, they have undertaken work to understand the importance of staying safe online. Staff receive safeguarding training in line with children’s needs.

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

Staff have a thorough understanding of children’s behaviours. Clear plans guide staff on supporting children when they are distressed. For one child, there has been significant progress in managing his emotions. Following all incidents, staff spend time with children to reflect on the incident and their behaviours. This helps children to understand their responses and regulate their emotions. Physical interventions are rare and used only as a last resort to keep children safe.

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

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made to medication records. There are robust procedures in place to ensure that all children receive the correct dose of medication. Senior staff and management carry out regular audits. Additionally, staff have worked closely with a specialist nurse to make these necessary improvements. Medication is stored in a safe place and records are detailed.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are thorough. All staff are checked and vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a permanent and suitably experienced registered manager in post. She is currently absent from work and an interim manager is managing the home. The staff say they work well together and value the support they receive from leaders and managers. They spoke about the manager’s open-door approach and feel valued. Staff are passionate about the children, and managers continually look to drive improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records are child-centred and unique to their needs. However, some records do not contain accurate information, and some have not been reviewed promptly. Furthermore, it is not always clear who has been the author of these documents. This does not ensure that staff have up-to-date information about the children’s care. Leaders and managers are aware of this and are putting new systems in place to ensure that this is addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff have been able to develop and reflect on their practice because of the good-quality support and regular supervision they receive. The manager ensures that the staff receive annual appraisals. For new staff, good-quality induction processes are in place. When there have been issues with staff performance, leaders and managers have taken prompt action to ensure that concerns are addressed and managed effectively. Inspection report children’s home: 1271222 5 Team meetings are regular and well attended. Staff share information about the children effectively. Minutes and actions are detailed. This helps to support good communication in the home. Staff have access to high-quality training, and support is provided by specialist nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. This ensures that staff are highly skilled in meeting children’s individual medical needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain effective partnerships with families, school staff and social workers. Feedback from professionals is complimentary. They say that the staff have the children front and centre of their practice and advocate well for their rights. Inspection report children’s home: 1271222 6

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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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children’s care plans, risk assessments and moving and handling plans contain accurate information, are regularly reviewed and are signed and dated by the author. 16 February 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer which sets out the support available for children with SEND. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment. This specifically relates to ensuring that the bedrooms and corridors are painted, where necessary, to give them a refresh. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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 children’s home: 1271222 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: GS Social Care Solutions Limited

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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1271222 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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