Children's home run by SBL CARE SERVICES (UK) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2746466 1 Registered provider: SBL Care Services (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in August 2023. This is the home’s first inspection after registration.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living in the home.

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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

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: 2746466 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child likes living in the home and is making progress. Although the child has only recently moved into the home, professionals and family members recognise the progress that the child is making and are complimentary about the care provided by the team. One professional described seeing positive changes in the child and said that the work the manager and home staff had been able to do was excellent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide nurturing care in a relaxed environment and spend time getting to know the child. This helps the child to develop positive relationships with staff. Staff regularly talk to the child about issues that are important to them and ensure that the child is included in decisions about their care. This helps the child to feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have been proactive in helping the child to settle into the home and have purchased the child a bearded dragon that they had expressed an interest in. The child gives excellent care and attention to the dragon and is enjoying the responsibility of caring for their pet. The child is being helped to develop skills in preparation for becoming more independent. They are included in meal planning and shopping and regularly cook pancakes or rolls for breakfast.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making good progress in education. Their attendance has significantly improved, as prior to living in the home they did not attend school for long periods. The child is being supported to retain their place at their previous school and has access to an online portal with a mixture of live online tutoring, online learning and in-person tutoring. The child engages very well with this provision and staff ensure that the child is ready for education each day. The manager is working closely with relevant professionals to ensure that a school that has been identified for the child is able to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are well understood. The child is supported and encouraged to attend routine health appointments and they are registered locally with relevant health services. The home staff have registered the child with a smoking cessation service as they were vaping prior to coming to the home. However, they have not vaped since living here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is living at a distance from their home authority. Staff recognise the importance of family time and help the child to keep in touch with their extended family members. This ensures that the child is able to maintain their identity and sense of self. One family member said they ‘feel confident that this is the right home for [name of child] and it means a lot that they are happy.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2746466 3

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

Staff have gained a good understanding of the child’s needs and vulnerabilities in the short time that child has been living in the home. The manager has kept the child’s plans under review and revises them as required to ensure that staff are provided with the most up-to-date information to care for the child.

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

Risk plans are clear and help staff to understand the issues for the child. There has been a reduction in known risks for the child. There have not been any incidents of the child going missing from the home or being involved in criminality, which were frequent concerns prior to the child moving into the home. Staff are aware of the procedures to follow should incidents arise.

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

Staff help the child to understand the risks around social media and mobile phone use. Appropriate safeguards and phone checks are undertaken to ensure that the child is kept safe. Support sessions also take place to enhance the child’s understanding of how to keep themselves safe online and in the community.

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

Prior to the child moving into the home, the manager was proactive in giving the team time to develop. To ensure that they continued to build on their skills, staff undertook shifts at other homes in the group. The manager was child-focused when making decisions about a child moving into the home and took time to ensure that the team was able to meet the needs of a child moving in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. Staff, professionals and family members are positive about the manager and describe the home as a supportive environment where the child is thriving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision sessions with the manager. This is practice-related and staff say that they find it helpful. The first full team meeting since the home opened has taken place and was well attended by all staff. The manager said this was an opportunity for the staff team to get together and reflect on their practice as they are a new team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is diverse and provides positive role models for the child. However. the home’s rota does not reflect all the hours staff are on shift. This leaves children vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in the home. She uses monitoring tools to ensure that the child is receiving good- quality care. However, there has been a shortfall in the external monitoring of the home as independent visits did not take place from the point of registration as required by regulation. This has now been rectified. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746466 4

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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 ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 14 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. 14 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746466 5 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home’s rota reflects the actual hours that staff work in the home.

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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: 2746466 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: SBL Care Services (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 17 St Peter’s Place, Fleetwood FY7 6EB

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2746466 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 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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Inspector

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