Children's home run by Teen-Works Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 1 Registered provider: Teen-Works 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 by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

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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: 2503574 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/01/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good 18/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children currently live in the home. One child has lived in the home for several years. Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home. These children had positive experiences during their time at the home and were helped to move on in a positive way. Children like living in the home. One child said, ‘I feel so loved by the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health and well-being. Children benefit from access to universal healthcare services. All children have up-to-date health assessments in place. Staff have sourced specialist support from other agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services, to support children’s emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s hobbies and interests are well catered for, and they enjoy a wide range of activities. One child spoke about his passion for wall climbing. During the summer break, one child enjoyed a holiday abroad of their choice. This provided the child with a new experience. Another child is making plans for this year’s holiday. Memories are captured in regular newsletters and journey records. This gives children a sense of belonging and something they can look back on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education and are doing well. When one child experienced some difficulties, the manager and staff were proactive in meeting with education providers and implemented a plan to support the child to increase their attendance and focus on their learning. Children are encouraged to attend their own meetings and discuss their plans. One professional said, ‘The progress for [name of child] is massive, staff have recently supported her to attend her own review meeting, which is great.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although there have been some recent staff changes, the team of staff work well together. Children receive good quality-care from a committed staff team. Staff are nurturing towards the children. They describe their ethos as ‘caring’ and ‘loving’. This is demonstrated in the relationships staff have with the children and was observed during the inspection. One parent said, ‘Staff have helped him develop his confidence and they treat him like their own child.’ A professional said, ‘I cannot speak highly of the support the team have given to [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and well presented. Staff have taken great care to ensure that children’s bedrooms are personalised in line with their interests. However, the walls in the dining room require new wallpaper and one child’s bedroom requires a new carpet due to stains. The manager has plans in place for works to be scheduled. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills, including cooking, laundry tasks and travelling independently. One child said, ‘Previously, I was a young carer and the staff here have taught me how to be a child again.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 4 The children are fully supported to spend quality time with families. Communication between staff and families is positive. One parent said, ‘Any issues that may come up, I feel completely confident that they would deal with it.’ This helps children to develop their sense of identity and belonging.

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

The home has a clear and consistent approach to risk management. Children say they feel safe. There are individualised risk assessments in place. The manager regularly reviews risk assessments, and staff are knowledgeable about the strategies included in them.

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

Children receive appropriate help and support from an encouraging and caring staff team. Staff are guided by well-written behaviour support plans that help them understand the things that may upset the children. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques to support children when they are distressed. As a result, there are few incidents, and no restraints have been used in the home.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are in place, and robust checks are carried out on all staff before they start working in the home. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed.

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

Medication is stored safely. Records are clear, and regular auditing takes place. Staff are trained in administering medication.

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

Joint working relationships with the police mean that children have developed their knowledge of how to stay safe online. Staff communicate well with all external professionals and key-work sessions are of good quality. This ensures that children are helped to reflect on incidents and learn from these. When it has been necessary to carry out room searches, staff have done so in a sensitive way, and they are appropriately recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and has led the team for some time. She is committed and child focused. The registered manager is supported by a deputy manager, who is new in the role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that both managers are approachable and are always available to support them when needed. The manager leads the team well and has created a culture of positivity in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities that are relevant to their roles and to the children in their care. However, not all staff have received training around supporting children who identify as transgender. This means that not all staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to understand some of the challenges and issues that children may face. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 5 Supervision takes place regularly. However, the quality of this is variable. Records do not routinely reflect the discussions that have taken place or demonstrate when practice is discussed and reflected on. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of internal and external monitoring systems. They review the ongoing needs of the children they support and identify where the service can be developed. However, there is not a clear workforce development plan in place. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from daily handovers and regular team meetings. There are robust induction procedures in place that provide new staff with a detailed programme of training and orientation in their new role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is suitably staffed. Staff know the children well. Where 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 for children’s home: 2503574 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all staff receive training in supporting children who identify as transgender. 1 March 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment. This includes ensuring that stains on a child’s bedroom carpet are removed and that the dining room is decorated to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, produce detailed supervision records that reflect the discussions that have taken place and where practice has been reflected on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2  The registered person should ensure that the home produces a workforce development plan in line with Regulation 16. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 7

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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: 2503574 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lonsdale and Marsh Limited, Cotton House, Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9TX

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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 9 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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Inspector

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