Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 1 SC064735 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2023 Full Good 06/10/2021 Full Good 07/01/2020 Full Good 03/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home. They are supported to develop positive relationships with staff. These relationships underpin the good progress that children make in all areas of their lives. Children’s progress and achievements are celebrated, and have recently been recognised at the local authority award ceremonies. This is something that children and staff are incredibly proud of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be involved in groups such as the children’s council. This supports children to develop their social skills and enables them to have a voice and opinion on matters that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is well supported. Since moving in to the home, all children have made progress in their education. The staff place an emphasis on children’s learning, and children are encouraged to achieve in education. Not all children are completing education full time, and this is a target that staff are supporting children to work towards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend health appointments and engage in direct work about the importance of their physical and emotional health and well-being. Staff work alongside external professionals to support children to develop an age- appropriate understanding about issues that may affect them, including the dangers of using vapes and substance misuse. This helps children to make safer choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with people who are important to them and to engage in activities of their choice. They have access to new opportunities and are involved in planning a holiday abroad. For some children, this will be their first time going abroad.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised with their pictures and personal artwork. However, some communal areas of the home, including the upstairs and garden area, look tired and unkempt. Children’s privacy is compromised because windows in bedrooms and lounge areas do not have sufficient coverings. The use of cages on the ceilings to protect computer equipment and excessive fire signs detract from the homely feel.

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

Children are demonstrably safer due to the care and support that they receive. There were high levels of concern identified in relation to each child prior to them moving in to the home, including high-risk behaviours, such as substance misuse, self-harm, offending, and being missing from home. In all cases, these concerns have now significantly reduced or have completely ceased. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 4 There is a strong focus on a system of praise and reward. Staff recognise and celebrate children’s achievements on a regular basis and ensure that they are rewarded. Positive reward and incentives promote children’s self-esteem.

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

Allegations are responded to without delay. They are shared with the relevant professionals and thoroughly investigated. The outcomes are discussed with children and debriefs take place with children and staff to ensure that relationships are supported and everyone feels safe.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. When incidents do occur, staff take appropriate action and follow children’s plans to support their safe return. On their return, children are given the opportunity to speak with professionals who are independent of the home. However, on one occasion, a return-home interview was not provided. This was a missed opportunity for the child to share their views and to reflect on the incident.

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

Behaviour management in the home has improved and incidents of staff needing to hold children have reduced. When it has been necessary to hold children to keep them safe, the records kept of the incident are detailed. However, not all staff have been supported to reflect on and engage in a debrief, and not all records contain the manager’s oversight. This does not ensure that holds have been necessary and effective, or support staff development and reflection.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place, but a shortfall around recruitment records was identified during the inspection. This did not have an impact on children and is something that the manager took immediate action to resolve.

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good

There have been changes to the management team since the last inspection. A new manager and an assistant manager have recently been appointed. Both are passionate about their roles and, together, they strive to strengthen the leadership in the home to support and develop the staff team and improve the quality of care for children.

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good

Managers and staff have developed positive relationships with external professionals. Information is shared appropriately and in a timely way, which is valued by professionals who are involved with the children.

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good

The staff team is stable and provides consistent care for children. Staff speak highly of the home’s leadership and say that they receive good levels of support. Team meetings take place regularly and are a forum for staff to discuss the children’s progress and share their views about the home’s operation.

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good

Not all staff have been supported with probation reviews or given the opportunity to reflect on their practice, performance, and development. The quality of staff supervision sessions is variable, and sessions do not consistently take place for all Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 5 staff. Supervision records do not demonstrate how managers provide appropriate challenge or support for staff. This is a missed opportunity to develop staff practice and improve the quality of care provided for children.

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good

Staff are provided with a range of training opportunities to assist them in their roles. The majority of staff hold nationally recognised qualifications in children’s residential care and have access to learning in areas that are relevant to children’s individual needs. However, one staff member has not completed the recognised qualification within regulatory timescales. A requirement has been issued in relation to this.

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good

Management oversight is not fully effective. Changes to recording systems mean that there was a delay in accessing information during the inspection. A more efficient system is being implemented by the manager, but is not yet embedded. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 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, 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 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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment, with signs kept to a minimum and free of institutionalised fixtures and fittings; that all areas of the home and garden are well maintained and kept clean; and that windows are sufficiently covered to maintain children’s privacy. 16 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 16 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 7 employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that matters of schedule 2 are evidenced and accessible, and that staff are supported to complete the relevant qualifications within regulatory timescales.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 16 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 8 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(b) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive effective supervision and probation reviews in line with the organisation’s policy.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 16 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all records in the home are structured and maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing, that their responsible local authority provides the opportunity for the child to have an independent return-home interview. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: SC064735 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064735 11 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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