Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 1 SC405448

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Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. The home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2010.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection there were two children living in the home.

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Inspection date: 7 March 2024

Date of last inspection: 24 October 2023

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Inspection date: 7 March 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 There has been an escalation of serious incidents in the home. Staff do not have the skills to safely manage children’s behaviour.  Children are at risk of harm due to poor safeguarding practice and the overall assessment and response to risk management.  Children’s plans do not contain clear and relevant information to help staff manage children’s vulnerabilities and keep them safe from harm.  Leadership and management arrangements do not ensure that there is effective oversight and scrutiny of the quality of care provided for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to safeguarding practice, care planning and the leadership and management of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, one child has remained living in the home and three children have moved in. Two children moved in in quick succession. This significantly impacted on the child who was living in the home. This led to two children moving out in an unplanned way. One of these children left the home in crisis.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and staff’s response to risk management is poor. Children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities are not fully considered. Staff do not ensure that children’s risk management plans are kept up to date and include relevant information to help staff provide safe daily care for children. This has had a detrimental impact on children’s safety, welfare and progress.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been an escalation of safeguarding incidents in the home. These incidents include children going missing from home, self-injurious behaviour and incidents when children are in crisis. Staff do not have the skills and knowledge to manage incidents safely. This has led to incidents reoccurring because staff do not have the skills to work proactively to reduce risk.

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Findings from the inspection

Missing-from-home incidents are recorded by staff. However, leaders and managers do not monitor and evaluate the records effectively to review staff practice and identify any patterns or triggers to prevent any further incidents. Leaders and managers do not ensure that children can speak to somebody independent from staff working in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Physical intervention practice is poor. Records do not demonstrate that intervention used is in line with regulation. For example, the holds used are not clearly recorded. Debriefs are not completed with children or staff following incidents of restraint. This means that there is limited oversight of restraint practice and the quality of care being provided to children. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 3 Staff are supported to complete online training. However, there are gaps in training to meet children’s individual needs. Leaders and managers do not evaluate learning from the training that staff complete to review staff practice and ensure that children’s needs are met.

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Findings from the inspection

Allegations and complaints from children are not appropriately responded to. This does not ensure that all safeguarding processes are followed to keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

It is Ofsted’s view that it is unsafe to admit any other children into the home while this level of risk, ineffective leadership and poor management oversight continue. If children were admitted to the home, the risks would be exacerbated. As a result, Ofsted has issued a notice restricting accommodation at the home. The notice was served with immediate effect.

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted has also issued two compliance notices, under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Ofsted will carry out further visits to monitor the restriction notice and the provider’s response to addressing the shortfalls.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Inadequate 26/11/2019 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 21 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 5 *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 work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 21 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 20 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 6 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that children are supported to experience positive moves in and out of the home. Furthermore, leaders and managers must ensure that those caring for children are equipped with the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to meet children’s specific needs.

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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; 20 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 7 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that there are accurate records made of restraint practice in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that restraint practice is appropriately reviewed and both children and staff are able to provide feedback about the measure used.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 20 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 8 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders, managers and staff must ensure children are supported to provide feedback about the quality of care they receive and are consulted about the decisions that affect their lives.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 20 May 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 9 communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are helped to understand the impact of their own behaviours. There must be a consistent approach to behaviour support, including identified boundaries, routines and expectations.

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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 kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records are updated and reviewed to include all accurate information. 20 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Gary Shillcock, Jade Harrison

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Inspector

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC405448 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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