Children's Home run by New Foundations Care Homes Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for Children’s Home: SC406636 1 SC406636 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to five children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 February 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/05/2022 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/08/2021 Full Inadequate 11/03/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s needs. This helps children to settle and feel safe. When children move out of the home, this is done in a planned way. Children who have previously lived in the home keep in contact and visit regularly. A child who had multiple moves before living in the home said: ‘It must be good if I stayed.’ This is the longest time they have stayed anywhere.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and are ambitious for children to succeed. Where children are not in mainstream school, staff are proactive in securing alternative educational provisions. A child said: ‘I didn’t like going to school, sitting in a classroom. They [staff] spoke to the school and my social worker and now I do an apprenticeship as well as school.’ Staff work closely with professionals to secure good outcomes. One child who had previously not attended school for a significant period has sat their GCSE exams.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. All children are registered with doctors and dentists. Staff promote children to lead healthy lifestyles, and support them to access additional health services, such as smoking cessation and bereavement counselling.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children have routine and structure to their daily lives. They support children to access extra-curricular activities. Children regularly visit local museums in the area and are encouraged to take part in additional activities, such as bowling and going to the cinema, and have enjoyed meals out in the community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence skills. This helps them prepare for adulthood. A child, who is learning about budgeting, said: ‘They [staff] are helping me with budgeting. It’s made me realise how much things cost.’ The child also said: ‘I am applying for jobs. The staff here are helping me. We’ve done pretend interviews. I am so nervous at interviews so hopefully this will help.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be involved in all aspects of their lives. There are regular children’s meetings, where the children are able to explore current issues within the home, choose meal plans and agree activities. As a result, children feel listened to.

p.3

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

Children are educated to understand risks. Staff work with external agencies to help safeguard children. Professionals from other services, including a drug and alcohol service, missing from home coordinator and police community support officers, visit the home to talk to staff and children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 4 A child who was found smoking in their room was encouraged to take on the role of house fire warden. The child spoke to fire officers to help educate themselves about fire risks. They shared what they learned with their peers in the home. Subsequently, children have not smoked in the home.

p.3

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

Children have good relationships with staff and can identify staff they can talk to if they have any worries. One child who has moved from the home, but remained in contact, said: ‘If it wasn’t for the staff I wouldn’t be here today.’ Another child said they can talk to any staff if they are worried. They said: ‘I feel safe.’

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow the missing-from-home protocol and children’s missing risk assessments. They are proactive in locating children. They report them as missing to the relevant professionals. Children are offered return home interviews. This enables staff to understand the reasons for children going missing.

p.4

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

There has been one incident where staff used physical intervention to protect a child. Following the incident, the manager held a debrief with the child and staff, ensuring that the child’s views were sought. However, overall, the use of physical intervention is rare as staff work to de-escalate the situation.

p.4

good

The manager has recently registered with Ofsted and has a vision and ambition for the future development of the home. Alongside the current therapeutic model, the manager is implementing a new therapeutic model. The manager is working towards improvements in the prevention and de-escalation of behaviours, rather than a reactive approach to managing behaviours.

p.4

good

The home has recently been redecorated. Children’s views informed these improvements. However, the manager does not ensure that any damage is repaired in a timely manner, and there are areas of the home that do not feel warm or welcoming. There are also security monitors used 24 hours a day to monitor children entering or leaving the home. The use of monitors is not reviewed to assess whether they are necessary or proportionate. There are still security monitors internally. They are not switched off but covered over. This is a repeat requirement from the previous inspection.

p.4

good

The manager has implemented changes to the home, including having a structured workforce development plan. Training opportunities for staff have increased, and additional training specifically relating to children’s needs provided. This means that staff are developing new skills and building knowledge to enhance the quality of care they provide children.

p.4

good

The manager completes monthly monitoring of the quality of care and progress for children. However, the manager does not provide a detailed evaluation of missing- Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 5 from-home incidents. This results in missed learning opportunities to reduce the risks of children going missing.

p.4

good

Staff receive regular supervision and team meetings are held monthly. The in-house clinical psychologist provides additional support. This enables staff to reflect on any incidents and develop new ways of working. One member of staff said: ‘It helps me develop my role and motivates me.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, that children’s bedrooms and communal areas are made homely. The registered manager must ensure that the home is regularly maintained; any damage should be repaired in a timely manner. 2 May 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate; 2 May 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 7 is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the exit door sensors are only used where necessary and proportionate and are regularly reviewed. All inside sensors should either be turned off at the mains or removed completely.

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered manager must ensure that missing-from-home incidents are fully evaluated to identify patterns of behaviour and ensure that staff understand what actions and strategies to take to de-escalate future risk of going missing from home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 46, paragraph 9.31)

p.7

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: SC406636 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool L10 6LZ

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Hannah Lee Stockdale

p.8

Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.9

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9