Children's home run by Guidance Care Limited

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 1 Registered provider: Guidance Care

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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Inspection date: 26 March 2024

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

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Inspection date: 26 March 2024

Judgement at last inspection requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 26 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: 2685998 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children receive individualised and nurturing care from staff, which results in positive and trusting relationships. Through this support, children are making progress in many aspects of their lives.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are now engaging in education. For one child, staff are developing good working relationships with the staff at school. This ensures that appropriate support is in place for the child to achieve and engage in their education. The child is attending regularly and making progress. The other child is regularly attending and enjoying work experience in landscape gardening and has secured an apprenticeship to start in the summer after leaving school.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s health needs. However, at times, children refuse to attend health appointments. Staff are not actively supporting children to understand the importance of good health. They have not regularly involved other health professionals to offer their support to find out the underlying reasons why the children do not want to attend.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are supported to keep in touch with family members, and staff understand the importance of family time. Staff ensure that children get to see the people who are important to them. Staff transport children and stay in the local area or keep in regular contact so that they can offer support to the child or family member if needed. This ensures that time spent with families is positive.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are involved in their day-to-day care. They are consulted regularly on issues including the decoration of their bedrooms, improvements in the home, menu choices and activities. Children take part in several activities in the community and at the home. One child is developing their independence skills and regularly goes shopping and cooks their own meals. This helps to build children’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Findings from the inspection

Children talk positively about the support they receive from staff. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and can de-escalate incidents quickly. Positive behaviour is regularly promoted and there are incentives in place, which the children respond positively to. This has meant that there have been no physical interventions or missing-from-home incidents.

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Findings from the inspection

Both children say they feel safe and that staff keep them safe. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s risks and respond appropriately to incidents and take action to protect children. Staff know and follow the clear risk assessments in place, and these are reviewed regularly. There has been one safeguarding concern and the management team responded appropriately to keep the child safe. However, despite Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 3 this good practice, there was a delay in the manager notifying Ofsted of this significant incident.

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Findings from the inspection

The responsible individual is currently undertaking the management responsibilities to cover the current absence of the manager. She is child-centred and has high expectations and aspirations for the children. The responsible individual has a good understanding of the children’s needs. This has provided consistency for the children and means that staff feel supported.

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Findings from the inspection

The responsible individual has made improvements in the management oversight. However, she has not reviewed the quality of care for over six months. This means that she has not been able to identify the strengths and areas for development to improve the care for children.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a small but stable team of staff in the home who are committed and share the same aspirations as the management team. However, the staff are not receiving regular supervision to help them to reflect and develop their practice.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a comprehensive training programme available to staff. The management team has a system in place for monitoring staff training, which is effective and ensures that all mandatory training has been completed. Additional training has been completed on the importance of good recording and report writing, and early years trauma. This enhances staff’s knowledge and skills to meet the children’s individual needs .

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Findings from the inspection

Four of the recommendations from the last inspection have been met and one has been restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 5

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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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand children’s health needs and that children are supported to attend medical appointments and involve specialist services which are needed to meet their health needs. 26 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— 26 April 2024 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 6 the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the report is completed at least every six months.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be taken if the event occurs at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8 Sovereign Court, Wyrefields, Poulton-le- Flyde, Lancashire FY6 8JX

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2685998 8 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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