Children's home run by My3 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 1 Registered provider: My3 Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider and provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager were registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and trusting relationships with the staff. Children are supported by adults who treat them with dignity and respect. The staff and manager speak fondly and passionately about the children. Staff support and encourage children’s cultural identities. They are supported to eat a halal diet and to celebrate religious festivals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work with placing authorities and families to promote positive and meaningful family time in line with agreed plans. This makes sure that the children can maintain the relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress from their indivdual starting points. One child who wouldn’t leave the house and was reluctant to spend time with others is now enjoying going out in the community and spending time with staff. Children have access to and take part in a wide range of activities to meet their interests and hobbies, which are appropriate for their age and abilities. They regularly go trampolining, swimming and shopping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to express themselves and to make choices through their preferred communication methods. Children have the opportunity to contribute to their day-to-day decisions and they have a choice in their meals and activities. They are supported through social stories to understand key information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend education each day. One child received a letter from the virtual school praising them for their high levels of attendance. Staff communicate key information with the school. When there have been difficulties, the manager has challenged this with the school and arranged meetings to quickly address and resolve any issues.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments. When additional medical appointments are needed, staff use social stories to prepare the children and to help them understand why the appointment is needed. This helps the children to engage with the appointments, so their health needs can be met.

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

The manager staff team place the children’s welfare at the centre of their practice. There have been no safeguarding concerns or issues, staff are suitably trained in safeguarding and staff spoken to were able to explain the process to follow if a concern was raised. However, staff were unclear of the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer.

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

Internal placement plans for children include risk assessments and behaviour support plans, these are detailed documents which give clear guidance and Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 3 strategies for staff to follow and link into placing authority plans and personal education plans. This ensure that there is a consistent approach to supporting the children.

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

There has only been one occasion when it has been necessary to hold a child to keep them safe. It was reasonable, proportionate and carried out in line with the child’s agreed plans. After the incident, the child and staff had the opportunity to reflect on the incident. This report and other reports of significant events are suitably detailed and include the manager’s oversight.

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

Staff do not routinely use consequences for the children as they do not feel they are effective in line with their model of therapeutic care. Positive praise and incentives are encouraged. This means that achievements are suitably rewarded and celebrated.

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

When children are new to the home, they are made to feel welcome and this is done with the best possible planning. Before a child moves in the manager considers the child’s individual circumstances, staff training and skills and the possible impact for other children. This means that there is a child-centred approach to deciding if children are suitable to live together and whether the staff can meet the child’s needs.

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

Safer recruitment checks are in place for core staff and agency staff. This ensures that staff employed are safe to work with children. However, not all staff completing recruitment checks and interviews are trained in safer recruitment.

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

The physical environment for children is safe and secure and protects them from harm or the risk of harm. The home is warm and welcoming with photos of the children throughout. There is a separate sensory room which provides children with a place to relax and unwind.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced registered manager who is supported by a deputy manager. The managers know the children well and have an ambitious vision for what the children can achieve. The manager has successfully created a culture in which staff place the needs of children at the heart of their practice and aspire to improve the lives of the children who live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The ethos of the home is to provide a warm, welcoming environment that supports and promotes positive outcomes, the whole team embraces this ethos and children are making progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to ensure that she has oversight of the home. She makes use of internal and external monitoring to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 4 There is a stable and consistent staff team in place who have completed mandatory training and additional training to meet children’s individual needs. However, not all staff have completed training in the children’s preferred communication methods.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions are completed monthly and are an opportunity to discuss the children and to review staff practice. In addition to this, team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by the team. They are used as an opportunity for the staff to come together and share information about the children with each other. The therapeutic lead also attends team meetings to facilitate reflective practice sessions with the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work in partnership with external professionals such as social workers, therapeutic lead and occupational therapist. This ensures that everyone is working for the best interest of the children which has promoted positive outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 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

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 (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have training in communication aids. Additionally, staff who are involved in the recruitment and interview processes must have training in safer recruitment. 8 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supervision of staff practice includes how staff engage in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. In particular, the registered provider should have systems in place to ensure that staff understand the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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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: 2731966 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co Ltd, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2731966 7 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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