Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 1 Registered provider: Your Chapter Holdings Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2021.

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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: 5 September 2022

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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: 1240843 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2022 Full Good 16/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/03/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home and two children had moved out. Children experience positive moves in and out of the home. Transitions are well planned. Children have an opportunity to visit the home and meet staff before they move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and understand their individual needs. There are trusting and supportive relationships between children and staff. This means that children feel safe. One child said, ‘I am proud to say they are my team, they all have different qualities.’ The child added, ‘I appreciate all that staff have done for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children understand how to make complaints and are supported to share their feelings and wishes through a variety of direct work sessions. Children are consulted about the quality of care they receive and feel listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make variable progress in education. One child attained qualifications and now attends a college. Another child is excluded from school and staff have not consistently supported the child to engage in informal learning. This means that not all children make progress in line with their relevant plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider has added an extension to the home. This has enabled staff to have a separate office and sleeping accommodation and an additional shower room. This means that children can now access all appropriate areas of the home. The home is well furnished and welcoming. Children have personalised their bedrooms.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to attend routine medical appointments. Specialist health services are available and include access to therapeutic support. However, there is limited encouragement for children to stop smoking or using electronic vapes. This means that children are not consistently helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensure that children maintain positive relationships with their families and friends. Staff understand the importance of family time. They safely support children to enjoy time with people who are important to them. This often means transporting children over long distances. There are activities available to children that support their individual hobbies and interests.

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

Managers have developed individual missing-from-care protocols. Missing-from-care incidents are well recorded and detail the action taken by staff to support children to return home safely. Children consistently receive independent return home interviews. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 4 Risk management plans are well detailed and contain strategies for staff to follow. Plans are regularly reviewed, updated, and shared with staff. Positive behaviour is promoted in the home. However, children are not always supported to understand their own behaviour. For example, consequences are disproportionate.

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

The use of restraint is rare and is only carried out in accordance with the legislative framework. Physical intervention records are well detailed and support reflective practice. Following an intervention, managers talk to children about the incidents and use this opportunity to review care practices.

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

Staff carry out room searches sensitively and respectfully. Room searches take place when necessary to keep children safe from harm. Records are detailed and are evaluated by managers.

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

The manager assesses the suitability of the home’s location and includes feedback from relevant stakeholders. Children contribute to this review.

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

Safer recruitment checks are vigorous and carried out with all new staff. The manager has oversight of recruitment processes to ensure that only suitable adults work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is child centred and ambitious for children. The manager has developed a consistent and caring staff team. One staff member said, ‘I feel that all the care team work together well and we have positive relationships with the children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they receive support from managers. Staff receive regular and reflective supervision sessions and attend team meetings. Staff have an annual appraisal to develop their care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training records are up to date. Staff attend mandatory and needs-led training. Staff have individual development plans. This means that children are cared for by a skilled and knowledgeable staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are detailed monitoring and review systems in place. Managers understand the home’s strengths and weaknesses and have taken appropriate action to meet the requirements identified at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff understand the plans for children. However, not all children have an up-to-date local authority care plan. The manager has requested relevant plans. However, the manager has not escalated this further when the placing authority has not provided the plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to access meaningful education. When no formal education is identified, the provider must support children to engage with informal learning and take action which supports the child to return to school as soon as possible. 18 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 6 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(i)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that they recognise and consider children’s individual risks. Managers must ensure that staff understand what actions to take to minimise the risk of harm to children. 18 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that consequences are proportionate and evaluated for their effectiveness. Positive behaviour must be consistently promoted in the home. 18 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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children benefit from relevant and up-to-date plans. 18 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 7

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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: 1240843 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Holdings Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Bokani Nyoni-Chaya

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Inspector

Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240843 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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