Children's home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Preston

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 1 SC063380 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by an independent provider. The home provides care for up to four children who present with complex behaviours following adverse childhood experiences and trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in January 2023. They are in the process of completing a level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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: 25 January 2023

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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: SC063380 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2023 Full Good 15/06/2021 Full Outstanding 18/02/2020 Full Good 19/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about living in the home and about the staff who care for them. They view it as their home. They have made great progress, and continue to rely on and benefit from established relationships with a core team of staff. A child who moved in a few months ago has settled in well. One child said, ‘I feel safe and I feel respected. Life is good here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote children’s education and encourage them with their ambitions. One child is at school and attends regularly. Another child attends an alternative provision. This is based on their education needs and vocational interests. One child has struggled with formal education settings. The manager has advocated for and secured a tutor who offers education in the home. The child enjoys this and engages well. As a result of this good work, the child is being supported to gain basic qualifications and practical skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop their independence skills. One child has actively taken up support from staff and is confident in all aspects of caring for themself. The child said that they feel they are ready for their plan to live more independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical and emotional health of children are promoted well by staff. Children attend routine health appointments and are physically fit. Staff also encourage children to attend more specialist appointments and assessments. The in-house therapist provides regular guidance to staff. This helps staff to continue to deliver the home’s therapeutic parenting approach. This means children benefit from consistent care that is attuned to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A range of activities are chosen by children to enjoy with staff. Children have enjoyed golfing and swimming and they have been on holiday with staff. These activities and children’s achievements are captured by staff in memory books. Children can take and cherish these when they leave the home. These opportunities build children’s self-confidence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is spacious and decorated to a high standard. Photos of the children brighten up the large communal areas of the home. Children have personalised their bedrooms with wall colours, lights and pictures. This helps children to feel proud of their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their family and friends. One child has been helped to rebuild their relationship with a family member. This is an important part of their plan to move back to the care of their family. The child’s parent said this good work by staff enabled their child to go on a family holiday with them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 4

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

Staff use planned formal conversations, informal conversations and rewards and praise with children. This helps them to understand socially acceptable behaviours such as the safe use of mobile phones and the internet. Professionals from other agencies also take part in these conversations to aid children’s learning. As a result, children said they feel safe in the home. There have been no complaints or allegations against staff since the last inspection.

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

The manager has good oversight of the risks to children. They use their monitoring and reviewing systems to make sure risk assessments and children’s support plans are up to date. These plans provide staff with guidance about how to reduce risks and actions to take during incidents. However, the home’s location risk assessment has not been reviewed in consultation with some relevant agencies. The manager acknowledges this and has plans in place.

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

Staff physically intervene with children as a last resort. This is done to keep children safe, is well recorded and has good management oversight. Children are reassured, sharing their views and reflecting on their behaviours. The manager works closely with the in-house therapist following incidents. Together, they help staff to learn from their practice and to ensure that children’s plans are updated and robust.

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

Staff understand their role and actions to take when children go missing from the home. The manager works closely with other professionals to reduce the risk to children. Staff educate children to increase their understanding of risks and to help them make safer decisions when they are in the community. A social work manager said the staff team have done very well to balance the needs and risks for one child in line with their age and plan for independence.

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

The health and safety aspects of the home have been assessed by an external assessor. Two important recommendations from the assessor’s final report have not been completed in a timely manner. This issue was addressed by the manager during the inspection and the work has been booked to take place. The impact on children’s health has been minimal.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated manager, who has worked in the home for several years. They have been a consistent and respected person in the children’s lives and for the staff team. They are supported by a deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed their monitoring and reviewing systems. These effectively track the quality of care for children and the progress they make. The manager actively challenges other professionals when children’s progress is affected. One child continues to receive support from a specialist mental health service. This is due to the manager challenging their decision to stop their support for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 5 There is a stable staff team, and the majority of staff are suitably qualified. They have access to and are up to date with a wide range of training. Some of this training is based on children’s needs and known risks. This means children receive care from skilled and well-trained staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said they feel valued and supported by leaders and managers. They enjoy working in the home. They have regular supervision meetings that focus on children’s experiences, staff development and welfare. Staff also have regular team meetings, when they reflect on practice and experiences alongside their colleagues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Partnership working is a strength and the manager is a positive role model to staff. External professionals and a family member said the home communicates well with them about children’s care and well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 6

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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 registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in Regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 7 May 2024

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the uneven garden paving is fixed and that the Legionella risk assessment is completed promptly. 7 May 2024

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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: SC063380 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Family Care Associates Limited, Business Centre, 60 School Lane, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire PR5 6QE

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Inspector

Nurul Kabir, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063380 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 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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