Children's home run by Exceptional Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 1 SC483070 Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional needs. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified manager in post, who registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2023 Full Good 16/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who know them well and understand their needs. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with children. This means that children feel happy and safe. A child said, ‘They have changed my life. I wouldn’t be doing as well as I am now if it wasn’t for these [staff] here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move in and out of the home are well supported, and move in a planned way that is sensitive to their needs. The manager explores children’s needs with agencies to ensure that decisions for children to live in the home are carefully considered. Children are invited to visit before moving in so that they can meet staff and the other children. A child said, ‘It’s really lovely here. I had to move in an emergency, but I came to visit the day before I moved in, that helped me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to attend education placements and have aspirations for their future. Staff support children to attend school, including by staying with them when necessary for emotional support. When children do not attend school full time, staff share weekly timetables to ensure that children’s days remain structured around learning and education. However, staff do not always ensure that daily timetables are followed, and sometimes take the children on fun activities when they should be in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles; they have healthy diets and engage in physical activities. Staff educate children about the risks of drug and alcohol use, smoking, and vapes to ensure that they understand the risks to their health. However, children have vapes in the home and staff do not consistently challenge this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views about different aspects of the home, including household rules, meals, and activities. The children recently chose the colour scheme for the living areas, and they are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. A child said, ‘It [the child’s bedroom] had been painted pink in the colour I chose; I was amazed it was so quick.’ As a result, children feel a sense of belonging, which helps them to settle and feel safe.

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

Children are educated to understand different areas of risk to enable them to make informed decisions about their choices. Staff work openly and transparently with children about a wide range of topics. As a result, children are comfortable talking to staff if they have any concerns or have found themselves in difficult situations.

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

The manager and staff work closely with external services and people in the local community. The local police community support officer regularly visits the home to talk to the staff and children, to help to reinforce positive lifestyle choices for children. Staff are kept up to date about current issues in the area. When the children are out alone, Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 4 staff have a good knowledge of where they are and who they are with, which helps them to keep children safe.

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

When children go missing, staff follow the protocols and report to the relevant agencies. Staff are proactive at searching all local areas to locate the children. Children are always offered a return-home interview, so that they can discuss the reasons they go missing. The manager ensures that feedback is included in risk assessments to help to reduce incidents where children are missing.

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

Staff respond quickly to children who self-harm. They ensure that any items that might cause a risk are removed, and that the child has access to medical attention. Children are referred to child and adolescent mental health services, and staff encourage them to attend all appointments. Children can talk openly about their mental health. Children’s mental health has improved since living here. For example, a child has spoken about wanting to reduce their medication now that they feel more able to manage their feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current manager is working alongside the deputy to build their management skills and knowledge, ready for the future planning of the leadership structure due to a promotion in the team. This transition is being carefully planned to ensure that the children are fully prepared for the change to minimise any disruption.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that there is a varied range of training available to staff. Staff are well supported to carry out their roles, and work well together as a team. The manager can identify strengths and areas of development in the team. More-experienced staff support new members to help to build their confidence, knowledge, and skills. This means that staff have the necessary skills to care for children and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is well maintained. Any home improvements or repairs are dealt with promptly. The location risk assessment is reviewed regularly and includes the children’s views and their needs. The staff complete monthly fire evacuations. However, the manager does not ensure that a copy of the fire assessment report is kept on file, and actions are not completed in a timely manner. Action was taken to resolve this immediately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that there are monthly team meetings, and all staff receive regular supervision. Staff can talk openly about any issues during meetings and know that they will be listened to. This provides staff with opportunities to reflect on incidents and informs future learning and areas of development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 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

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— that staff help each child to—

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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. (Regulation 10 (1)(c) (2)(a)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children have clear and consistent messages about the use of vapes in the home. This includes staff challenging children and removing vapes when they are seen with them, to discourage the use of vapes. 27 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to the registered person ensuring that a copy of the fire risk assessment is kept on file and that any actions in the risk assessments are completed in a timely manner. 27 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children who are not in full-time education are given a clear routine each day, with suitable structured activities to support them back into education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: SC483070 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malthouse Business Centre, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Rachel Springford

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Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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