Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 1 SC010090 Registered provider: Partners in Care 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 and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for two children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operating without a registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 10 October 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2023 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 24/08/2021 Full Outstanding 26/11/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 3

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improvement to be good

Due to a high turnover of staff, children struggle to form stable relationships with staff. As a result, children frequently encounter staff from other homes in the organisation. One child said, ‘I find it hard to make relationships. Having so many new people makes me anxious and unsettled.’

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improvement to be good

Arrangements for the safe administration of controlled medication are inconsistent and unsafe. As a result, one child managed to store unused medication in their bedroom. Efforts by staff to ensure that the child took their medication in the presence of staff were ineffective. Therefore, the health and well-being of this child could have been compromised.

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improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are decorated in a style of their choice. However, some decor looks worn and in need of refreshing. Two vacant bedrooms are awaiting a complete refurbishment. Some bedroom items, including wardrobe doors, are damaged and in need of repair or replacement.

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improvement to be good

Despite the challenges brought about by a lack of a stable staff team, children’s daily routines are maintained by the remaining small core staff team. This provides children with a sense of stability during a time of change.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care needs are assessed in partnership with the placing authority and the organisation’s therapeutic team. A ‘three-stage therapeutic formulation’ is then developed which provides staff with the guidance for managing children’s individual care needs.

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improvement to be good

Children continue to make good progress in education. Suitable plans are in place to ensure that children are given the right support to achieve in their studies. One child is preparing to sit their GCSEs and another child is considering their further education options. Children are positive about their educational experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children are provided with opportunities to express their views and opinions. They participate in regular children’s meetings and complete monthly feedback forms regarding their care and experiences. Suggestions are valued and action is taken where possible to address these.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to develop skills for independent living. An initial assessment of skills is carried out to evaluate the child’s strengths and areas for development. A new independence suite has been created to enable children to take small and supported steps to live independently. A child said, ‘I am looking forward to this but won’t be moving into the suite until I have completed my GCSE examinations.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 4 Children are supported to spend quality time with their families. Where families request additional support, staff are on hand to provide this. Since the last full inspection, one child has successfully returned to live with his parents.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged and supported to take part in activities. They enjoy playing football, attending the explorer club and spending time with their friends and family. Children have access to a range of board games and books in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children have experienced significant change since the last inspection. The registered manager resigned, and several experienced members of staff have left the organisation. This has resulted in children being cared for by a range of unfamiliar staff, including staff who are new to children’s residential care. As a result, children’s sense of stability has been weakened and incidents of self-harm, aggressive behaviours and the use of physical intervention have increased.

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improvement to be good

Most children living in the home have done so for several years. Therefore, staff who remain working at the home know the children very well. As a result, assessments that identify risk provide suitable guidance for staff to manage children safely. However, when new children come to live at the home, assessments are not effective. This is because strategies to manage risk are not pitched to the child’s individual needs. Furthermore, managing risk is hampered by a lack of skilled and experienced staff to manage challenging situations with consistency.

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improvement to be good

There has been an increase in the use of holding children to keep them safe. Records identify the types of holds used to guide children away from potential danger. However, there are no standalone reports for physical interventions. It is difficult to identify if the recording of physical interventions meets the required regulations as the documents are not easy to read and understand.

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improvement to be good

There are occasions when a child’s bedroom is searched when staff believe there may be a risk of harm. Should items be found that pose a risk, they are removed. However, records do not consistently state what has been removed and where the items are stored for safekeeping.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in children harming themselves. Staff have responded with empathy and ensured that items that have been used to cause harm are removed and any injuries are cleaned and dressed. However, staff have not assessed additional potential risk factors, such as solid window blind cords in the child’s bedroom.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from the home. When this occurs, staff follow the child’s individual missing-from-home plan. This means that staff take suitable action to secure children’s safe return. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 5 Records of complaints are improved. Children making a complaint can review their records without viewing other children’s complaints held on file. Complaints are suitably investigated, and children are provided with feedback and the outcome of the complaint. Likewise, when an allegation against staff is made, the correct procedures are followed without delay to ensure the child’s safety in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are cared for by staff who are appropriately vetted before commencing work in the home. Records of staff recruitment confirm that safer recruitment policies are consistently adhered to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager resigned from her position and left the organisation on 19 April 2024. A new manager has been appointed and will commence the management of the home on 6 May 2024.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Several new members of staff have been employed since the last full inspection in October 2023. However, nine members of staff have resigned from their positions during this time, which has resulted in the overuse of agency staff and staff from other homes operated by the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The skills and experience of staff are not routinely matched to the needs and challenges of children living in the home. This has resulted in staff being assaulted and being unable to manage children’s complex behaviours. Where it was assessed that one child required a higher level of staff supervision, there was insufficient staff available to provide this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Regulation 40 reports are now provided to Ofsted in accordance with regulation. However, there is a frequent lack of detail contained in the reports. This means that the regulatory body is not provided with a clear assessment or analysis of incidents occurring or the action the registered manager has taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The external monitoring of the home is carried out consistently. Reports provided by the external visitor are somewhat improved. However, reports do not provide a comprehensive evaluation of the care being provided to children or identify some of the shortfalls as identified at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Overall, staff are provided with regular supervision. Records of supervision indicate that there have been opportunities to reflect on disruptions in the home. Therefore, staff are provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice to aid their continued development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are provided with online and face-to-face training. Records of training are updated and opportunities for future training are discussed during team meetings and individual supervision sessions. Staff receive training that is specific to the needs of the children they care for. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 6 Several new members of staff working in the home are not experienced in residential childcare. They have received mandatory training and are on target to complete their probationary period. The inexperienced staff work alongside experienced staff. A further recruitment drive is underway to secure a stable staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards.’’ The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)) 14 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 8 The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs. (Regulation 31 (1)) 14 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the safe administration and record- keeping of controlled medication. 14 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a separate record of physical intervention is maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that Regulation 40 reports include all pertinent information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should work with the independent visitor to ensure that the report consistently provides a detailed analysis of the service provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that the decor of children’s bedrooms is regularly maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with adequate and

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Recommendations

safe window coverings and that any damage to furnishings is swiftly addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.3)  The registered person should ensure that a record is held of where removed items are stored following a room search. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20) Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 9

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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: SC010090 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Inspector

Maria McGranaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 11 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 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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