Children's Home run by Milestones Care Homes Ltd in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 1 Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes 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

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 March 2024.

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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: 2483789 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2023 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/06/2021 Full Good 17/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy living in the home and they know the staff care about them. Each child has made progress in all areas of their lives. This progress is underpinned by the positive relationships that children have been supported to develop with the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children are listened to and their voices are heard. Children are encouraged to share their views and are consulted about the care they receive. Managers and staff ensure that children are included in their plans and challenge professionals appropriately when actions relating to children’s care planning are not fulfilled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual health needs are well understood and supported. Staff work closely with external professionals to ensure that children’s physical and emotional health needs are being addressed. Children are supported by staff to manage their own health needs when it is appropriate to do so and are encouraged to attend appointments. This helps children to better understand their own health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children enjoy positive activities. Each child’s individual interests are supported by staff. Children enjoy their own free time, as well as being provided with activities, such as attending exhibitions, golfing and go karting. Consequently, children are enabled to build their self-esteem and develop important social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff record daily information about the children in a child-focused way. They speak about the children’s achievements with pride and celebrate their successes. However, some of the language used by the team is institutionalised. This is not helpful for children and detracts from the nurturing culture that the manager is developing in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some areas of the home have recently been redecorated. However, other areas are in need of repair or maintenance. Repairs to holes in a child’s bedroom wall have not been made in a timely manner, fixtures and furniture in the lounge are worn, the garden fence is damaged, and the conservatory is in need of external cleaning. The manager has reported the issues, but they have not been addressed. This does not provide a homely environment for the children and limits opportunities for them to develop a sense of belonging and to take pride in the home.

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

Children are safeguarded by staff effectively. Safeguarding incidents are rare. When incidents do occur, staff know how to respond to keep children safe. Managers and staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities well. They talk to children about risks in Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 4 the outside environment. This ensures that children are safe within the home and their wider community.

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

Managers and staff work collaboratively with external professionals. They seek guidance on specific issues of concern and ensure that children have direct access to specialist services when appropriate. This ensures that children feel confident to access the support they need from professionals.

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

Managers understand the importance of a skilled and competent team. They ensure that staff training is tailored to the risks and needs of the children. This means that the children are in the care of a confident and capable staff team.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place. However, the management team has not ensured that the necessary checks have been completed for all new staff. This compromises the safety of children and does not ensure that only staff who are suitable to work with children are employed in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably skilled and experienced. He provides clear leadership in the home and staff say that they feel well supported. External professionals hold the manager in high regard and are complimentary about the care provided by the team. The manager is supported by a deputy manager. Together, they are introducing changes to improve the practice in the home and are committed to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have clear oversight of the service. Staff receive regular supervisions and appraisals, as well as team meetings. Staff practice is evaluated and challenged supportively when needed. This ensures that the practice of staff is consistently meeting the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that new staff complete an induction and probationary period. The registered manager has recently improved the home’s induction booklet and is supporting existing members of staff to revisit the new document. This ensures that children are supported by newer staff effectively, and the care of the children is consistent throughout the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have introduced internal monitoring systems that highlight areas for development at the earliest opportunity. However, the review of the quality of care undertaken by the registered manager does not sufficiently evaluate the care provided by the service, or contain feedback from the children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that the care provide to the children is continuously improving. This was a requirement at the last inspection and has been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 5 July 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child; and 5 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 6 enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home is decorated, furnished, and maintained to a good standard throughout. Worn sofas should be replaced, stained blinds cleaned or replaced, the outside of the conservatory cleaned, the fence repaired and holes in the wall of a child’s bedroom repaired in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 5 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive by ensuring that staff job titles and terms of reference relating to risk and family time do not use institutionalised language. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2483789 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes Limited

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2483789 9 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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