Children's Home run by Inspire Children’s Services Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 1 SC441410 Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider. The home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 28 November 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/06/2023 Full Inadequate 05/04/2022 Full Good 09/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were settled living in the home at the time of the inspection. Children say they are happy living in the home and that they feel well cared for by staff. The strong relationships between the staff and the children mean that the children are making good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop new interests and hobbies. Children enjoy activities together, such as theme parks and water parks. Both children say they enjoy the time they spend together. Staff also encourage children to pursue their individual interests. One child has been supported to develop a new passion for Rugby. The child has joined a local team and staff enjoy watching matches along with family members who are invited to attend. One child enjoys weekly trips to a local farm to engage in animal therapy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to offer positive contributions to the community through charity events. One child living in the home raised money to support children and families who struggle financially at Christmastime. One child was supported by staff to showcase their baking skills in baking a replica of the home for charity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children’s physical and mental health needs well. Staff recognise when children have unmet health needs and are proactive in accessing the relevant support for them. As a result, children, and external professionals supporting them, have a better understanding of their needs. Support from external agencies is sourced to support children’s emotional well-being. The manager is proactive in sourcing intervention from alternative agencies when statutory services are unable to provide support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children living in the home attend full-time mainstream education. One child has been supported to return to mainstream education following a period of time in an alternative provision. The child has settled in well and is making good progress. The manager communicates with education professionals well. The manager shares strategies and interventions with school staff that are used in the home to support children. The manager advocates for children, which helps children receive consistent care in school and at home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff develop positive relationships with children’s families. Family and friends are welcomed into the home. As a result, family members feel involved in children’s daily care. Staff respect children’s relationships with those important to them and advocate on their behalf for them to maintain existing relationships and re-establish relationships when they have broken down. Staff provide practical and emotional support to family members to ensure that children can spend time with them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 4 Children know how to complain. The manager takes appropriate action to investigate concerns in respect of staff practice. The safety and well-being of the child are always prioritised.

p.3

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

Staff know the children well. They understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Children have developed strong relationships with staff whom they trust and can talk to. As a result, the children are making good progress in all areas.

p.4

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

Staff engage children in meaningful work to promote positive behaviour. They support them to manage their emotions more effectively. The use of research-based resources helps staff to support children’s individual needs. However, not all work undertaken with children has been evaluated by the manager. This limits the manager’s ability to identify any additional support that children may need.

p.4

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

Staff understand underlying factors that impact on children’s behaviour. Behaviour management strategies are child-centred. They are developed in consultation with children. As a result, children are supported in times of distress in line with their wishes. Staff recognise changes in children’s behaviour and understand children’s triggers. This means that staff de-escalate challenging behaviour well.

p.4

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

Risk assessment and behaviour management plans provide clear guidance for staff to follow in line with children’s preferences. However, not all known risks are reflected in records. This means that staff do not have all the relevant information needed to support children’s individual needs. Furthermore, this limits the manager’s ability to monitor children’s progress.

p.4

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

Children’s records provide clear guidance for staff to follow to support children’s individual needs. Incidents of children being missing from the home are rare. When they do occur, staff look for children and liaise with safeguarding professionals to locate them. Plans are in place which provide guidance for staff to follow if children are missing from the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified, experienced manager. The manager is also registered for another home in the organisation. She manages her time between the homes well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well. She is committed to providing consistently high quality care to the children. She has high expectations of the staff team to share her aspirations for the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a consistent and stable staff team. Staff say that they enjoy their roles and feel well supported by the manager. The recruitment of new staff is safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 5 However, records do not reflect that further assessment of staff’s suitability for the role has been fully explored at the time of recruitment.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in addressing any staff practice issues. Purpose-based supervision sessions provide staff with guidance to care for the children in line with their preferences. Staff are provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice. The manager acts when staff do not respond to guidance and support to adapt their practice to meet the needs of the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings. Guest speakers attend to deliver workshops. This provides staff with a detailed understanding of children’s behaviour. Staff say that this helps them to adapt their practice and that they can respond more appropriately to the children at times of distress. The manager disseminates up-to-date research to staff relevant to the children’s individual needs. Staff are provided with individual responsibilities to research topics that are relevant to the children and share their knowledge with the whole team. Staff incorporate this learning into their daily practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager adopts a strong multi-agency approach in caring for the children and has developed good relationships with professionals involved in their care. She is a strong advocate for the children and challenges decisions when they are not in children’s best interests. Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person ensures that all known risks are reflected within children’s records and that guidance for staff to follow is clear. 24 July 2024

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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 24 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 7 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person ensures that all work undertaken with children is evaluated and that all children’s plans are reviewed and updated with all relevant information.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character.

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person ensures that criminal convictions are explored and assessed for new staff recruited to work in the home. 24 July 2024

p.7

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: SC441410 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Inspire Children’s Services Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, Craig Court, Standish Street, St Helens WA10 1GJ

p.8

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Bradshaw

p.8

Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC441410 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.

p.8

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

p.9

Inspectors

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.

p.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9