Children's home run by Exceptional Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 1 Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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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: 13 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/08/2022 Full Inadequate 23/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has continued to live in the home since the last inspection. They have remained settled and continue to build strong relationships with staff. Two children have moved into the home. These moves were planned, with consideration of the children’s needs, and risks were identified. The manager worked collaboratively with professionals and family members. The children were consulted before moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home is warm and welcoming. The children’s views are sought about how the home is decorated and furnished. The home is situated in a rural location and has a large garden for children to use. There are plans to continue to develop the outdoor areas with more games and activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met, and they attend routine appointments. When children are struggling with their mental health, staff ensure that they are referred to the appropriate service. Since the last inspection, staff have ensured that all medication is stored safely in the medical cupboard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are sought each week. They are encouraged to choose their meals and activities. There are weekly planners for each child to help them understand the routines and staff expectations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child recently sat their GCSE exams and wants to go to college. One member of staff said, ‘[Name of child] did really well with their exams, they sat a lot more than anyone expected.’ However, one child who is waiting for education to be arranged is not always proactively encouraged by staff to engage in a daily routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families. Staff have good relationships with family members and work with them to promote positive experiences for children. Children are also supported to spend time with their friends in a way that is safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

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

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are building positive relationships with staff. Previously, children were only going to the manager for decisions and support. However, the manager has been supporting relationships between children and staff and there have been improvements. One child said, ‘I like most of the staff here.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children rarely go missing from home. When they do, staff follow the missing-from-home protocol and work with professionals to try to locate them. Staff are proactive and search for the child and try to contact them. Children are welcomed back into the home and are offered a return home interview. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 4 The manager and staff responded effectively to a recent fire in the home. Children and staff followed the fire evacuation procedure. The manager’s fast actions meant that the fire was quickly and safely extinguished. The fire service attended and confirmed the home was safe to return to. The fire extinguisher has been replaced. A referral has been made to the fire intervention response education scheme to support educating children about fire risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Risk management plans are in place which identify known and potential risks. They include clear strategies to help staff minimise risk. These are working documents, kept under review, and amended to reflect any emerging risks. These measures help to support children’s safety and welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have struggled to help one child settle in. This has resulted in disruption in the home, including police being called out to help de-escalate incidents. As a result, a decision has been made for a child to move on after only being in the home for a short time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are educated about risks. Staff make referrals to other agencies and seek support for children who are at risk. For example, following an incident involving substance misuse, a referral was made to the appropriate service. As a result, one child has talked about using the cessation service to help them give up vapes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and has completed the relevant leadership and management qualification. They have ambitions for improving the home and have already made some changes. The manager ensures that staff have the relevant experience and are suitably qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff spoke positively about the manager and the team. Supervisions are reflective, and consider how staff meet the children’s needs and keep them safe. There is appropriate challenge from the manager. One staff member said, ‘The team is amazing. It’s definitely a strong point and good foundation for the children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors the quality of care. They have oversight of significant incidents and ensure that notifications are sent to the regulator. However, the manager does not always give clear follow-up actions to staff after incidents. On one occasion, in an evaluation of an incident, a child was named who was not involved in the incident, and the report was not signed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are supported to complete a wide range of training. There is specific training tailored to the needs of the children to ensure that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge. There is a structured workforce development plan focused on improving the care provided. This means that staff are developing new skills and building knowledge to enhance the quality of care they provide to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specially relates to moving children on in a more planned way to help minimise the impact of the move for the child. This also relates to staff understanding that police should not be called to manage children’s behaviour. 10 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all incidents have through management oversight. 10 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 54, paragraph 10.24)  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: 2537801 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: Exceptional Care Limited, Malthouse Business Centre, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

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Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2537801 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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