Children's Home run by Prosperity Children’s Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 1 Registered provider: Prosperity Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care and support for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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: 10 October 2023

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/10/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child lives at this home. They are settled and making steady progress. The child has lived at the home for a significant period, which has given the child a sense of permanence and belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has positive relationships with the staff who look after them. They enjoy spending time with staff doing activities inside and outside of the home. The child is excitedly planning trips with staff to music festivals over the summer holidays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have created a memory book to capture the enjoyable times they have shared with the child. This book has been created with great care, and staff have written poems to the child to evoke memories of happy times.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s attendance and engagement with formal education have been inconsistent. Staff have continued to encourage the child’s attendance and sourced a tutor to work with them. The child has recently sat their final exams, which is something the child is very proud of achieving. The child has secured a college place and is starting to think about their future career.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to maintain regular contact with their extended family. This means that the child can keep in touch with the people who matter most to them. Regular contact helps to strengthen the child’s relationship with their family.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is increasing in confidence and learning new skills that will prepare them for their future. For example, the child has recently started to travel independently to visit family members who live a considerable distance from the home. The child is also starting to go shopping without the support of staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a spacious and comfortable environment. The child has personalised their bedroom and lounge to reflect their interests and tastes. However, the paintwork in some communal areas needs attention, and the back garden is a bland, featureless space that the child does not enjoy using. The child has lots of ideas for how the garden can be improved. A recommendation is made to address this and to involve the child with the planned improvements.

p.3

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

The child is cared for by staff who they trust. The child is confident to speak openly to staff about any concerns or worries that they have.

p.3

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

Risks to the child are well understood. The risk management plan for the child is reviewed and updated following significant events. However, the plan does not capture Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 4 all the practical strategies that staff are using to keep the child safe. A recommendation is made in relation to this.

p.3

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

Alarms have been fitted to some of the doors in the home. This has been identified as an appropriate way of safeguarding the child. Consent for this has been obtained from the child’s placing authority. However, these measures are not detailed in the child’s care plans and are not kept under regular review to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate.

p.4

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

Staff follow clear procedures when the child goes missing from the home. Staff are persistent in their efforts to locate the child. They maintain contact with the child, whenever possible, and they are proactive in encouraging them to return home. The frequency at which the child goes missing from home is reducing.

p.4

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

Staff know the child’s behaviours well. There is a detailed behaviour management plan in place, which supports staff to work in a consistent way. All staff have received training so that they know how to respond if they need to hold a child to keep them safe. However, staff have managed difficult situations without the need to hold the child.

p.4

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

The child receives help and guidance to manage their behaviours and feelings safely. Direct work is focused on areas of vulnerability for the child. It supports the child’s understanding of the dangers and potential consequences of some of their actions. The child listens to staff but sometimes struggles to put their advice into practice. The child is encouraged to reflect and learn from these occasions.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He has a clear vision for the home and leads the staff team by example.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a small, stable staff team. Any staffing shortfalls are mainly covered by staff from the organisation. However, there is no formal contingency plan in place to ensure that the child is cared for safely and consistently in the event of staff shortages. A recommendation has been made in relation to this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported in their role. The manager is available to them for advice and guidance. Staff also have access to on-call management support in the evenings and at weekends.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular. They are used to discuss the child’s needs, the progress they are making and the effectiveness of strategies to manage risks. This supports staff to be consistent in their approach.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular reflective supervision sessions, and their performance is appraised annually. Additional supervision is arranged by the manager when he identifies shortfalls in practice or areas for improvement. One member of staff said that they found these sessions helpful for their own professional development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 5 Staff receive training to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to work with vulnerable children. In addition, the provider has developed training that is bespoke to the needs of the child living at the home. Staff who do not hold the relevant childcare qualification are supported to attain this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home once a month. A report of their visit is shared with Ofsted, and these reports are consistently received within the necessary time frame. However, the quality of the reports varies and lacks analysis of the quality of care provided to the child. Senior managers have identified this issue and are taking action to address it. Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 6

p.5

Statutory requirement

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

p.6

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

p.6

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 26 July 2024

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a contingency plan is prepared in the event of a shortfall in staffing levels. The manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that communal areas of the home are redecorated in a timely way. In addition, the garden area should be a well-maintained and well-equipped space for the child to enjoy and use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s risk management plans detail all the practical strategies that are used by staff to safeguard the child. Strategies to

p.6

Recommendations

respond to a missing child should consider lone-working arrangements. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 7

p.6

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: 2685151 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prosperity Children’s Services

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Mercury Rise, Altham Business Park, Altham, Accrington BB5 5BY

p.8

Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2685151 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

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 . 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

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

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

p.9