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

Inspection report children's home for 2763683 1 Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services 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

T This home is operated by a private provider and offers care for one child with social and emotional difficulties, and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

A child is currently being cared for in this home. The child spoke with the inspector as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has been in post since the home was registered on 14 December 2023.

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Information about this children's home

This is the first inspection of the home.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home for 2763683 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has strong and positive relationships with staff. The child was previously cared for in another home in the organisation and staff moved with them to their current home. Therefore, the child has known staff a long period of time and has established trusting relationships with the adults that care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is designed to meet the child’s needs and encourage their interests. Staff helped their child to decorate their bedroom in line with their tastes and personality. Space is used to facilitate the interests of the child, such as a crafts room in the conservatory. Staff take pride in the child’s achievements and the child’s artwork, framed creative writing and models are displayed throughout the home. The home has a fish tank to assist with the child’s therapy. The child feels valued and has a sense of ownership of their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are well understood and met. The child is registered with local medical services and attends their routine appointments. Staff make referrals for required medical support quickly. Staff encourage the child to engage in physical activity and facilitate their attendance at martial arts and skateboarding clubs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend regular therapy sessions. The therapist also provides group supervision to the staff. Staff support the child to use therapeutic techniques they have learned in the home. The child receives consistent responses from staff in line with their therapeutic plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek the views of the child regularly. They involve the child in review of their plans. The manager and the child re-designed paperwork used in the home together to make it more accessible to the child. The manager and staff know the child’s views and ensure that they are incorporated into any planning for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a suitable school place and has good attendance. The child is making progress at school and is excelling in their areas of interest. Additional funding has been gained to allow the child to study a subject that was not offered by their school. Staff provide space and time for the child to study in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to express their identity. They use the child’s preferred pronouns, support their interests and take them to celebration events such as Pride. The child feels comfortable to express themselves in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with their family. Staff transport the child to and from their home area to see them. Staff support the child to keep in touch with family in between visits by video calls. The child maintains their relationships despite living a long distance away from people important to them. Inspection report children's home for 2763683 3

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

Risks for the child are reducing. Staff know the risks to the child well and how to manage them. The manager analyses any incidents to find patterns of trends and ensures that staff practice adapts to meet the needs of the child. Staff respond to incidents sensitively and in line with the child’s individual plans. Staff make detailed recordings of any incidents, which the manager oversees.

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

Staff reward positive behaviour. Staff have reflective discussions promptly with the child following any negative behaviour to support the child to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others.

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

Staff rarely implement formal consequences. However, on one occasion when a consequence was implemented, this was punitive and did not relate to the behaviour of the child. The manager did not review the effectiveness of the consequence in the timescales required by regulation, nor speak to the staff and the child.

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

The child has not made a complaint, but confirmed if they needed to they would know how to make a complaint. The child said they were confident that, if they did complain, the manager would take effective action to resolve the issue.

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

The child does not go missing from home. The child's individual missing plan is kept up to date so that staff would know what to do in the event the child goes missing from the home.

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

The child is not held by staff. Staff are trained to hold children safely in the event this is required.

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

Staff complete thorough room searches when there is a safeguarding reason to do so. Staff usually complete room searches respectfully, ensuring the child is aware of the intention to search the room and be present. Where it is not possible to inform the child beforehand, staff speak to the child about this at the earliest possible opportunity. However, on one occasion the child was not made aware beforehand of a room search, despite this being an option. In addition, the room search was not completed respectfully. The manager took immediate and effective action to address the staff practice and protect the child's dignity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has excellent and long-standing relationships with the child. The manager takes steps to maintain their strong relationship with the child, by going on trips and activities. The manager encourages a family ethos within the team and leads by example with sensitive and well-considered practice. The child identifies the manager as someone they trust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing is stable. Most of the staff have known the child since prior to being cared for in this home and were chosen to move with them to this home. No agency or bank staff Inspection report children's home for 2763683 4 are used to care for the child. The child is always cared for by staff who know them and their needs well. Staff are committed to the child and their progress. The child experiences consistency of care and feels safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes timely review of the quality of care in the home. The manager seeks feedback from stakeholders and makes changes in the home using their views. The review is evaluative and actions to improve the quality of care are identified. The manager has good understanding of the service and how to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager also undertakes thematic analysis of certain areas in the home, such as self-harm incidents and physical interventions. In the analysis the manager identifies the patterns and trends, as well as the reasons for them. The manager identifies clear actions to improve practice or maintain progress. The manager has clear and consistent oversight of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained for their role. The manager identifies and offers training that meets the needs of the child they care for. Unqualified staff are enrolled on their diplomas and the manager provides study time to support them to complete it. However, the manager is not enrolled on their relevant qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and leaders provide regular individual supervision to staff. All staff that deliver supervision have had training to do so. The manager has developed a reflection tool to use with staff in supervision. Staff have frequent opportunities to unpick their practice and actions are set to improve it. However, the manager has infrequent individual supervision and actions identified in the supervision are not completed by senior leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes staff appraisals in a timely way. The appraisals review the previous period and contain comments from staff and the manager. They do not contain feedback from the child, other staff or professionals, or have actions for the coming period. Therefore, appraisals are not effective as a tool to drive practice improvement. The manager has not had an appraisal for a significant period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff records show the date and author of the record. However, where there is more than one author of a document, it is unclear which author has contributed to which part.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff find the manager approachable and responsive. The manager and staff have excellent relationships with involved professionals and communicate effectively with them. The child experiences the best possible joined-up care. Inspection report children's home for 2763683 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, 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 registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the manager should receive regular supervision, have an annual appraisal and be enrolled on the appropriate qualification. 2 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(c)) 5 August 2024 Inspection report children's home for 2763683 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that case records are signed and dated by the author of each entry. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home's care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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 children's home for 2763683 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Service Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Scott & Wilkinson, Dalton House, 9 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1WD

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home for 2763683 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 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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