Children's Home run by Tab Care and Support Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 1 Registered provider: Tab Care and Support 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 operated by a private provider and is registered to care for one child who may have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 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: 23 January 2024

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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: 2743634 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living at this home. While the child has only lived at the home for a short time, the child is making good progress in many aspects of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is cared for by a small and consistent staff team. Staff reassure the child that they are a dependable and stable presence in the child’s life. This is helping the child to invest in the home and to understand that staff can be trusted and relied on for support. One professional said, ‘Staff are not judgemental, they accept the child and value them for who they are.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to moving to this home, the child did not have regular contact with some of their family. Staff are proactive and have put arrangements in place so that the child can see family members in a safe and planned way. This ensures that the child remains close to their family and enables them to build on significant relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education in securing good outcomes for children. They are consistent in their message to the child that educational attendance is a non- negotiable part of living at the home. Staff have supported the child to adopt a good daily routine and to re-engage with formal education. There is effective liaison with the child’s school and the child now attends school regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is very independent and is reluctant to accept support from staff with daily living tasks. Staff are working with the child to slowly build their trust and to allow staff to nurture them. The child has recently allowed staff to cook them meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming, and the child is comfortable living there. The child has chosen how they want to decorate and personalise their bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good health and has access to the health services that they need. Staff ensure that the child attends routine appointments. For example, with encouragement from staff, the child attended the optician’s for an eye test. This was something the child was previously reluctant to do.

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

Risks to the child are known and understood by the staff caring for them. Risk management plans are clear and set out the actions staff should take to manage risks. The manager is responsive to emerging risks. When concerns have escalated, she has shared information with the relevant professionals and sought support to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 4 Staff are embedding clear boundaries and rules for the child. When the child tests these boundaries, staff are consistent in their response. This is helping the child to understand what is expected.

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

The child can display complex and challenging behaviour. Staff are seeking ways to support the child to learn how to manage their own behaviours and emotions. For example, they are teaching the child to use breathing exercises to help them to feel calm and regain control. However, some of the practical strategies used by staff are not captured in the child’s plans. A recommendation is made to address this.

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

Staff work alone and have the skills to defuse challenging situations effectively. Staff are calm and confident in their approach to the child. They are quick thinking and can anticipate sources of potential conflict and put a plan in place to avert confrontation. If staff require additional advice or assistance in the evenings or weekends, support is available from the wider management team.

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

All staff have received training and guidance should they need to hold a child to keep them safe. Positively, staff have managed challenging situations without the need to hold the child.

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

Staff challenge unacceptable behaviour and language used by the child. This challenge is sensitively timed to ensure that it does not inflame the situation. This approach is starting to have a positive effect, and the child has recently started to recognise their behaviour and apologise for some of their actions.

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

Staff encourage the child to reflect and learn from their behaviours. However, direct work with the child does not focus on areas of particular risk and vulnerability for the child. This is a missed opportunity to support the child to learn ways to keep themselves safe and make safer choices.

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

The child rarely goes missing from the home. There is a clear procedure in place to assist staff to respond consistently if the child does go missing. There are rules in place relating to a return home time. The child is starting to accept these boundaries and mostly returns home at the agreed time.

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

Consequences are rarely used as a response to negative behaviours. Staff use rewards and incentives to reinforce positive behaviours and celebrate the child’s achievements. This has been effective in supporting the child to re-engage with education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A confident and experienced manager leads this home. She has been instrumental in embedding a child-centred, nurturing culture. She encourages staff to seek opportunities to demonstrate to the child that they care about them. This is helping the child to feel increasingly secure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 5 The manager is ambitious for the child. She is committed to ensuring that the child receives good-quality care that makes a positive difference to their life. This is reflected in her practice and that of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work collaboratively to provide the child with consistency and stability. Communication is good and team meetings are regular. These meetings are used as opportunities to reflect on practice, problem-solve and agree new ways of working with the child. One member of staff said, ‘We discuss things as a team before decisions are made. Our opinions are listened to.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a gender imbalance in the staff team as the child is cared for solely by female members of staff. Whenever possible, staff caring for children should include staff from different gender groups. A recommendation is made for the provider to consider ways to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to regularly monitor the quality of care provided to the child. This supports her to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. In addition, the manager reviews all records of significant incidents to help her to shape future practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to work with vulnerable children. The provider has sourced additional training that is aligned to the needs of the child living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals say they have a positive experience of working with the home. They value good communication with the staff team. One professional said, ‘We speak daily. They are very proactive and good at sharing information.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the management team. Staff receive regular supervision that supports them to reflect on their practice. It is also used as an opportunity to discuss their professional development and career progression. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that, where possible, there are opportunities for the child to be cared for by staff from different gender groups. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s plans detail all the practical strategies that are used by staff to care for and to safeguard the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that work is completed with the child to help them to understand how to feel protected and to keep themselves safe in the community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)

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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: 2743634 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Tab Care and Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Fischer Crowne, 34 Castle Street, Liverpool L2 0NR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Anthony Willmore

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2743634 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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