Children's home run by Attivo Care Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 1 Registered provider: Attivo Care 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

This home is operated by a private provider and is registered to provide care for two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 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: 14 November 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: 2570070 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/11/2022 Full Good 08/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home. Both children were spoken to during the inspection. One child has left since the assurance visit was completed in March 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home are cared for by a skilled, consistent and stable staff team. Staff are aspirational for children and place children at the centre of their practice. This provides consistency for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have excellent relationships with the staff team. Children said they feel that staff care for them. As a result, one child said that, when the time comes to move out of the home when they reach adulthood, they will return regularly to see the staff team. This means that children experience a sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. One child has successfully completed examinations, having been out of education for a significant period. The manager has put in place an additional tutor to support this process. The child has been rewarded for their achievement and this supports children to feel valued and increases confidence. One child is not in full-time education. The manager and staff have challenged the virtual school head to ensure that the child is supported in the interim while arrangements are made for a full return to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who struggle to manage their feelings safely are provided with specialist support through an in-house therapist. Staff ensure that referrals are completed without delay to services such as child adolescent mental health services. This means that children have access to the relevant support at the right time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into the home are supported to do so in a planned way. Careful assessments are completed so that the child’s needs can be understood. The staff skills are considered alongside the views of children already living at the home. This ensures that staff have the necessary skills and children are prepared and supported with any anxieties they have about moving.

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

Children have strong relationships with the staff team. Children said that they feel safe, secure and cared for. Children regularly seek out staff to discuss any concerns that they have. Children said they feel listened to and staff respond sensitively.

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

Children have clear risk assessments in place and contribute to these. Plans are child- centred and include the child’s voice and set out what staff are worried about. This also sets out what actions staff will take so that children understand what will happen if there are concerns about their safety. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities and are Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 4 provided with additional training when new concerns emerge such as criminal exploitation.

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

Children are supported by staff to understand how to keep themselves safe, such as the impact of drugs and vaping. Staff revise their ways of working if an approach is not working. External professionals such as mentors are in place to support children to understand the impact of this. As a result, risks for one child in relation to drug use have significantly reduced.

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

Children who go missing from the home are encouraged to return home. Staff complete area searches and liase with friends, family and police to locate children. Children understand what actions staff will take and are provided with an independent person to speak to when they return. This means children can discuss any concerns or worries they may have.

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

Children are supported to understand the reason for any room searches where there are concerns about their safety. These are carried out sensitively and plans are updated.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place. This means that when staff come to work at the home, all safeguarding checks have been completed to ensure their suitability to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified, skilled and experienced. The manager has high expectations of the staff team and is aspirational about outcomes for children. Managers and staff are dedicated in their work and want children to do well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a skilled staff team in place and ensures that staff are provided with regular training to meet children’s individual needs. Regular supervision and team meetings ensure that staff can reflect on practice, children’s experiences and identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear systems in place to monitor and review the quality of care provided to children. This includes all records reflecting children’s achievements and plans for their future. The style of the records is documented so that children can clearly understand their experiences. This supports children to understand their journey.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have strong links with professionals such as social workers and independent reviewing officers. Information is shared regularly and there are effective lines of communication. A mentor said, ‘They [staff] are always on the ball straight away. Children thrive and are a pleasure and it is amazing to work with them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When children are not settling well, the manager has ensured that plans for children are reviewed without delay in conjunction with the placing authority. When decisions have been made that children’s needs cannot be met, the manager has ensured that accurate information has been provided to support identifying alternative provision. A lessons Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 5 learned has been completed by the manager and staff team so that practice can be reviewed and developed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The physical environment is of a high standard. Any damage or wear and tear is quickly and regularly repaired. This supports children to feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recommendations made at the assurance inspection have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 6

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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: 2570070 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Attivo Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 5, 5 Swan Alley, Ormskirk L39 2EQ

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Inspector

Nicola Forrester, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 8 inspects to 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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