Children's home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has an interim manager. The home has not had a registered manager since July 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2023 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 3

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improvement to be good

Care planning arrangements ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are considered. This means the child’s likes and dislikes inform care planning. Staff are creative in providing the child with a range of experiences and activities.

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improvement to be good

The child’s educational progress has been variable. They have missed a significant period of school education and do not currently have a school placement. Tutors have not been able to meet the child’s learning needs. The manager has recently advocated on the child’s behalf. This has meant the education, health and care plan has been reviewed. This has provided a more accurate reflection of the child’s learning needs and a creative approach has been put in place to enhance the child’s learning outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The child’s health needs have not been fully met. The child has been discharged from some required health services. This means that the child has not had necessary medication reviews within suitable timescales.

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improvement to be good

A high turnover of staff has affected the child’s sense of stability. As a result, there has been an increase in allegations made by the child against staff members. When incidents occur, the child worries that staff will leave. This hinders the child being able to build solid, supportive and trusting relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the child’s vulnerabilities and risks and put in place support plans. These provide strategies for staff to support the child and manage risk. However, some of these strategies make the child stand out and feel different. The child said, ‘I hate staff following me when I’m playing with my friends. I don’t want them to know I’m in care. They ask who’s that and I say I don’t know.’

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improvement to be good

The home is colourfully decorated and well maintained. The child’s bedroom is spacious and personalised. The child has helped make decisions about the home’s decor and has lots of toys and activities to suit their interests.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Behaviour support plans provide staff with clear guidance. All staff have completed training in line with the child’s needs. This ensures a consistent team approach. However, the child’s records fail to capture their daily life.

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improvement to be good

When incidents occur, staff follow safeguarding procedures. However, incidents are not always documented, detailed, reviewed and evaluated by the manager. On one occasion, Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 4 the child alleged they had been assaulted in the community. Records failed to show the views of the child and the actions or investigation by the police.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not provide the child with preventative strategies to keep themselves safe. Discussions with the child are in reaction to incidents. Staff do not carry out follow-up work. This means that the child does not understand the impact and consequences of their actions.

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improvement to be good

Staff are effective in managing incidents when the child has been missing from the home. Risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to find the child and return them home. When the child has been missing, staff have quickly located them.

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improvement to be good

Staff sometimes have to hold the child to keep them safe. Holds are used for a minimal amount of time. Records of incidents are reviewed and evaluated by the manager. The child is spoken to and given the chance to reflect, which allows their trust and understanding to increase.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant turnover of staff and managers. A new staff team is in place, with four out of six staff members in their probation period. A new manager has also been recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management oversight has been variable. The monitoring and review systems have not been consistent. Sometimes important information is missing from records. This fails to improve the quality of care and learning from experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and leaders have been transparent about the staffing challenges and the impact this has had. They have a vision of what the home wants to achieve and the staff are motivated to bring about change to improve the child’s overall experiences and care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff feel supported by the management team and there is a structured transition plan in place for the new manager. Supervisions take place regularly and staff morale is boosted by team development days. Team meetings provide a forum to reflect and improve practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure adequate management oversight and that incidents are evaluated, and consider learning outcomes for risk management and to support staff development.

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Requirement Due date

Also, the manager should ensure that staff have a consistent approach to recording and managing the child’s behaviours. 12 September 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 6 Also, capture the child’s lived experiences to ensure that records help the child understand their experience of living in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are in full-time education while they are of compulsory school age. The home must aim to support full-time attendance at school unless the child’s relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should balance the wishes of the child against what they judge to be in the best interests of the child and reach a reasonable view about the best way forward in the interests of all. The reasons for reaching any decision will need to be carefully explained to and understood by the child or children concerned. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9)  The registered person should ensure that each child’s day-to-day health and well- being needs are met, in line with the approach set out in the home’s statement of

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Recommendations

purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected and be protected from significant harm. (‘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: 2638202 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair, 300 St Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Angeline Clarke, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2638202 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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