Children's Home run by Phoenix Adolescent Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Adolescent Care

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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 company and provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager in post.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/11/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager recognises the importance of well-considered transitions for children moving into and out of the home. Children have been able to meet the staff and visit the home before moving in, and the child who has moved on did so in a positive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are positive relationships between children and staff. One child said they like living in this home and that they get on well with staff and the other child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted well. One child who has been out of formal education for a long time has been supported to re-engage with school. The child said staff encourage them to attend. This has had a positive impact on the child’s self-esteem and aspirations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good physical health. They are registered with relevant health professionals and are supported to attend necessary appointments. Staff have worked with children to educate them on the negative effects of substance misuse, and help them to seek support from specialist services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with the people who are important to them. They work with the placing authority, sharing relevant information to ensure that these arrangements are safe. One parent said, ‘I appreciate from the bottom of my heart all the effort they have put into caring for [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is a small family home and children are able to personalise their bedrooms as they wish. However, some areas of the home are tired and in need of general refurbishment. Leaders and managers have moved the staff office downstairs. This limits children’s living space and detracts from the otherwise homely environment.

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

Risk management plans are in place for each child that outline the actions staff should take to keep children safe. Plans are updated with new information to ensure that they remain current.

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

There has been a serious incident when a child left the home during the night without the knowledge of staff. Leaders and managers took action to put additional safeguards in place to prevent this from reoccurring.

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

The registered manager and staff have responded appropriately to incidents in the home, to keep children safe. Records are detailed and have been shared with relevant Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 4 professionals. However, although the registered manager shares relevant information with other agencies, he has not always notified Ofsted.

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

When children have been missing from the home, staff actively search for them and encourage them to return home. Information is shared with relevant agencies. When children return, they have access to independent return home interviews.

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

Staff talk to the children to help them to understand their behaviours, including discriminatory behaviours, and rewards are used to promote positive behaviour. When consequences are necessary, these are proportionate and appropriate for children.

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

Children understand when room searches may be necessary. When searches of children’s bedrooms have been carried out, the rationale for these decisions is clear and actions are appropriate.

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

Safe recruitment procedures are in place for new staff. This means that children are protected from unsuitable adults being employed to work in the home.

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

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. He understands the needs of the children well and is not afraid to challenge professionals when he feels they are not acting in the best interests of children.

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

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisals are undertaken annually. Staff were positive about the support and guidance they receive from the registered manager.

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

There are gaps in staff training. Staff have not received training relating to the specific needs and risks of children living in the home. However, the manager had identified this shortfall before the inspection and made arrangements for staff to receive this training.

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

There is currently an arrangement whereby staff do waking night duties immediately following their daytime work. While these arrangements have not adversely impacted children, this practice does not promote the health of staff, and ensure that they are sufficiently rested to safely care for children. Furthermore, the registered manager must ensure that the home’s rotas clearly record the actual hours worked by staff in the home.

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

The provider has employed an independent person who visits the home each month. However, the independent person does not share their opinion in regard to whether children living in the home are effectively safeguarded, as required by regulation. This person undertakes other tasks on behalf of the provider, which brings into question their independence in carrying out the visitor role.

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

The registered manager has submitted a quality of care report which includes feedback gathered from stakeholders. The report describes what has happened in the home but would benefit from additional evaluation and reflection on any learning, to drive forward improvement in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 5 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 6

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to arrangements regarding communal living space in the home and the home environment being maintained to a suitable standard. 16 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint, at the registered provider’s expense, a person ("the independent person") to visit and report on the children’s home carried on by the registered provider.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraphs (4) and (5), the registered provider may not appoint the following as an independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is not a local authority, a person who is employed for payment by the registered provider; 16 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 7 The independent person must declare any actual or potential conflict of interest (whether of the type mentioned in paragraph (3) or otherwise) to the registered provider without delay and, if reasonably practicable, before conducting a visit to the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider becomes aware of a potential conflict of interest in relation to the independent person before or during the independent person visiting the home (see regulation 44), the registered provider must—

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements to cancel the visit without delay; and

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Requirement Due date

appoint a different independent person to visit the home. (Regulation 43 (1) (3)(b) (6) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the appointed independent person is impartial.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the independent person supports the development of the home and states their opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded. 16 October 2024

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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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 16 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have training specific to the needs of children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the full names of all staff, including the manager, and actual hours worked are included on the rota. 16 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 16 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities, while balancing this with the need to ensure that staff are sufficiently well rested. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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: 2711712 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Adolescent Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Flat 110, Victoria Mill, Houldsworth Street, Reddish, Stockport SK5 6AX

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Inspector

Genevieve O’Reilly, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2711712 11 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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