Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 1 SC010090 Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, the home was providing care for two children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home does not currently have a registered manager.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The home was judged to have serious and widespread safeguarding concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at the assurance inspection carried out on 2 July 2024. As a result, compliance notices were issued under Regulation 11 (the positive relationships standard), Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). The purpose of this visit was to monitor the actions taken by the provider to meet the steps identified in the compliance notices.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Improvements have been made to children’s plans. Plans include contributions from external professionals and findings from specialist assessments. This ensures that children’s plans are accurate. Plans include children’s known risks and clear strategies for staff to keep children safe.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Children’s plans detail how their needs will be met alongside other children living in the home. This ensures that only children whose needs can be met live in this home. Staff carry out direct work with children to help them to understand their own risks. This supports children to keep themselves safe. As a result, there is a reduction in children’s risk-taking behaviour. One child said that they feel happy that there have been no further incidents in which the police have attended the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 2 Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. They have accessed bespoke training to understand the needs of the children in their care.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff attend regular supervision sessions and team meetings. This supports staff to have the knowledge and skills to care for the children.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There has been a reduction in agency staff providing care for the children. As a result, children can build relationships with familiar adults. Managers ensure that there are enough staff to care for the children. Induction processes have also been improved for new staff. Managers read children’s plans with new staff, who then complete reflective logs throughout their probationary period. This helps staff to understand children’s needs and improves consistency in staff practice.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The management arrangements for the home have been strengthened. The manager is enrolled on a leadership and management course. The manager has worked closely with the quality assurance team and the responsible individual to embed changes into practice. This ensures that the management team has the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out the role.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers work closely with external professionals to ensure that children’s needs are met. One social worker said that the manager has contributed to weekly planning meetings for one child, which has informed care planning decisions.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Updates are sent to external professionals in a timely way, which ensures that there is a team around the child approach. Appropriate challenge and escalation are made when children’s needs are not met. Therefore, children have access to specialist and therapeutic support as needed.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Developments have been made to the managers’ monitoring systems, including the introduction of new auditing tools. Managers take immediate steps to challenge shortfalls in staff practice. When concerns about staff conduct are identified, managers investigate these thoroughly. This helps to keep children safe.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Improvements have been made to the conditions of the premises. Specifically, debris has been removed from the garden, and areas of the home have been redecorated. This means that children have a welcoming space to live in.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Managers have increased their oversight of health and safety checks carried out in the home, which means that the children live in a safe environment. There is an assessment of ligature points in the home and adjustments have been made to mitigate known risks. For example, blind cords have been removed. All staff now understand where ligature cutters are kept, which ensures that they can access them quickly if needed.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Actions identified in the fire risk assessment have been completed. However, the fire risk assessment has not been updated to include all known information. This does Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 3 not ensure that staff understand what the fire risks are or what steps they should take to prevent fire risks.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The recommendations and requirement in respect of regulation 23 made at the last inspection were not reviewed during this visit and have therefore been restated.

p.3

This monitoring visit

The provider has demonstrated that it has taken the necessary steps to ensure that the compliance notices issued are met. Ofsted does not plan to take any further enforcement action. A further unannounced inspection will take place to continue to monitor the quality of care provided.

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2024 Full requires improvement to be good 10/10/2023 Full good 07/03/2023 Full good 24/08/2021 Full outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 4

p.3

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a)(c))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated. 26 September

p.4

Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

p.4

Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

p.4

Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b))

p.4

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered provider reviews fire risks to include all known information and ensure that staff understand steps to take to keep children safe. 26 September

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a separate record of physical interventions is maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 5  The registered person should work with the independent visitor to ensure that the report consistently provides a detailed analysis of the service provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)  The registered person should ensure that when a room search has been carried out, a record is held of where the removed items are stored. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

p.4

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

p.6

Inspector

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC010090 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7