Children's Home run by Embrace Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 1 Registered provider: Embrace Care Limited 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. It offers care for up to three children who 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 in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has been appointed but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 17 and 18 April 2024. Following this inspection, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. This was in relation to Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was carried out on 3 June 2024. Following this visit, a case review was held where the compliance notice was deemed to have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/04/2024 Full Inadequate 06/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. Staff are positive role models for children and support them to demonstrate empathy, kindness and patience and an understanding of others’ needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are new to the home, the manager carries out carefully considered assessments to ensure that the staff team can meet the child’s individual needs. This helps to determine if children are compatible to live together. The managers and staff have worked with professionals to ensure that they know and understand children’s individual needs. This ensures that there is a child-centred approach to care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and specialist health provisions when needed, such as child and adolescent mental health services and emergency treatment. One child, who had not attended any health appointments for a significant length of time before to moving into the home, has now attended dental and hospital appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to express their views, wishes and feelings. Staff have ensured that alternative methods of communication, such as translating technology, is in place for a child who does not speak English. This ensures that they can understand staff and express their own views. Copies of the child’s plans and documents are also available in their preferred language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has completed their functional skills assessments and has finished school. The manager and staff are working with the placing authority and local colleges to identify a suitable further education provider for them. Another child is new to the home and moved in during the school summer holidays. The manager and staff have started to make enquiries into which college will be suitable to meet the child’s language and cultural needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in activities in the community to support their social, health and emotional needs, such as playing sports in the park, attending gyms and boxing classes. They also support them to try new experiences, such as going to theme parks and the circus.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When possible, staff support children’s time with their family. However, they also respect the children’s views in relation to this and ensure that any plans for time with family are discussed sensitively with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming and is a nice place for children to live. There are photos of the children throughout the house. One child’s bedroom needs new wardrobe doors as these have been removed as a safety measure. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 4

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

There have been no safeguarding allegations or concerns since the last inspection. However, staff are fully trained in safeguarding subjects to meet children’s individual needs. Staff also understand the whistle-blowing procedure, which continues to be a regular agenda item in team meetings and supervision sessions.

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

Children’s plans are detailed documents. They are child centred and include the child’s voice throughout. The manager has reviewed the format of these plans since the last inspection to ensure that they include all necessary information to provide clear strategies and guidance for staff to follow to provide consistent care to the children.

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

Staff respond to children with clear boundaries about what is acceptable. Staff offer support to children to help them to manage their own behaviours and emotions appropriately. Positive behaviour is promoted. Children’s achievements are celebrated by the staff team.

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

Staff support children to understand risks and significant events through regular direct- work sessions. These are carried out proactively and reactively when a situation occurs.

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

Staff carry out routine room checks for one child. However, these are not being recorded. The manager has not assessed if the checks are required to keep the child safe or ensured that there is a system in place to record the searches.

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

Staff take suitable action when children are missing from the home to search for them and locate them as quickly as possible. This includes working with external professionals, such as the transport police. Records are detailed, and the manager has oversight of these reports. Plans have been reviewed and updated following each missing-from-home episode to review strategies, which helps to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrences of missing-from-home episodes.

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

When there are concerns around exploitation, staff and managers work with external professionals to ensure that suitable information is shared and considered. Staff and the management team show professional curiosity to gather information to understand emerging risks and concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been no registered manager in post for a long length of time. However, there is now a manager who has stepped up from the deputy role and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She has provided consistency and stability for the children and staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has an ambitious vision for what she wants to achieve for the children and the development of the team. She is supported by an experienced responsible individual, who spends time in the home with children and staff and is readily available for support and guidance. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 5 The manager and responsible individual have systems in place to monitor and review the care provided to children and for the development of the staff team. These systems ensure that they can build on strengths and identify and address any shortfalls. Leaders and managers have reviewed and introduced new systems to improve the quality of care provided. However, the statement of purpose has not been sent to Ofsted when changes have been made to it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been some changes to the staff team. However, managers have recruited new staff to the team, which has provided stability with children benefiting from being cared for by a consistent staff team. This period of stability has resulted in a reduction in incidents and supported children to improve their skills of regulating their own emotions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the team of staff are new, they have experience in the care sector. There has been a detailed induction and training programme to support their understanding of the company’s policies and procedures and the home’s values and ethos. Additionally, staff have received training to ensure that they can meet the children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions take place frequently and are an opportunity for staff to spend time with the management team and to discuss the children and reflect on their own practice. Team meetings are held regularly and are a development opportunity for staff. They are also an opportunity for team-building and sharing information, which has helped the new team to come together. Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 1 September 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s bedroom has suitable clothing storage and any broken furniture is repaired or replaced. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that any room searches are suitably recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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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: 2672566 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Embrace Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 116 Duke Street, Liverpool, Lancashire L1 5JW

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2672566 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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