Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider and offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child received a well-planned move into the home from one of the company’s other homes. To ensure continuity of care, some staff members from the previous home accompanied the child to the new home. This helped the child to feel supported by familiar faces and has helped them settle. This also allowed staff to get to understand the child’s needs directly from staff who are experienced in working with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from staff who are committed to meeting their day-to-day needs. Staff promote a range of activities to engage the child and build a relationship, while recognising that they have only been at the home for a short time. The child is already making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views are central to the running of the home. The child has decided how their bedroom is decorated and has chosen their preferred activities and meals. The child has helped to plan daily and bedtime routines. The child has thrived because of the security of the routines. This means that the child is comfortable to express their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Holding the child to keep them safe is not frequently necessary. Holds used are proportionate and approved. Following an incident, the child is encouraged to express their views. This means that the child can understand why the hold was needed and talk about their views. Staff also discuss incidents with the manager. This helps staff to learn what works and what could be done better.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak of the child with genuine affection and care. Observations of staff practice were impressive and show that staff have nurturing and warm relationships with the child. This makes the child feel cared for and allows them to build trusting relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child recently started at a new school, which meets their specific additional needs. This has been a positive change for the child, and they enjoy attending. Staff are excited to hear about the child’s day on their return home and offer praise and encouragement. Staff tell the child how proud they are of them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to have an advocate, and the manager supports this well.

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

The child lives in a safe environment and is protected from harm. The staff caring for the child are well trained in safeguarding. Staff are clear of their roles and responsibilities should they have concerns about the child or the practice of other staff members.

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

Behaviour management is effective. Incidents are reviewed to enable staff to manage risk. The child is given an opportunity to discuss incidents to help them to understand how their emotions can impact on their behaviour. This supports the child’s emotional Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 3 well-being. Risks for the child are appropriately assessed. However, risk is not assessed for activities outside of the home.

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

When incidents occur, they are well documented. The manager maintains strong oversight and thoroughly evaluates each incident. Lessons learned are included in the team’s approach. Staff focus on adapting strategies to provide personalised care that is tailored to the child’s needs.

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

Effective systems support the child to express their views, wishes and feelings. The child knows how to raise complaints and receives a timely response when they do. The child said that they trust staff and feel able to talk with them. This provides them with a sense of security and safety.

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

Staff have regular conversations with the child. They talk about a wide range of topics. Staff provide the child with opportunities to have informal discussions and explore areas of interest and current affairs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an inspirational and passionate manager. The manager knows the child and service well and has clearly worked hard to drive practice standards in the home to a high level. She is child focused and keeps the child at the heart of decision- making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak very positively about the managers and senior leaders. They say that they feel valued, listened to and encouraged to contribute to the planning for the child. Therefore, staff morale is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are appropriately recruited and trained. Safer recruitment checks are carried out to prevent unsuitable adults from working in the home. Staff benefit from a robust training offer and are enrolled on relevant qualification programmes. This means that the child benefits from staff who are knowledgeable and qualified to meet their needs safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed a consistent and stable staff team. Some agency staff are used, but these are people who know the child. The manager has high expectations of staff and supports them well. This helps to ensure consistency of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective and considers learning from incidents and training. The manager ensures that areas for development are considered, and staff are encouraged to present their own learning and positive practice to the team. This ensures a collective approach to improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is extremely positive. This is a credit to the leadership and management of this home. Comments from a range of professionals include, ‘The nurturing environment and tailored support plans have clearly played a crucial role in [name of child]’s development. I am confident that [name of child] is receiving the best Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 4 possible care’ and ‘I’ve observed significant progress in the child’s social skills, emotional stability and overall well-being.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This specifically relates to the assessment of risk for activities outside of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2750005 6

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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

Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2750005 7 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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