Children's home run by Elevated Futures Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 1 Registered provider: Alternative Approach Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in September 2023 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in February 2024 and has since returned. The manager has reapplied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home was judged inadequate at the last full inspection on 18 and 19 June 2024. As a result, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation of the home and two compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 2 These related to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 1 August 2024. The provider had taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. The restriction of accommodation was lifted.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The reports are published on the Ofsted website. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The children have been living at the home since the last inspection. During the inspection, the inspector observed positive interactions between children and staff. Staff were responsive to children’s needs, and the inspector observed staff playing and engaging children in activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The children do not attend education. The manager advocates for the children and challenges relevant professionals to find education placements for them. However, this is not effective. Staff try to engage children in informal learning activities, although this is not consistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff promote positive behaviour through the use of incentives. Staff talk to children to help them understand potential consequences from some behaviours. This helps the children when they are in crisis.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff arrange for children to spend time with their families and people who are important to them. Staff spend time getting to know children’s families. This helps children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff support children to take part in activities and develop new hobbies. For one child, this has meant that they have been able to enjoy new experiences and activities since living in the home. As a result, the child now plays football for a local football team, and they are spending time with peers for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Leaders, managers, and staff have made improvements to the home environment. The children’s bedrooms are personalised in line with their interests. There are photos of the children with their family taking part in activities. This helps the children to feel a sense of belonging while living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff ensure that children attend relevant health appointments. However, children are not receiving specific support in line with their individual needs. This could impact on children’s overall health and well-being.

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

Staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and behaviour have improved since the last inspection.

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

Children’s risk assessments include clear strategies and guidance for staff to follow in practice. This is effective because incidents when the children are in crisis have reduced since the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 5 Some records do not include evaluation from leaders and managers as to why specific actions are taken to protect children.

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

Behaviour management plans are relevant to the children’s needs and behaviours. The recording in the plans is child centred. Plans include children’s views about how they want staff to care for them. This helps children to feel valued. Plans include specific behaviour management strategies to support staff in practice.

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

Incidents of using physical intervention have reduced. Records demonstrate that when staff hold children the intervention is necessary to keep children and staff safe. Records in relation to physical intervention are in line with regulation. Records detail all relevant steps that staff take to keep children safe.

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

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

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

The current manager was previously registered to manage this home. He cancelled his registration prior to the last inspection. He has made another application to register. In the interim, the responsible individual was overseeing the home.

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

Since the last inspection, the responsible individual and manager have made improvements to the overall leadership and management of the home. These improvements are not embedded into staff practice. The responsible individual and manager recognise this and are working together to address the shortfalls.

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

The home’s statement of purpose includes a therapeutic model of care. Staff do not use this model of care in their daily practice because not all staff have had the training in relation to this.

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

Managerial oversight has improved. Leaders and managers review and monitor staff practice. They have introduced new systems to help them improve their oversight. This helps the manager to identify areas to improve the quality of care that staff provide for children.

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

There have been some improvements in recording. However, these are inconsistent. Some of the children’s records include conflicting information. This shortfall does not help leaders and managers to monitor the quality of care effectively.

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

Staff say that they are supported in their roles. Staff receive regular supervision. Supervision records demonstrate that staff are provided with the opportunity to talk about the children and staff practice.

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

Leaders and managers have taken sufficient action and met some of the requirements from the previous inspection. However, some requirements are restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that education is promoted within the home; this should include informal learning.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 11 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 11 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 7 children receive advice, services, and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment, and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iv)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the children’s health needs, including emotional health needs, are met.

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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

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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 11 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 8 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager must ensure that the staff have the necessary skills and experience to ensure that the home’s approach and ethos are implemented in day-to-day practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all records include accurate information. 11 November 2024

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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: 2754240 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Alternative Approach Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Inward Way, Rossmore Business Village, Ellesmere Port CH65 3EY

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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Inspector Catherine Fargin, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2754240 10 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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