Children's Home run by New Foundations Care Homes Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 1 SC406636 Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd

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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 provides care for up to five children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 22 February 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/03/2024 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/08/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There were five children living in the home at the time of the inspection. Children’s overall safety, progress and experiences are compromised by poor safeguarding practice and inadequate leadership and management oversight.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s educational progress is variable. One child has made progress and is moving on to college; however, other children do not benefit from clear education plans. The manager and staff are unable to provide inspectors with education arrangements for all children. Leaders and managers do not provide children with daily routines that promote or support learning effectively. This limits children’s progress and educational outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Arrangements for children moving in and out of the home are poor. Leaders and managers do not consider children’s individual needs and risks prior to them coming to live in the home. Children are not informed of their plans effectively or appropriately consulted about decisions that may affect their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not sufficiently challenged placing authorities when plans are unclear. As a result, children are unable to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. The care plans that are in place for children do not align with placing authorities’ care plans. This impacts on the quality of care provided to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not consistently supported to lead healthy lifestyles. Leaders, managers, and staff do not address the dangers of smoking cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, alcohol, and substance misuse in an effective manner. Specialist services are identified for children; however, there is limited encouragement for them to attend. As a result, the children’s health needs are not being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment is hazardous and unclean. Communal areas in the home are dirty, for example there is mould and dirt in the showers. Children’s bedrooms lack personalisation. Furniture is damaged and broken. Leaders, managers, and staff have not taken action to improve the quality of the environment. This means that children do not feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children say they do not spend time together and often eat meals in their bedrooms. Children spend a lot of time in the community away from the home. One child said they feel unsafe in the home and make certain that their room is always locked.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not consistently recognise or respond to safeguarding concerns and do not ensure that strategies are in place to protect children and reduce the risk of harm. Staff are not provided with relevant actions and strategies to support them to reduce the risks to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 4 Children have individual missing-from-home protocols; however, these are not consistently followed. The response to children being missing is poor. When children have been missing from home, the response from leaders, managers and staff is inconsistent. Staff are unclear about their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not always benefit from independent return home interviews following being missing from the home. This is a missed opportunity to identify and respond effectively to children’s risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are not helped to understand their own behaviours. Consequences and rewards are inconsistent. For example, when a child was under the influence of substances, they were provided with a gift voucher. Additional measures are not appropriately reviewed by leaders and managers as to their effectiveness. Children, staff, and professionals report that the boundaries given to children are inconsistent. One child said: ‘The kids run the house and are in control.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they have sufficient oversight of care practices in the home. Room searches are repeatedly used as a consequence; however, this is not reviewed or evaluated. This means children are vulnerable to harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they recognise the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The registered manager has not taken effective action to address all requirements identified at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Incidents in the home are not reviewed or evaluated effectively by leaders and managers. There have been repeated incidents involving substance misuse and episodes of going missing from home. However, there is limited evaluation as to how the quality of care and response to risk can be improved. This means that there is limited learning from incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to notify Ofsted when there have been serious incidents in relation to substance misuse. This means that the regulator is not provided with an accurate overview of safeguarding practices in the home. Furthermore, the manager has not provided an up-to-date statement of purpose containing details of all staff caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite leaders and managers providing staff with needs-led training, staff have not put this learning into practice. Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have the appropriate skills, knowledge, and qualifications to care for children living in the home safely. Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 5 Throughout the visit, leaders and managers were unable to provide inspectors with required documents and reports. Shortfalls around poor-quality recordings do not promote consistent practice or ensure that the child is safeguarded effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

As a result of these shortfalls, a case review was held on 2 September 2024 and a decision was made to issue three compliance notices under regulation 6, the quality and purpose of care standard, regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)) 8 September 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

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; 8 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 7 ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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

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enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 8 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 9 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that transitions in and out of the home are appropriately considered and children’s needs can be met.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children benefit from accurate and up-to-date plans.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

that staff— 9 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 9 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that positive behaviour is supported in the home. Consequences should be proportionate and evaluated as to their effectiveness.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they take effective action to ensure children benefit from up-to-date and relevant plans. 9 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 10 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

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

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are supported to attend meaningful education. Furthermore, leaders, managers and staff must ensure that informal education is supported in the home. 9 October 2024

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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

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 9 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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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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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

The registered person must— 9 October 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 11 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.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC406636 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Building Bridges Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mill Farm, Bull Bridge Lane, Liverpool L10 6LZ

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Hannah Lee Stockdale

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Inspectors

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Inspector Nichola Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC406636 13 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. 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

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Inspectors

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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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