Children's home run by Ivie Lodge Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 1 Registered provider: Ivie Lodge 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

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by an experienced registered manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/07/2023 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Good 19/10/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are dedicated, caring and committed and children receive exceptional care. Great effort has been made to ensure that the children live in a house that is welcoming and feels like a family home. The children have made the decisions about how their home has been decorated and they take pride in keeping it presented to a very high standard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff work hard to form nurturing relationships with the children. They always consider their individual needs and personalities. Staff enjoy taking the children out into the community so that they can take part in different activities. Staff are keen to provide children with as many opportunities to sample life outside the home as possible. This is because they appreciate that this will enhance the children’s overall development and understanding of the community and the world in general.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of education for the children. Children are encouraged to attend their education provision. Should the provision not suit the child’s needs, staff strongly advocate for the child to ensure that the most appropriate education provision is identified. This is because staff know that children will only learn if they are willing to attend education. For one child, this has been a great success. The child had been out of education for many months. She returned to education in March 2024 and was supported and encouraged to take her exams, which she did. This has provided a strong platform that the child can build on to achieve her goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff undertake regular individual sessions with the children. A wide range of topics are discussed, and staff do not shy away from difficult conversations. The individual work with children is of a very high quality and allows them a safe space to speak openly and honestly with the staff. Over time, these sessions have gone on to further develop the trusting relationship that exists between the children and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A real strength of the team lies in their approach to supporting the children when they are going through difficulties. Staff are attentive and listen to the children’s worries. They show empathy and true understanding of what the children are going through. This helps children to learn ways in which to manage their emotional well-being. One child has made remarkable progress in this area. They have gone from being very angry and going missing from care to listening to what is being said and responding to that while remaining in the home. An external professional said: ‘Staff don’t fully realise how much progress has been made by the child.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff ensure that the children are healthy. Appointments are made with health professionals if needed, and staff ensure that everything is seen through to conclusion. The children eat a wide variety of food and staff ensure that the food bought reflects the children’s cultural needs and their requests. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 4 The children are provided with many opportunities to share their wishes and feelings. They meet with staff on a weekly basis to talk about topics relating to each child and to raise any issues in the home that need resolving. The manager is highly responsive to the children’s requests and always provides feedback. This helps the children feel listened to, as their views are heard, and as a result, they feel valued.

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

There is a strong emphasis on safeguarding in the home. Staff integrate safeguarding into everyday conversations and alongside undertaking individual work with the children. The overall aim is to equip the children with the necessary skills and knowledge to keep themselves safe. Time is spent with the children exploring scenarios, discussing potential risks and what these could mean for the child. This approach promotes ongoing learning for the children and staff revisit topics if needed to reinforce learning.

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

Children have individualised risk assessments. These assessments are very detailed and capture the specific needs and vulnerabilities of each child. The assessments also set out the approach that children could benefit from. These are continually reviewed and updated. Staff are proactive in reading any updates, so they are always equipped with the best knowledge regarding each child.

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

There continue to be incidents in the home, but the overall quantity continues to reduce. The recordings show that incident reports are very detailed, and staff ensure that they capture all the necessary information. The manager has oversight of every incident and provides excellent analysis of them. If further actions are set, the manager ensures that they are completed. However, staff are not curious enough about the impact of incidents on children and identifying whether further support is needed.

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

Children have been reported missing since the last inspection, but the frequency of such incidents is decreasing over time. Staff complete missing records in detail and keep all relevant professionals updated about the child while they are missing and upon return. When a child returns home, staff spend time welcoming them and ensure they have not been harmed. Missing-from-care interviews are completed with the children when needed.

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

The medication process is well established, with only one medication error since the last inspection. However, there are instances where records are not clear, and staff do not consistently sign off on having read policies for each child. The concern is that staff could make a mistake as part of administering medication and a child could be harmed.

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

When allegations or complaints are made, the manager ensures that there is a thorough and detailed investigation and that all parties are informed of the outcome. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is very focused on delivering outstanding care to the children. She has a vision for the home and every day she strives to ensure that the children’s needs are fully met, and that they achieve excellent outcomes. In addition, the manager works exceptionally hard to ensure that staff complete all tasks associated with their roles to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has implemented efficient and effective systems that enable her to maintain direct oversight of all activity in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Multi-agency working is a real strength. The manager is very proactive in sourcing extra support for the children. She coordinates the team around the child and ensures that other agencies are accountable for their intervention and are part of the support plan for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive regular, individual and high-quality supervision, which includes time for reflective conversations to address any issues affecting them. Additionally, staff are given the opportunity to focus on their individual areas for development. This approach to supervision helps staff enhance their skills and knowledge, which ultimately benefits the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Newly recruited staff benefit from a structured induction that prepares them very well for the roles they will undertake. New staff find this valuable and helpful. Training continues after induction, with staff accessing training in different formats to further develop their skills and ensure the delivery of outstanding care. When the manager identifies learning needs from incidents, she ensures that staff complete any necessary follow-up training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Meticulous internal and external quality assurance secures a detailed analysis of the operation of the home. This means that the manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Firm plans are in place to drive forward continual improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 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 make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to the registered person ensuring that there is a clear process in place and records show the exact medication that a child is prescribed. 25 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. When a child has been involved in an incident, consideration needs to be given as to whether the child will need extended observations to ensure they remain safe. Any action undertaken to safeguard a child needs to be recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.11) Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 7

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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: 2483881 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, 9 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3BE

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Inspector

Lizette Watts, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2483881 9 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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