Liberty ILS ltd

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 1 Liberty ILS Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. The service provides up to six single-occupancy supported accommodation premises that are limited to accommodating looked after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of this monitoring visit, this service provided supported accommodation for five children aged 16 to 17.

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provider

The service manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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This monitoring visit

On 2 August 2024, the registered service manager notified Ofsted of a serious incident involving a child. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to ensure that children living in this supported accommodation service are suitably placed and receive appropriate support that meets their individual needs. Additionally, it was to ensure that managers and staff are aware of risks to children and have suitable measures in place to manage and reduce these risks.

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This monitoring visit

As part of this monitoring visit, the inspector spoke to the nominated individual and the deputy manager, reviewed support planning documents for three children and spoke to the placing authority of one child.

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This monitoring visit

The registered service manager was not available during the inspection. As a result, Ofsted held a meeting with the registered service manager and the nominated individual on 28 August 2024. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss concerns identified during the inspection about the provider’s pre-admission procedure and the statement of purpose. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 2 The registered service manager does not seek relevant information during pre- admission assessments to ensure that he is aware of risks to children’s safety and welfare. For example, he does not collect information from other agencies that support the children, relying on placing authorities to share their needs assessment, which has limited information about the children’s backgrounds. This restricts the registered service manager’s ability to make an informed assessment

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This monitoring visit

of children’s needs or to decide about the suitability of a placement in the supported accommodation service.

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This monitoring visit

Children who live at this supported accommodation service have been assessed by their social workers as requiring solo accommodation with support available to them 24 hours a day if required. Managers and staff develop and follow risk assessments that are written with children and their social workers.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s plans and risk assessments rely on their engagement with staff and with other professionals and agencies involved in their support. Although mostly effective when children engage, for some children, this is not consistent. For example, one child was frequently missing from home for prolonged periods of time. Managers and staff continually encourage children and work with other agencies to develop meaningful strategies that support re-engagement. When these strategies are not effective and children’s risk of harm increases, the manager works with placing authorities to help and support children to move to more suitable accommodation where their needs can be better met. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 3

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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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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 supported accommodation undertaking that puts children first and prioritises their wellbeing and development.

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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

ensure that arrangements are in place to manage referrals of children to the supported accommodation undertaking and admissions of children to premises used as supported accommodation, including, where relevant, emergency referrals and admissions. (Regulation 4 (1) (2)(f)) 4 October 2024

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Requirement Due date

The protection standard is that children are enabled to feel safe and that their needs are met. ensure that staff— are familiar and act in accordance with child protection policies. (Regulation 5 (2)(f)(i)) 03 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(f)) 03 May 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 18 (4)(b)) 03 May 2024 Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 4

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Recommendation

 The registered person should challenge any accommodating authority that asks them to accept a young person in the absence of complete and current information about the young person and their needs in the form of relevant plans, as it would not normally be acceptable to expect that a placement/accommodation arrangement of a young person without the necessary information would go ahead. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 17)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to follow up information received by Ofsted and/or to ensure that the supported accommodation provider was complying with regulation.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 5

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Arms Evertyne House, Quay Road, Blyth NE24 2AS

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Darrell Lewis

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Inspector

Beth Forster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider – monitoring visit: Liberty ILS Ltd 6 to 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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