Children's Home run by Almoner Care Group Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 1 Registered provider: Almoner Care Group Limited

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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 organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024. This was the first inspection since the home was registered in February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has moved in since the home was registered. There have been times when staff have not taken appropriate steps to keep the child safe. Leaders and managers have failed to identify shortfalls in staff practice and have not taken the necessary steps to improve practice, to ensure that children are kept safe going forward. This means that the child has been left at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home has not been maintained to a good standard. Two windows have not been replaced when seals have failed. Paint on some walls and doors is chipped and there are scuff marks, and furnishings are ripped. This prevents the home from feeling homely and welcoming.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There has been a lack of robust care planning for the child. Full consideration was not given to the suitability of this home for the child and the manager failed to ensure that a planning meeting took place. Additionally, the most recent care plan for the child has not been received from the placing authority and the manager has not escalated this. This means that staff and the manager are not working in accordance with the child’s current plan to achieve the child’s specified outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Despite these shortfalls, the child has positive relationships with the manager and most members of staff. Some staff have left the home since it was registered, but there is currently a consistent staff team to care for the child. However, gaps in the knowledge and skills of staff to meet the specific needs of the child have not been identified in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff and the manager ensure that the child is supported to maintain relationships with the people who are important to them. The child takes part in a wide range of activities in the local community. The child is encouraged to build up their independence skills, in an age-appropriate way. The child can express their feelings and wishes and is supported to take part in care planning meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is supported to attend education and has recently reintegrated into a mainstream setting after not being in school for several years. Staff support the child’s individual health needs. The child is registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and is supported to attend routine health appointments. Support from specialist health services is sought when necessary and there has been an improvement in the child’s emotional health.

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

Leaders, managers and staff have not consistently taken steps to keep the child safe. Staff do not always understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting the child. On one occasion, the child was left alone in a park by staff for almost an hour, despite being Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 3 subject to a court directed order to deprive them of their liberty due to the risk of exploitation. The child was able to engage with members of the public not known to them, which placed them at risk of harm. This incident was not recorded, reviewed or evaluated by the manager. This means that opportunities for learning and evaluating poor staff decision-making have been missed.

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

Allegations against staff are not always managed in accordance with guidelines and company policy. In most cases, action taken has been taken by the manager when allegations have been made, and relevant agencies have been informed. However, details of investigations, actions and outcomes are not fully recorded. Additionally, there is no evidence to suggest that the outcome has been communicated to the child. Furthermore, an allegation against staff members has not been treated as such, meaning that allegation processes were not followed, and the regulator was not informed. This places the child at risk of harm.

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

Managers do not identify ways to help staff understand and minimise risks for the child. Risk management documents are confusing and do not provide clear strategies to keep the child safe. They are not reviewed regularly and are not readily available to staff in the home.

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

Physical intervention techniques are rarely used. However, records do not provide all relevant details including the duration of the hold used. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the child and staff are spoken to and given the opportunity to reflect on incidents. This means that the manager is unable to assess whether the hold used was reasonable, necessary and proportionate, or whether any follow up action is required.

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

Safe recruitment practices have not always been followed in the home, placing the child at risk of being exposed to individuals who are not suitable to work with children. Overseas checks had not been provided for two members of staff at the point of employment. Additionally, only one reference had been obtained for another member of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not had sufficient oversight of serious incidents and has not always identified shortfalls in staff practice. This means staff have not received the support or training required to enable them to take appropriate action to safeguard children. The manager is in the process of completing the relevant management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not have effective monitoring and review systems in place to ensure that the child is kept safe. In addition, when external monitoring has identified shortfalls and concerns that the child is not always safeguarded, leaders and managers have failed to take appropriate action to address the shortfalls identified in a timely manner. This places all involved at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records in the child’s and staff files are not of consistently good quality. Furthermore, not all records are kept in the home and so they are not accessible to staff or the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 4 Several documents and key communications are only available on the responsible individual’s laptop, which is not always in the home. This means that the manager does not have full oversight of records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose has not been updated to reflect a number of changes to staffing and has not been sent to the regulator. Additionally, the workforce development plan does not contain important information, such as processes for managing poor performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff are qualified and experienced in childcare. New members of staff complete an induction before being enrolled to take a recognised childcare qualification. Leaders have identified that staff would benefit from a more robust induction process. There is a training programme in place, however, specific training to meet the needs of the child has not been identified in a timely manner. Team meetings are held regularly and are used as a forum for learning. However, staff are not provided with regular supervision that allows them to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders accept that there are shortfalls in practice and have plans in place to address these. When concerns were highlighted, the responsible individual provided reassurance to the regulator about the immediate actions taken to safeguard the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 5

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all known risks are identified in children’s risk assessments and support plans, with clear and effective strategies for staff to follow to keep children safe. 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 6 The registered provider must ensure that children are supervised appropriately, in accordance with their plans, at all times.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all investigations into allegations are recorded clearly and accurately, and the outcome shared with the relevant persons.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the regulator is informed of all allegations made against staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all employment checks are completed when recruiting new staff.

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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

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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there is sufficient management oversight of the home. This includes having effective monitoring and review systems so leaders and managers can review and evaluate the quality of care staff provide for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff and children’s records are of consistently good quality.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that records are stored safely and are easily accessible for managers and staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff receive training in criminal exploitation, gangs and knife crime, and self-harm. 4 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 7 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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that up-to- date relevant care plans are received for each child from the local authority in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person should ensure that they fully consider the suitability of the home for a child before the child moves in, including the ability of the staff to meet the child’s needs. 4 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 4 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 8 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that maintenance issues in the home are identified and rectified in a timely manner. 4 December 2024

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The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive regular supervision that supports them to reflect on their practice. 4 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 4 December 2024

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan. The plan should detail the necessary management and staffing structure, the experience and qualifications of staff, any further training required for those staff and the processes for managing and improving poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2746850 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Almoner Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Brunswick, Seymour Chambers, 92 London Road, Liverpool L3 5NW

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Inspector

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 11 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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