Children's home run by Teen-Works Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 1 Registered provider: Teen-Works Care 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

This home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or have ‘special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 17 January 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/01/2024 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good 18/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. They are settled and making good progress in all aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are thriving on the nurturing care that they receive from staff. One child said, ‘It’s my home. I feel safe here. Staff are there for me, and they don’t judge me. I feel loved.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child struggled with their school attendance. However, with support and encouragement from staff, the child overcame their anxieties and went back to school to sit their final exams. This child is now studying at college and aspires to a career in the NHS. The other child is very academic and is achieving the grades they require to go to university. One professional said, ‘[Name of child] has dreams and aspirations for their future, and staff are encouraging them to reach for the stars.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are maturing and growing in confidence. For example, one child has a part-time job in a charity shop, and they are also starting to spend time with their friends in the local community. This is building the child’s confidence and widening their social network. One professional said, ‘Staff have allowed [name of child] to be themself and they have really flourished there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who understand them and know them well. Children enjoy spending time with staff. Staff plan a range of interesting activities for children to enjoy, for example trips to zoos and theme parks and walks on the beach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to become increasingly independent. For example, they are given a weekly budget to plan their own menus and to purchase the ingredients. Children are supported to do this gradually and at their own pace. With encouragement, one child has started to shop independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. They are registered with primary health services and attend their appointments. Staff are supporting one child to learn how to order and administer their own medication. This is an important step to help the child take responsibility for their health and in preparation for adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child struggled to settle at the home. This was the child’s first experience of residential care and they found it difficult to adjust to living away from their family. Staff were persistent in their efforts to support the child. However, this was not successful. The manager served notice on this child’s placement to try to minimise the impact of the child’s behaviours on other children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Childrens bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual tastes and personalities. However, the flooring needs replacing in one child’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 4 bedroom and the garden requires more regular maintenance. This detracts from the homely environment that the staff are trying to create for children.

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

Children feel safe. They are cared for by adults that they trust. One child said that the staff were the best thing about living at the home and there was always someone they could speak to if they were worried about anything.

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

Some children can hurt themselves when they feel anxious or upset. However, incidents of self-harm have significantly reduced. Professionals attribute this reduction to the stability and security offered to children by staff. Children are learning different strategies to manage their emotions and are becoming more resilient when faced with stressful situations.

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

Children have built trusting relationships with staff. These relationships are supporting children’s emotional health and well-being. One professional said, ‘Staff have shown [name of child] that they are going to be consistently there for her, and this has enabled her to open up and talk about her feelings.’

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

Staff manage challenging situations calmly and effectively. Physical intervention is considered a last resort, and staff have not needed to hold a child to keep them safe.

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

The manager responds quickly to emerging safeguarding concerns for children. She involves the relevant professionals to try to manage risks to the child.

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

Direct work is completed with children to help them learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, when one child told staff they felt vulnerable in the community, staff helped the child to think about practical strategies they could use to deal with the situation in the future.

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

Risks to children are understood well by the manager. She ensures that all children have risk management plans. However, some plans have not been updated as risks to children have changed or lowered. In addition, some risk management plans do not detail all the steps that staff are taking to minimise risks to children. This has not had an impact on children’s well-being, but it does not promote consistent practice.

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

Children who currently live at this home do not go missing. However, there are protocols in place to ensure that staff respond consistently and effectively if a child were to go missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced and appropriately qualified manager leads this home. She is dedicated to ensuring that children are nurtured and have the support they need to fulfil their potential. Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 5 The manager is a visible presence in the home. She enjoys spending time with children and has a good understanding of the progress they are making. The manager encourages children to attend their care planning meetings, and she involves children in decisions about their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for children. She challenges other professionals to ensure that children receive the support they need in order to achieve. The staff team is proud of the progress children are making and celebrates children’s achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that she is accessible to staff for support and advice. She has high expectations of staff to provide children with good-quality care. The manager coaches new staff to ensure that their practice is aligned to the ethos and values of the home. This is important, as some staff are new to working with children in residential care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good knowledge of local services and the support that children can access. This helps her to navigate local services and to ensure that children receive the support they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are consistently positive about the quality of care and support that the children receive. They speak highly of the manager and value the level of communication they receive from the home. One professional said, ‘It is a very nurturing home; it has a real family feel to it and staff care about the children and go the extra mile.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal of their performance. However, new members of staff are not currently receiving supervision as frequently as specified in the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some important local authority documents were not available on all children’s records, for example copies of care planning review meetings. This means that staff do not have access to important information about the child. The manager took steps to address this during the inspection. However, a requirement is made to secure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at this home. They feel supported by their colleagues and their manager. One member of staff said, ‘I feel very lucky to have a management team that are so passionate and supportive about our young people and staff. I feel valued - and that is something that is important to me.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 6

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Statutory requirement

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 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

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that copies of children’s education, health and care plans and minutes from local authority planning and review meetings are held on the child’s records. 31 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a welcoming and homely environment. This includes ensuring that carpets are replaced when they become tired and worn and maintaining the garden so that it is a pleasant space for children to use. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the frequency of staff supervision is aligned to the timescales stated in the home’s statement of purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that risk management plans are kept up to date and detail the steps staff should take to minimise known risks to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 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: 2503574 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 509-510 Cotton Exchange, Bixteth Street, Liverpool L3 9LQ

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2503574 9 regulates and inspects 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 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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