Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 1 SC022464 Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services

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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 is registered to provide care for one child who experience emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

No children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2019.

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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 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: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 12 September 2024. During this visit further shortfalls were identified in relation to safeguarding practices, and the leadership and management of the home. Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 2 Ofsted identified that the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/07/2024 Full Inadequate 18/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Outcomes for the child since the monitoring visit are poor. Decisions were made for the child to move on from the home following the last inspection. However, delays in the child moving on from the home escalated the level of risk.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care planning for the child moving on from the home was poor. Staff do not spend time with the child to support them to move on from the home in a positive way. Records do not reflect that staff support the child to express their views on their move and that transitions are well planned. Staff do not support the child to prepare them for more independent living. As a result, the child moved on from the home without the skills to live independently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Changes in the staff team has meant that the child did not receive a consistent level of care. As a result, the child did not develop trusting relationships with the whole staff team. Not all staff have the skills to engage the child in meaningful work and activities. Opportunities to capture the child’s views and wishes are missed. As a result, the child did not make progress when living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff provide opportunities for the child to engage in educational activities through daily education plans. However, staff do not understand how to promote the child’s engagement with these when they refuse. The lack of structure and boundaries in the home means that the child would spend long periods of time out of the home with friends. As a result, the child did not access any formal education provisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff understand the importance of the child’s friendships and family relationships. Friends and family are invited to the home to spend time with the child. However, attempts to prevent the child from spending time with peers who posed a risk are ineffective. Furthermore, when the child’s friends are engaging in unsafe behaviour, staff do not share the information with the child’s parents to ensure that the child is appropriately safeguarded.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is poor. Staff do not spend time with the child to understand the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, the risks for the child increased prior to them moving on from the home.

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

Staff do not always report the child as missing from the home in line with their care plan. Delays in attempts to contact the child when they are missing from the home means that the child has not been located quickly. On one occasion staff did not attempt to locate the child at an address where the child was believed to be at. Staff lack professional curiosity and do not support the child to engage in meaningful work Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 5 following incidents of being missing. As a result, the risks to the child continued to increase.

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

Incidents of challenging behaviour in the home are not managed well. Staff do not take appropriate action to safeguard the child or others when weapons are found in the home and used in a threatening manner. Action has not been taken to follow processes to ensure that the home is secured. This means that the child is able to leave the home in possession of weapons.

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

Staff do not support the child to reduce their misuse of substances. When items are found in the home, staff do not address this with the child. Furthermore, staff do not act in line with the child’s plans when the child is using electronic cigarettes in the home.

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

Staff do not support the child to understand the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. Following incidents, staff do not spend time with the child following incidents of challenging behaviour in the home to help them understand what acceptable behaviour is.

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

The use of consequences is ineffective, and managers do not review the rational for consequences being given. This does not ensure that managers monitor the use of the measure or its effectiveness in helping the child to promote positive behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has introduced a new monitoring tool to support their oversight of care documents. However, shortfalls identified in records demonstrate that the tool is not effective. Significant shortfalls in records and staff practice have not been addressed. This is a missed opportunity to improve care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not taken action to ensure that the child has access to meaningful discussions after incidents or in response to emerging risks. When issues have been identified with poor staff practice the manager has not addressed this with staff. Staff performance plans lack detail and any areas for improvement are not closely monitored. This does not support staff to change poor practice and develop appropriate skills and experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place monthly. Staff say these are helpful to reflect on practice within a group setting. However, staff do not always have access to individual supervision sessions. This means that staff do not receive individual support or guidance on their practice. Staff have undertaken additional training sessions since the child moved on from the home. However, the manager has not completed all required training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Independent monthly visits take place at the home. However, the manager does not take action to rectify the areas of development identified. This allows poor practice to continue. Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 6 Following the outcome of the inspection, the provider made the decision to cancel the home’s registration. Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 7

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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, 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff follow the child’s plans. That staff take action to manage safeguarding concerns in the home. 18 December 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— 18 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 8 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;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that systems are in place to monitor staff practice and that action is taken when poor practice is identified.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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— 18 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 9 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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 understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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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. (Regulation 11 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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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.

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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 18 December 2024 Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 10 plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)

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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: SC022464 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PIC Children’s Services Limited, 2 North Street, Haydock, St. Helens WA11 0TW

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC022464 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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