Children's Home run by My3 Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 1 Registered provider: My3 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 owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who have learning disabilities and who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children have lived in this home during this inspection period. Only one child is currently living in the home. The inspector spoke with this child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of this home has been registered with Ofsted since May 2024.

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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: 20 February 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: 2508601 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a large and bright home that has plenty of space for them to relax and play. The child who is currently living in the home has done so for many years and is settled. The child’s interests and personality are reflected throughout the home with photos of them on display. Staff have supported the child to make some bespoke furniture in their bedroom, which will move with the child when they move on as an adult.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a variety of opportunities to explore and develop their interests, both in and out of the home. Children participate in local clubs, and staff provide them with opportunities to take well-managed risks to further develop their confidence and freedom. Staff support children to understand and improve their independence skills so that they are better able to contribute to their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take children to routine and urgent health appointments and teach children how to take better care of their own health. When children have not had their health needs met before moving to this home, staff and managers prioritise these appointments to ensure that children remain healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children who have lived in the home have attended education full time. Staff and managers work proactively with education professionals to support children to make progress. Staff listen to and encourage children’s aspirations and support them to further explore their fields of interest.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their family and friends. One professional said, ‘Staff are supporting him to rebuild that connection with his family.’ Children’s family members are welcomed into the home, and their photos are displayed in the child’s bedroom. Staff reach out to family to encourage their visits and enable the child to develop a better understanding of their family identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into or out of this home, staff and managers work with the network around the child to ensure that this is done in a planned and child-centred way. Managers carefully consider the strengths and vulnerabilities of each child when considering whether this home would be right for a child and identify areas where staff may need further support. When children have moved into this home and not been able to stay, managers have reflected with the team to identify learning.

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

The child who lives in the home says that they feel safe and can talk to staff about any worries. Staff have developed warm and nurturing relationships with the child. This has enabled the child to build trust in the adults who care for them. Staff have worked hard to build trusting relationships with all children who have lived there, sometimes in challenging circumstances and short time frames. Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 4 Staff have a clear understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and associated risks. Staff get to know each child to find out what does and does not work for them to ensure that they can support each child in the best way for them. As a result, there have not been many occasions when staff have had to hold a child to keep them safe. When this has happened, it has been done as a last resort and in the best interests of the child.

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

Staff support children to share their views and communicate their choices and feelings in a way that works for each child. Staff and managers are strong advocates for children and regularly challenge other professionals to better meet children’s needs. This ongoing determination to ensure that children’s needs are best met has led to more positive outcomes for children.

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

Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. Staff and managers share information effectively and work well with other professionals. One professional said, ‘They contact us every day to let us know how [name of child] is doing and what’s been going on for them.’ This ensures that professionals are able to work together quickly when a child’s needs change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has the experience and skills necessary to run the home effectively and has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas of development for the home. The registered manager has positive ambitions for the children, the staff team and the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and well supported by their management team and feel able to contribute ideas for the development of practice in the home. One member of staff said, ‘I can honestly say I have never felt more included and supported in any previous job I have worked.’ While providing positive support and encouragement, the registered manager also challenges the team to continue to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the different strengths and skills in the staff team and identifies training and development opportunities that will further improve these skillsets for children. One member of staff said of the management team, ‘They consistently organise training sessions that help me grow professionally and gain a better understanding of my role, equipping me with skills to support the children more effectively.’ While staff speak positively about the opportunities they have to develop their practice, they have not had their performance formally appraised in over a year.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager typically follows safer recruitment practices when employing staff to work in the home. However, on one occasion, overseas checks were not completed for an employee who has lived in another country. This has not resulted in any safeguarding concerns to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings, which provide them a space to reflect on their practice. While staff say that these discussions are useful for them, records of these conversations are not consistent. Many staff do not have accurate or up-to-date records of their supervision discussions, and there are no records of the Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 5 reflective discussions the team has with the in-house psychologist. This has not impacted on the excellent care that is provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager makes good use of internal and external monitoring to assess and improve the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that, when necessary, an overseas certificate of criminal history is provided prior to employment, in line with the company’s recruitment policy. 8 January 2025

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and that their performance is appraised annually. Supervision and appraisal records should be completed after each session and should be unique to the discussion held. 8 January 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that reflective discussions about children are recorded in a way that is useful for children and staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards.’ page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 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: 2508601 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2508601 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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