Children's Home run by Guidance Care Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 1 Registered provider: Guidance Care 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 privately owned and registered to provide care for up to three children who may be experiencing social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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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: 27 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: 2558681 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 08/02/2023 Full Good 11/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress from their starting points. They are supported by staff who know them well and who have positive and trusting relationships with children. Children spoke about their positive relationships with staff. They said that if they have any worries or problems they can talk to staff and they will listen.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have benefited from living at the home. The support they receive from staff has had a positive impact on their progress and experiences. One child’s social worker said, ‘[Name of child’s] progress is because of the positive and safe relationships they have with staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress with their education. All three children have had prolonged periods out of education. However, two children are now attending education daily and preparing for their GCSE exams. One child is also working towards their Duke of Edinburgh award. There are some challenges for one child and their attendance at school. However, the manager and staff are working with the child’s social worker, therapist and the school to identify ways to support them to access their education more consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Alongside their formal education, staff are working with children to help them gain independence skills and knowledge to help prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is supported and encouraged in line with agreed plans. Staff have built relationships with family members and take children to visit family to ensure that they can build and maintain the relationships that are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments. When children refuse to attend, staff complete support sessions with them to ensure that they understand the importance of these appointments so they can then make informed decisions about attending them. When it has been necessary, the manager and staff have sought out specialist health and well-being support for children. One child is now engaging with a therapist and is finding this beneficial.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home have left in a positive and planned way in line with their individual plans. Staff have supported children with the moves to their new home, making the transition as comfortable as possible for them. There are structured plans in place for staff to remain in contact with the children to give them continued support and maintain important relationships.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations, disclosures and/or safeguarding concerns. However, staff are trained in relevant safeguarding subjects, such Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 4 as child exploitation, county lines and substance misuse, to ensure that they would be alert to any emerging concerns.

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

Support plans and risk assessments are child centred. They are robust and detailed documents, which include all necessary and relevant information and provide clear guidance and strategies for staff. These plans are effective. Alongside the consistency and stability provided by staff, missing-from-home episodes have significantly reduced for two of the children living in the home.

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

When children have been missing from the home, suitable action has been taken by staff to search for them and support them to return as quickly as possible. The manager and staff work with external professionals, such as the police, the missing-from-home team and social workers, to support the reduction in missing episodes.

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

When it has been necessary to physically hold a child, it has been reasonable, proportionate and for a minimum amount of time. Following the hold, the child and staff involved are supported to discuss the incident. Individual support sessions take place reactively and proactively. They are relevant to what is going on in the child’s life and are also an opportunity for the child to express their feelings and wishes.

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

When children are new to the home, they are welcomed with the best possible planning. An impact assessment is completed to identify known risks and behaviours. However, planning focuses on the child moving in. It does not consider the possible impact that the child moving into the home may have on the other children, or what strategies will be used to minimise these risks. The assessment also does not identify the training, skills and experience that staff have to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an experienced manager in post, who is supported by a deputy manager. The manager knows the children well and has high aspirations for what they can achieve. Staff describe the manager as supportive and readily available to provide support and development opportunities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes use of internal and external monitoring systems. However, the quality of care review has not been sent to Ofsted. In addition, the manager’s oversight on reports of significant events, such as missing-from-home episodes and physical restraint, is not always completed. This is a missed opportunity to review and reflect on staff practice, identify lessons learned and reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent workforce who are suitably trained and qualified to meet the individual needs of the children. Due to the consistency of the staff team, children have been able to develop positive relationships with staff, which have provided them with a sense of permanence, belonging and safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 5 The manager and staff work together with key professionals, such as social workers, therapists, independent reviewing officers and education providers, to ensure that there is a wraparound approach to providing the best outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision sessions; however, these are not always recorded and there is no record of how often they take place. Therefore, it is not clear if the sessions focus on staff practice, or whether they are used as a reflective and developmental tool.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is warm and welcoming. Children describe the home as feeling like a family home. There are photos of staff and children throughout, which helps children to feel a sense of belonging. One child said, ‘It feels like home rather than just a house.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 6

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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 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

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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there is sufficient monitoring of incidents and useful, reflective and evaluative management oversight. 10 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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff receive regular, practice-related supervision, and that these supervision sessions are recorded. 10 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 7 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. These assessments should also consider and identify if staff have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet the child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, Page 57, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 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: 2558681 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Guidance Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Guidance Care Ltd, Unit 8, Sovereign Court, Wyrefields, Poulton Industrial Estate, Poulton-le-Fylde FY6 8JX

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2558681 10 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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