Children's Home run by Essandore Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 1 SC066218 Registered provider: Essandore 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

A private company owns the home, which provides care for up to six children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. There were six children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since April 2023.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 12 December 2023

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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: SC066218 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Good 31/08/2022 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Good 13/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been no children move in or out of the home since the last inspection. Children have continued to build relationships with the staff and each other, which have provided them with consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress and are developing important skills with the support of the staff. For one child, this has meant an increase in their mobility and a reduction in the reliance on their wheelchair. For another child, there has been a reduction in self- injurious behaviour; this has meant that the amount of time that they wear head protection has reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual communication styles and sensory input preferences are understood, encouraged and met by the staff. This ensures that children are supported as individuals and have the appropriate resources available for their needs. However, it is not always clear how children are consulted with or how the staff ensure that this is happening daily. Additionally, children are not always involved in their care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy lots of positive and fun activities. These have included a holiday away and trips to fairgrounds, parks and swimming. A creative staff member who leads on events ensures that there is always something to celebrate in style, with children’s families welcome to join in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education provision. The staff work closely with the children and their school professionals to promote education and respond effectively when there are concerns. For example, two children have struggled with both attendance and punctuality over the year. However, due to staff understanding the children’s needs, there have been improvements with this and now both children are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and inclusive. It was decorated for Christmas. There are visual aids throughout to aid children’s understanding. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their tastes and the staff are responsive to these as they change. However, children do not have access to the kitchen and other areas of the home that were reported to be for staff. This impacts children’s ability to develop life skills and have access to communal areas of their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are monitored throughout the night using a mixture of audio and visual monitors. The use of such monitoring and surveillance of children can impact on their privacy. However, the use of these measures is not always assessed as necessary, monitored or reviewed. Additionally, consent to use the measures is not always in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 4 Children’s health needs are well met. The manager ensures that appropriate referrals are made to services that she feels will benefit the children. Staff respond appropriately when there are incidents of self-injurious behaviour or accidents.

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

Children are safe living in this home. The staff are guided by concise, but appropriately detailed, plans that are regularly reviewed and updated.

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

The use of restraint is rare. When it has been used, it has been necessary and proportionate. The manager and the staff understand the need to ensure that restrictive practices are used as a last resort. As a result, many incidents can be de-escalated by staff as they are curious and reflective around triggers for behaviour. However, children are not always spoken to after these incidents, and it is unclear how children are engaged in this process.

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

There is a graded and considered response to implementing any restrictions. For example, the manager tried different resources, starting with the least restrictive, when a child was becoming unsafe travelling in a vehicle.

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

Positive reinforcement, along with celebrating achievements, outweighs the use of negative consequences to behaviour. When negative consequences are used, they are restorative and not punitive in nature.

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

The manager and the staff team work well as part of a larger multi-agency team to ensure that children are safeguarded and their well-being is promoted. Additionally, children have access to advocacy services.

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

The manager follows robust safer recruitment processes that reduce the risk of unsuitable people working with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified, and is supported by an experienced deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management team is child centred and knows the children well. Staff say that they feel supported by their managers, and they receive regular supervision sessions. However, the manager uses agency staff and, although these are consistent staff members, they do not have supervision sessions. This is a missed opportunity for the agency staff to reflect on their practice and the manager to assure herself that all staff have the skills needed to support the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is clear management oversight of most of the records. However, the manager had not reviewed records of new behaviours displayed by children. This reduces the manager’s awareness of any emerging issues and the opportunity to share the information with the whole team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 5 The manager recognises the development areas required for the staff, children and in the home. However, maintenance issues are not always addressed in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff receive regular training in line with the home’s statement of purpose. However, the manager has not ensured that all staff have had training on how to remove a ligature.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager ensures that there are regular team meetings. These meetings are used to address staff practice as well as provide learning opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 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

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; 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that staff have the relevant training for identified risks.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that agency staff are provided with supervision sessions.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that they have oversight of children’s records so that any shortfalls in staff practice can be identified and the quality of care provided to children can be reviewed. 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 7 This further relates to the registered manager ensuring that maintenance issues are addressed in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that children have access to all communal areas of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person ensuring that consent is gained for audio surveillance and that this is kept under review to determine if this is necessary and proportionate. 10 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare; 10 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 8 help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review. (Regulation 7(1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that children are consulted about their wishes and feelings regularly. This also relates specifically to gathering children’s views prior to reviews and following incidents.

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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: SC066218 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Harrison Latham, 97 Tulketh Street, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1AW

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Inspectors

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Kitty Wiper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC066218 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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