Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 1 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to four children who may have physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since October 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: 2664826 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are kept safe and develop a strong sense of personal safety. Children make significant progress across aspects of their welfare, including their physical, social, emotional, and behavioural development, and they have consistency and stability in their lives. They enjoy warm and secure relationships with staff and sustain their positive attachments. A child said, ‘I like living with [names of other children]. I love it at [name of the home].’ A parent said, ‘Overall, it’s fabulous. My child has really settled. He is healthy and well cared for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have excellent school attendance and enjoy going to school. Staff collaborate with education providers to support children’s educational progress, achievements, and positive learning experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend quality time with their families. This helps children to sustain their close relationships with their loved ones and the people who matter most to them. A child’s relative said, ‘The staff are phenomenal. [Name of child] loves the staff, and they love her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are addressed effectively. Staff are familiar with their responsibilities and the decisions that are delegated to them. Children receive the support that they need to be healthy, and staff ensure that they have prompt access to the services they need when they require them. They ensure that children’s medication is stored and administered safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s independence and promote their self-care skills, such as eating independently. Staff celebrate children’s milestones and achievements. Staff strive to have a meaningful impact on the children’s lives. Children benefit from highly personalised and well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively. However, staff do not have access to the most up-to-date care planning documents from a placing authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes are central to the running of the home. Children are given choices throughout the day. Different communication methods are used by staff to seek the views of each child. Children participate in enjoyable activities at home and in the community. A social worker said, ‘There are some fantastic workers, and [name of child]’s progress is unbelievable. The staff are very knowledgeable, and their love for him is obvious.’

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

Staff prioritise the children’s safety effectively. Staff have an excellent understanding of each child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. There is a consistent, caring, and nurturing approach that supports children’s safety and keeps them safe from harm. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 4 Children benefit from high staffing levels, one-to-one support and close supervision when required. Staff assist children when they are upset, distressed, or struggling. They act swiftly to reassure, support and comfort children.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of children going missing from the home. Additionally, there have been no safeguarding concerns, allegations, or complaints. When a significant incident occurs, information is shared with the appropriate authorities to protect children from harm.

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

Staff are trained and skilled in managing behaviours that challenge. Staff closely support children and understand the triggers for each child’s behaviour. They take action to defuse the situation before it escalates. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort to protect children and others from harm. When restraint has been used, all incident records are scrutinised and evaluated by the manager, and staff and children have an opportunity to reflect.

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

Children benefit from a homely, cosy, and comfortable living environment. Health and safety matters are addressed effectively to ensure a physically safe and appropriately secure environment for children. However, one child cannot access the back garden through the back door as there is no ramp in place.

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

Staff are recruited and vetted carefully to protect children from unsuitable individuals. However, one member of staff’s recruitment record had a gap in employment history that was not explored. Additionally, another’s recruitment record contained a character reference rather than a reference from their previous employer. Consequently, the principles of safer recruitment have not been fully followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the previous registered manager has left the home. The manager’s post has been vacant since October 2024. The provider has held interviews and has provisionally appointed a suitable individual. In the absence of a registered manager, the deputy manager is acting as the home’s interim manager. They have a comprehensive understanding of the children’s needs and are managing the day-to-day operations of the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager is a dedicated and committed individual who advocates strongly for children and maintains a visible presence in their lives. The interim manager is supported by a newly appointed responsible individual. A member of staff said, ‘Staff all work together as a team to ensure the best outcomes possible for children.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from well-trained, knowledgeable, and experienced staff. Most staff are suitably qualified, and those not qualified are working towards obtaining their qualifications. Staff have a lot of experience of caring for children with learning disabilities. However, staff have not received specific training on autism, communication Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 5 methods and safeguarding children with disabilities to expand on their existing skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular child-focused team meetings and receive practice-related supervision. This enables staff to reflect on their practice and review the outcomes, progress, and experiences of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain highly effective partnerships with children’s families, social workers and education and health professionals to ensure that children benefit from all-round support. A social worker said, ‘We receive regular updates through monthly progress reports, which are very informative and useful. The reports reflect the child’s journey and progress.’ A parent said, ‘I get weekly updates, which is brilliant.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home on a regular basis to review the quality of children’s care and the arrangements made to safeguard children. These visits are used to understand the strengths and weaknesses in the care provided so that staff can rectify shortfalls to secure improvement. However, feedback from staff, stakeholders and professionals is not routinely considered as part of the internal and external monitoring activities. This is a missed opportunity for learning and further improving practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 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 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that staff are provided with training on autism, Makaton, and safeguarding children with disabilities. 3 February 2025

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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.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)) 3 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 7 In particular, the registered provider must ensure that each child’s care planning document and education plans are up to date.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the design of the home includes any necessary adaptation to meet the needs of children with disabilities, this includes adding the disabled access from the home into the back garden. This is restated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ Page 17, paragraph 3.24)  The registered person should ensure that the contents of the six-monthly quality of care review are improved to include the views of staff and that external monitoring activities include the views of stakeholders. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that recruitment practices minimise potential risk to children. This includes obtaining suitable references for staff and exploring any gaps in employment history. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including

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Recommendations

the quality standards,’ paragraph 13.1, page 61)

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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: 2664826 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor Offices, The Unit, Berry Way, Euxton, Chorley PR7 6RA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Charlotte Johnson

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Inspector

Sylvia Eboigbe, Regulatory Inspection Manager Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2664826 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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