Children's home run by Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2783182 1 Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) 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 newly registered and run by a private company. This is the home’s first inspection. It provides care for one child with learning difficulties. There was one child in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since July 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2783182 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Practice in this home is consistent. The child is well cared for by the staff team. They benefit from well-planned and individualised care that meets their needs effectively. The manager and staff are aspirational and advocate for the child at every opportunity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals speak positively about the manager and her team and say that the child has settled well. The child is progressing, and staff have been creative in supporting the child to settle in the home. The child’s headteacher said, ‘The staff have been brilliant and are really supportive of us working together to meet the child’s needs.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education has been an ongoing struggle for the child, but staff are creative in ways to help them engage in their learning. Staff are ambitious for the child, supporting them to succeed. They engage in activities that are interesting, with an educational purpose, as well as supportive one-to-one tuition.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s individual health needs are known by the staff team, and the child is supported to attend health appointments with their GP and specialist health professionals, such as the child and adolescent mental health team and the looked-after children’s nursing team. Staff engage with the child to encourage a healthy lifestyle, including improving sleep routines and eating healthy. In the few months the child has lived in the home, their sleep has improved, and they have lost weight through regular exercise and joining a gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular individual support sessions take place to support the child to share their emotions and feelings. These sessions allow discussions around important topics and link in with their risk assessments and care plans. The child has opportunities on a day-to- day basis to experience enjoyable and fun activities. Staff recognise the child’s hobbies and also support and encourage them to try new activities. All achievements are celebrated by the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff promote positive relationships and ensure that the child spends quality time having fun with their family. Time with family is supported in line with agreed plans, and this helps develop relationships and share positive memories. This is important to the child’s sense of self and identity.

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

The manager ensures that there are risk management plans in place that support staff to safeguard the child. Risk assessments are clear and easy to follow and identify any known behaviour.

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

Contextualised safeguarding around internet safety is understood and managed well, and staff support the child to understand this in a way that is aligned with their learning disability. Staff know how to respond to safeguarding concerns and what processes are Inspection report for children's home: 2783182 3 in place to ensure that they comply with statutory guidance, keeping the child safe both in and outside of the home.

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

The child is building trusted and secure relationships with the adults who are looking after them. Staff know the child and their risks well and are proactive in supporting them when they feel overwhelmed by their feelings. The child is encouraged to learn from incidents when things do not go to plan to help them manage things differently in the future.

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

Staff are recruited safely, and processes are in place to ensure that the right staff are employed to keep children safe. The manager verbally verifies the references, and agency staff are not used. The manager and the provider are confident that the staff are suitable to work with children.

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

Staff engage with learning disability professionals to ensure that the child understands negative behaviours and consequences. The child is given appropriate and reasonable consequences for negative behaviours. The manager has oversight of each consequence imposed; records of consequences are recorded in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong commitment to ensuring that the child is supported to make progress. The manager and staff have high expectations and aspirations for the child in their care, and they have created an atmosphere in the home that is nurturing and safe. This is helping the child to flourish.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager consistently monitors the quality of care provided. She has established effective systems to maintain oversight of the home, allowing her to identify strengths and weaknesses. Monthly audits, regular supervision and daily guidance support accountability and learning. The manager uses handovers, staff meetings and their daily presence to ensure that the child’s routines and responses from staff are consistent. This reduces risk and makes the child feel safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an in-depth training programme for all staff to complete. All staff are up to date with the home’s training programme. They have also received specialised training to meet the specific additional learning disability needs of the child, to support them to have the necessary skills to care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team morale is high, and team meetings are well attended. These meetings provide staff with opportunities to discuss the child at length and reflect on their care. Staff receive regular, practice-related supervision. This gives staff an opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify if they require additional support. Staff say they feel valued and supported by the manager. Inspection report for children's home: 2783182 4

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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: 2783182 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pathways, Blackpool Road, Newton, Preston PR4 3RJ

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Inspector

Nicola Jeffery, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2783182 6 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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