Children's Home run by Your Chapter Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 1 SC489416 Registered provider: Your Chapter 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 provider operates this home. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s statement of purpose highlights that the staff are trained to apply a specific model of care.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been in post since September 2024 and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2024 Full Inadequate 06/02/2024 Full Outstanding 28/02/2023 Full Outstanding 09/02/2022 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 3

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improvement to be good

The children’s care has been significantly affected by the necessity to address an embedded closed culture in the home. This has resulted in several staff moving on from the home. The provider has deemed that these steps have been necessary to reset the expected standards of care. Consequently, this has been an unsettling experience for the children.

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improvement to be good

A child moved on from the home prematurely. This was due to the child feeling too overwhelmed by the reset of boundaries and various changes of staff. This meant that there was not sufficient time to enrol the child at a local college following their move.

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improvement to be good

The children’s experience of care is neither consistently nor accurately recorded in their written records. This undermines each child’s ability to recall these events if they were to read back on their time spent at the home. Additionally, this practice shows a lack of transparency and accountability.

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improvement to be good

The provider has taken steps to support new staff to implement structure to the children’s day. In doing so, the children’s care is better coordinated and purposeful. Practice in the home is becoming increasingly child-focused. Staff are more mindful and considered in their approaches to providing care to children. For the child living in the home, they have gradually responded positively. As a result, they are now consistently accessing college.

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improvement to be good

Senior management investigations into staff practice found that some staff had imposed their personal values, beliefs and interests onto the children. The provider has now taken the necessary steps to address this concern.

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improvement to be good

For the child living at the home, elements of their care planning are restrictive and place a disproportionate level of supervision over the child. The child has been vocal and has raised poignant examples that have left them feeling humiliated. The responsible individual recognises this and has taken steps to review elements of the child’s care with the child’s social worker.

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improvement to be good

There is good multi-agency collaboration when children’s whereabouts are unknown. Additionally, staff respond with concern when children are missing from home and need to be found. The manager ensures that any information shared is current and helpful. Cumulatively, these actions ensure that the multi-agency response is better Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 4 coordinated. This supports the likelihood that children will be found quicker and returned home safely.

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good

The provider has needed to respond to staff practice that had created a closed culture in the home. This has resulted in changes to the staff team. The provider has needed to rely on experienced staff from other homes to support and mentor new staff. Although these are positive steps, it has been unsettling for the children.

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good

The provider instigated a recruitment drive following the last inspection. Throughout this process, the provider has employed safer recruitment practices. However, there was a lack of professional curiosity during the interview process about a candidate’s previous employment. The organisation did not feel it necessary to see evidence of the staff member’s professional qualification.

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good

Although there is a manager in post, their application to register with Ofsted has been delayed. The manager is receiving good levels of support from the provider. However, since the last inspection, the manager has needed to cover a significant number of shifts. This has restricted the manager’s ability to focus on progressive care planning for the children.

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good

The provider has been committed to energise the focus of staff and reset the culture in the home. New staff have responded positively to this and feel a sense of commitment and drive to achieve this. Additionally, the staff induction complements the staff’s role and their level of social care experience. This makes the process more engaging and meaningful for staff.

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good

Team meetings have been regular and meaningful. These forums have been a vital part of resetting the standards of care and maintaining staff focus. The manager and responsible individual introduce a different theme to build staff awareness and their confidence around aspects of their role. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 1 February

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 1 February

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Recommendation

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They should ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC489416 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Your Chapter Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hobart House, Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspector

Steve Guirey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489416 7 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 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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