Children's Home run by Almoner Care Group Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 1 Registered provider: Almoner Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional needs. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be 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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been some improvements. However, there continue to be some concerns regarding management oversight and consistency in reporting and recording of information. Despite this, the child living in the home continues to be settled and has good relationships with some staff and the manager.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child’s health needs and referrals to specialist services are made as required. The manager works with agencies such as child and adolescent mental health services to support the child’s emotional health, which has improved. In addition, the manager and staff were persistent in seeking a medical review for the child. As a result, the child is now receiving the support needed for their physical health.

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improvement to be good

Family time is promoted and encouraged. The child lives a long distance away from their family home. The manager is very proactive in enabling relatives to visit in accordance with the child’s plan. While the child was in hospital, the provider facilitated the child’s parents being able to stay for several days. This allowed the child to spend time with their parents at a time when they have needed reassurance and comfort.

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improvement to be good

The child is attending school and is making progress. Staff and the manager have worked with education professionals and supported the child to reintegrate into mainstream education. This is despite the child not previously attending school for a large portion of secondary education.

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improvement to be good

The child is encouraged to express their feelings and wishes. They have an advocate with whom staff and the manager have formed a good working relationship. This allows the child’s voice to be heard and taken into account when planning for their future, giving the child a sense of ownership over their own life. The child’s advocate said, ‘Staff and the manager have been excellent. They communicate well and have involved me.’ They said that staff have encourage the child to be informed and participate in planning, and they have the child’s best interests at heart.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the home environment has been improved. Some rooms have been redecorated, and the standard of cleanliness has been raised. This makes the home a more welcoming and pleasant environment for the child.

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improvement to be good

There are plans in place that guide the staff on how to support the child and manage risks and vulnerabilities. However, these have not always been updated in a timely manner. This means that they are not always fully reflective of the child’s needs and circumstances. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 4 Since the last inspection, there have been some changes in the staff team, with several members of staff leaving and an increased use of agency staff. New members of staff have been employed, and there has been an improvement in safe recruitment practices.

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improvement to be good

Staff are encouraged to use therapeutic caring techniques, and this has avoided the need for physical intervention. Incentives are in place to promote positive behaviour, and negative consequences are not used.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete training in safeguarding matters. Staff know how to escalate safeguarding concerns, including to external agencies. When allegations or concerns have been communicated to staff, they have reported this to the manager.

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improvement to be good

There have been two occasions where a concern was raised regarding staff conduct. While these have been appropriately investigated by the manager and responsible individual, they have not been treated as allegations. As such, these allegations have not been reported to the regulator or the local authority designated officer in accordance with procedures. This reduces the oversight of safeguarding agencies. These referrals have now been made.

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improvement to be good

Medication is stored safely in the home. However, records of medication taken and refused have not always been clear.

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

The manager is child-centred. However, the manager does not always have full oversight of incidents in the home. Recording by staff and the manager is not of a consistently good standard. The manager has not always fully evaluated incidents, and this means that potential learning from events has not always been identified.

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

Since the last inspection, changes have been made to ensure that all records are kept in the home. However, the manager could not locate an employee’s file during the inspection.

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

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager and responsible individual. Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. Staff have access to training that helps them meet the child’s needs.

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

The manager works alongside professionals and family members in order to get the best outcomes for the child. An education professional said, ‘They are supportive of [name of child], not only in terms of the additional challenges faced as a child looked after but also in fostering a fresh outlook on life. They liaise well with school, family and social care and have worked hard to build his trust.’

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

Leaders and managers recognise that improvements are needed in the home. The manager has not yet fully embedded systems in the home to monitor performance and Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 5 the care provided. In addition, external monitoring reports have not always been received by the regulator in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s plans are updated to reflect any changes in circumstances. Additionally, staff must be provided with clear strategies and guidance to care for the child at all times. This includes times when the child is not in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when concerns are raised regarding the conduct of members of staff, all relevant agencies are notified, including local authority safeguarding partners and the regulator. 28 February 2025

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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 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

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;

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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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have full oversight of any incidents and that records are evaluated fully and any learning is taken into consideration when making improvements to the care provided to children.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that they have systems in place for the effective monitoring of medication.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(d)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 28 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 8 Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(c)) 28 February 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. They should ensure that reports are received in a timely manner and shared with the regulator. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2746850 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Almoner Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Brunswick, Seymour Chambers, 92 London Road, Liverpool L3 5NW

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Inspector

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2746850 10 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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