Children's home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 1 Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2024 Full Good 08/02/2023 Full Good 07/09/2021 Full Inadequate 10/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are two children living at this home. One child has left the home since the last inspection. This report reflects the experience and progress of all children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children currently living at the home are settled and making good progress. Both children have experienced frequent moves prior to living here. This home offers the children an important period of stability in their lives. Children have been able to form friendships and see their families.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There was a short, unsettled period in the home. One child was unhappy with the rules and boundaries that staff had put in place to keep the child safe. Staff maintained positive relationships with this child but the impact of the child’s behaviours on others was a contributory factor to the placement ending.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a consistent staff team. This has given children the opportunity to form positive and lasting relationships with staff. Staff place children at the centre of their practice. Children know that staff care about them and want the best for them. All the children were positive about their experience of living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood. Children are registered with primary healthcare services. Staff offer children support and encouragement to attend health appointments. When one child was diagnosed with a disability, staff helped the child to understand the impact of this and to develop strategies to manage it. For example, the child uses breathing exercises to help them when they feel anxious.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are detailed. The plans reflect the children’s individual support needs and how staff should respond to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement with education is variable. One child has progressed from receiving education at home to attending a mainstream college. Staff have encouraged the child’s creativity, and he aspires for a career in the fashion industry. When children are reluctant to attend school, the manager ensures that staff offer children structured activities in the home to support their learning.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming. Children take pride in their bedrooms. They have taken great care to decorate and personalise their room to reflect their individual tastes and interests.

p.3

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

Risks to children are known and understood by the staff team. Children’s risk management plans are clear and set out the actions that staff should take to manage risks. These plans are kept under review and updated following significant incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 4 One child became unsettled and started to go missing from home more frequently. This child was vulnerable to exploitation when missing from the home. Staff were persistent in their efforts to disrupt this pattern of behaviour and safeguard the child. However, despite their efforts, staff were not able to have a sustained impact on outcomes for this child. The provider made the decision to end this child’s placement as staff were unable to keep them safe.

p.3

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

The manager is responsive to emerging risks for children. When concerns escalate, she shares information with the relevant professionals and seeks multi-agency support to reduce the risk of harm to the child.

p.4

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

The quality of direct work with children is a strength of this home. Staff are confident and skilled to have open and honest conversations with children. Staff sensitively support children to understand the long-term impact that some of their choices may have on their health and well-being. This supports children to make informed decisions.

p.4

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

The children who currently live at the home are settled and rarely go missing from home. There are protocols in place for staff to follow if a child does go missing. This helps staff to respond in a consistent and effective way. When a child is missing, staff are persistent in their efforts to locate the child.

p.4

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They are curious and alert to the signs that a child may be at risk from harm. Staff take reasonable precautions based on the needs and ages of the children. For example, children are encouraged to take part in planned activities with their friends and to be home by agreed times.

p.4

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

All staff receive training and guidance should they need to hold a child to keep them safe. Staff manage challenging situations effectively and have rarely needed to hold a child. Children are always given the opportunity to talk about the incident and how being held made them feel. This helps the manager to understand what happened from the child’s perspective and consider whether changes to staff practice are necessary.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager recently registered with Ofsted. She has the relevant experience and qualifications to undertake her role. She is a confident leader and is respected by the staff team. One member of staff said, ‘[Manager’s name] is amazing, she is really supportive, and she will help you with anything.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the children. She is committed to ensuring that children receive good-quality care that makes a positive difference to their lives.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the progress that children make. She ensures that children’s plans identify their needs and are aligned with the placing authority’s plan for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 5 Staff receive regular supervision. Managers use supervision to support staff to reflect on their practice. All staff receive an annual appraisal of their performance. The manager ensures that supervisions and appraisals consider the views of children in the home’s care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work collaboratively to provide children with consistency and stability. Communication is good and team meetings are regular. These meetings are used as opportunities to reflect on practice, problem-solve and agree new ways of working with the children. In addition, when significant events occur in the home, the staff meet as a group to reflect and learn lessons from the event together.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has robust systems in place to regularly monitor the quality of care provided to the child. This supports her to understand the home’s strengths and areas for development. In addition, the manager reviews all records of significant incidents to help her to shape future practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training to equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to work with vulnerable children. The provider has sourced additional training that is aligned to the needs of the children living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 6

p.5

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: 1234432 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lytham Care, 400 Longmoor Lane, Liverpool L9 9DB

p.7

Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1234432 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8