Children's home run by Invigor Adolescent Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 1 Registered provider: Invigor Adolescent Care 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 owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered to provide care for up to four children with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children are currently being cared for in this home. All children spoke to the inspectors as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since the 10 December 2024. An acting manager began on that date and has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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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: 15 November 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with the adults that care for them. Staff prioritise getting to know the children well. Children trust staff and feel cared for in the home. Staff encourage children to have positive relationships with one another. Staff ensure that minor disagreements are resolved quickly and facilitate activities in the community together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are supported by a psychotherapist. The psychotherapist meets with staff regularly in the home to discuss the children and support staff practice. The psychotherapist and staff devise individual plans for the children. Staff understand the plans for children and boundaries in the home are consistent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff listen to children and amend the home and routines in line with these views. This includes a specific bedtime plan for one child to allow them to feel safe. Staff have rearranged the kitchen to allow for another child’s meal preferences. These changes have led to progress for children in their eating and sleeping routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and comfortable home. Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms in line with their tastes and interests. There are photos of children throughout the communal areas. However, a recommendation about the home environment was made at the last inspection and there remains maintenance and decoration that has not been attended to promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff advocate for children to have an education suitable to their needs and liaise with school professionals to ensure this. Children have a suitable school, college, or education package in place. The manager ensures that all important documents relating to the children’s education are current and received in a timely manner. Children have all made progress in education since moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs and work hard to meet them. Staff refer children to specialist health services when required, such as mental health and drug and alcohol services. On one occasion a staff member stayed overnight with a child in hospital when they were anxious. Children’s mental and physical health has improved as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with children’s families and friends. They facilitate children’s time with people important to them. This allows children to maintain their relationships and identity.

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

Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 4 Staff understand the risks to children and how to manage them. Risk assessments identify the key risks for children, as well as contain clear strategies for staff to follow to prevent and respond to risk. Children are safe in the home.

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

Staff take opportunities to teach children about risk, and the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. Children know how to keep themselves safe in the community. Children seek support from staff when they feel unsafe or need guidance.

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

Staff know what to do in the event a child goes missing. Staff understand children’s individual plans and how these differ according to their needs and circumstances. Staff search for children and liaise with families, associates, and professionals to locate children quickly. Missing episodes have reduced over the inspection period.

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

Allegations are rare. When children make allegations, the manager responds to these promptly. Immediate action has been taken to ensure the safety of children whilst investigations have been carried out. The manager reviews staff practice and ensures that any learning is communicated to staff in a meaningful way.

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

Complaints are rare. However, managers do not follow their own complaints procedure when they are made. On one occasion, a child was not appropriately advocated for in relation to their complaint about an external professional. The child did not have any update on the progression of the complaint, and it was never resolved.

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

Staff have called the police for support during the inspection period. All police call outs have been necessary and proportionate to the risk to the children.

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

Children are rarely held by staff. When holds occur it is generally necessary to prevent harm to the child. However, records lack detail and therefore it is unclear whether all holds were necessary at the point they were undertaken. Some records of holds lack management oversight and therefore an opportunity to review and improve staff practice is missed. The manager always speaks to children after a hold to gain their views.

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

Door alarms are used in the home on children’s bedrooms. The door alarms cannot be heard in some areas of the home which means they are ineffective for safeguarding purposes. The manager does not review the use of the alarms and the children in the home do not require them. Therefore, they are unnecessarily intrusive and impact on the children’s privacy and dignity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager in post was the previous deputy manager and knows the home and children well. The manager began her role as the previous manager left and therefore there was consistent leadership over the transition. The manager is committed to the home. Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 5 The manager is present in the home. Children have excellent relationships with the manager and identify them as someone they trust. Children seek the manager out to share details of their day and for affection. The manager is proud of the children and praises them for their achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s written oversight of incidents is inconsistent and sometimes there is no evidence of follow-up. On one occasion there was physical evidence of changes being made to ensure the safety of children and staff, such as the removal of some items from the kitchen, but there was no written record. As a result, the manager does not always know the home’s strengths and weaknesses and cannot effectively plan to meet the shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager notifies the regulator promptly of any serious incidents. This enables the regulator to have effective oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several new staff since the last inspection. These staff have been recruited gradually and disruption for the children has been minimised. The home is properly staffed to meet the needs of the children. The manager provides new staff with thorough induction and are well prepared for their role. Staff are recruited safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say the manager is approachable, knowledgeable and helpful. The manager supervises staff regularly. Supervision is good quality and explores the development needs of staff. The manager also undertakes timely appraisals with staff. Staff have regular opportunities to reflect on their practice and how to improve it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides comprehensive training to the staff team. Staff complete the training provided to them. The manager provides additional training to individual staff when they require this. Staff understand and retain the learning from training. Staff are well supported to provide good quality care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have positive relationships with children’s professional networks. Professionals feel the manager is communicative and responsive. This enables the children to experience joined-up care from all the professionals who work with them. Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 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, 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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 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; 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)) Specifically, the registered manager should ensure that monitoring and review systems are used consistently to monitor staff practice. 26 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who— take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— ensure that staff— help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; ensure that each child— is given appropriate advocacy support. 26 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 7 (Regulation 7 (1)(c)(2)(a)(iii)(b)(iii)) Specifically, that the registered person should ensure that complaints from children are progressed on their behalf and that that they are kept regularly updated with respect to their complaint and the outcome. The registered person should also

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Requirement Due date

ensure that complainants from outside the home are responded to directly and in line with the complaint’s procedure.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vii)) 26 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that maintenance of the home should be completed without delay. 26 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that monitoring equipment used is in accordance with regulation 24. Children should be allowed as much privacy as possible. (‘Guide to The Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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 for 2724379 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Invigor Adolescent Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Warren Bruce Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1LB

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Inspectors

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Anna Belshaw, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home for 2724379 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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