Children's home run by Phoenix Care & Education Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Care & Education 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. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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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: 27 February 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good 29/04/2021 Full Good 20/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have remained living in the home. Children say that they like the staff and like living in the home. Staff support children to understand the boundaries in place to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and regularly seek their views about the home and their care. This has supported children to take part in the care planning process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities and pursue their interests. One child has been able to take part in kick-boxing lessons at the home. Two children are supported to maintain previously established friendships. This has helped children to retain their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to ensure that their physical and mental health needs are met. One child has been helped to have a better understanding of their own health needs, with the support of external professionals. Staff have undertaken bespoke training and been able to offer support to school staff to ensure that the child receives consistent and safe care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are accessing education. Staff work closely with educational provisions and the virtual headteacher to ensure that any barriers to the children’s learning are removed. As a result, children’s education attendance has improved. One child, who previously struggled to attend school, now attends an alternative provision five days per week.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One child has been supported to attend special occasions with their family. The child and family members both value these experiences and are appreciative to staff.

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

Staff have a nurturing approach to the children. Children are supported to explore their feelings through direct work. As a result, incidents are rare.

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

Staff are flexible in their approach to routines and boundaries, specific to the children’s needs. When consequences are implemented, they are fair and proportionate. Staff support children to understand the rationale behind decision-making. This means that children are encouraged to make positive choices.

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

Risks are identified and understood by staff, and risk assessments are comprehensive. Staff know the children well and follow strategies identified to manage risks. Risks for the children living in the home have reduced. However, not all incidents that have occurred have been recorded. This limits the manager’s ability to learn from incidents and develop staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 4 When children go missing from the home, staff are proactive in their response. Staff search for the child in known locations and follow clear protocols. This ensures that children are enabled an opportunity to talk about any concerns they may have. Staff work collaboratively with children and other agencies to reduce risks.

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

Safer recruitment checks for staff are not followed. A risk assessment has been completed for one member of staff without the correct information. This does not ensure that only adults who are assessed as suitable are responsible for the care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and spends time with them to understand their wishes and feelings. The manager is a strong advocate for the children and will challenge others if decisions are not being made in the child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is proactive in offering learning opportunities to the staff team. Training provided to staff is specific to the children’s needs. There is a focus on continual development within team meetings, which are interactive and reflective. Specialist practitioners have attended meetings to enhance the staff team’s knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the manager and deputy manager. The well-being of staff is prioritised, and they have access to regular supervision. The manager understands the individual strengths and areas of development for each staff member. This creates a positive environment, where staff feel supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The relationship between the manager and external professionals is good. Professionals comment that communication with the manager and staff team is good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made effective use of internal monitoring tools to outline areas of development for the staff team. However, actions to progress are not clearly outlined within the quality of care review. Furthermore, children’s records did not include all up- to-date plans from the children’s placing authorities. This does not ensure that children are cared for in accordance with their statutory plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 5

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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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(d) (7)(a)(b)) 14 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 6 Specifically, the registered person must provide evidence to demonstrate that criminal offences are explored for new staff.

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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

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s case records accurately reflect incidents and actions taken by staff. 14 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that they have an up-to-date copy of children’s local authority documents and plans. 14 March 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of the quality of care clearly identifies any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 7 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: 1228091 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Care & Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Phoenix Care & Education Ltd, 22-24 Balfour Road, Bootle L20 4NZ

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Inspectors

Hayley Smith, Social Care Inspector Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 9 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 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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