Children's Home run by iMap Centre Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 1 SC481295 Registered provider: iMapcentre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider that specialises in delivering services for children with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children. At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Inadequate 13/03/2023 Full Good 08/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 3

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improvement to be good

One child has moved into and out of the home since the last inspection. The move itself was well planned and initially positive for the child. However, this quickly changed, and the child became unhappy. The child remained at their family home following an overnight visit as they did not want to return. There was little attempt made by the staff to support and encourage the child to return to the home and address their concerns. Other than staff returning the child’s belongings, there has been no effort to say goodbye to the child. Additionally, it was felt by the child’s parent that not all relevant information about the home was shared with them by the manager.

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improvement to be good

The three children who remain living at the home, one of whom is now 18 years old, have all made some progress since the last inspection, namely in their emotional literacy, communication and social skills. However, the staff do not consistently record how they support children with their individual targets. This makes it difficult to review their progress in these areas.

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improvement to be good

All children attend school and are making progress. One child enjoyed attending their prom in the summer and has a place at college, which they are excited about.

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improvement to be good

The staff advocate for the children and know them well. However, one child is not routinely involved in their care planning, and there is a lack of preparation for the next stage of their life with regards to their plans and life skills.

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improvement to be good

The home is a detached property with a large garden. There are photos of children throughout the home, and their bedrooms are personalised. There is an ongoing plan for maintenance work that is required throughout the home, which the responsible individual is monitoring weekly. The staff ensure that the home is clean and tidy.

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improvement to be good

The children have access to a sensory room, and there are resources throughout the home that support the children’s sensory needs. However, despite this, sensory activities are repetitive, and staff do not follow the plan provided by occupational therapists.

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improvement to be good

When it is part of the plan, staff support children to spend time with their families in the home and on activities. Staff support one child with their family circumstances sensitively and work hard to minimise the impact of this on the child.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in activities in the home and in the community. The staff are creative and make in-house activities fun and educational. Other activities include football, going to parks, play centres and having meals out.

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improvement to be good

The staff work with other professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are well met and monitored. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a reduction in incidents involving the children, and there have been no recorded restraints. While this is positive progress, some shortfalls remain in how children are kept safe.

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improvement to be good

There have been several allegations against staff made by a child. The allegations have been shared with the local authority designated officer (LADO) and other professionals. However, there has sometimes been a delay in this due to the manager investigating the allegation before obtaining advice on how to proceed from the LADO.

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improvement to be good

The manager failed to assess whether there were additional risks to children when the ages of peers in the home changed and consider how to manage these.

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improvement to be good

There has been a reduction in children self-injuring, which shows that children feel more settled living at the home and that their ability to communicate with the staff has improved. However, staff do not consistently follow protocols in place following an incident of self-injurious behaviour. This means that staff cannot demonstrate how they have assessed the child’s potential injuries.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that the required health and safety checks are carried out, and children now take part in regular fire drills.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that children receive appropriate advocacy support. This ensures that appropriate assessments take place to ensure that children get the support that they require when they move on from the home.

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

The manager is currently absent and therefore was not present for the inspection. The deputy manager has been overseeing the home with support from the responsible individual. Feedback from professionals and parents is complimentary of the deputy manager and the support she provides to them and the children.

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

Staff say that they feel well supported and enjoy working at the home. The staff receive regular supervision and follow a thorough induction process when they start working in the home. However, agency staff are not provided with supervision to support them in their role.

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

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. The meetings are child focused and provide staff with the up-to-date information they need to support children.

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

Recruitment files are thorough and are collated and reviewed by other personnel in the company. However, the manager does not have oversight of these to assure themselves that the staff are suitable to work in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 5 There has been some improvement in management oversight. However, there have been occasions when the manager has not identified issues with staff practice or been curious when evaluating incident records. For example, staff use language that is not helpful about children’s behaviour and can be ambiguous. This means that it can be difficult to understand what has happened for children.

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

The manager has submitted quality of care reviews within regulatory timescales. However, these lack individuality and evaluation of the children’s experiences. Additionally, children’s feedback is not obtained. This is a missed opportunity to make improvements. Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that any changes in risks for children are assessed.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that the staff are following agreed protocols when a child self-injures.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person ensuring that allegations are shared with the LADO in a timely manner to avoid delay and follow their advice. 11 April 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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 11 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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; and

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that the staff have the skills to record information about children in a non-stigmatising and useful way and that they identify and address any language used that could be misinterpreted.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person ensuring that the quality of care review is an individual review of the quality of care received by children in the home and that it includes their feedback.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, this relates to the registered person being assured that new staff working in the home are suitable to do so and that the supervision of staff extends to agency staff.

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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.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. 11 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 8 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that all relevant information is shared with parents and professionals so that appropriate decisions can be made regarding children moving in.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person ensuring that any child who leaves the home has a positive experience of doing so.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that the staff are supporting children to meet the targets outlined in their plans.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to children receiving the appropriate level of occupational therapy as outlined in their plans. Additionally, this relates to the registered person ensuring that children who are preparing to leave the home are supported to be as prepared as possible for the next stage of their life, which includes developing independence and life skills and being involved in their care planning. 11 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 9

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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: SC481295 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: iMap School, Barrowmore Estate, Barnhouse Lane, Great Barrow, Chester CH3 7JA

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC481295 11 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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