Children's Home run by Invigor Adolescent Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 1 Registered provider: Invigor Adolescent Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation and provides care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 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: 27 September 2023

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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: 2605180 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2023 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good 30/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 3

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improvement to be good

Children say they are happy in the home, they have positive relationships with some staff and are building relationships with new staff in the home. Children speak warmly about the manager. They feel listened to and are confident to raise concerns with staff and the manager. Children and some of their families recognise the progress that is being made.

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improvement to be good

Two children have left the home in an unplanned way. This was due to immediate notice being served following significant events. The manager said that this was due to not receiving correct and detailed information during the referral process. However, since this time, there have been no changes made to improve the referral process.

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improvement to be good

Some children have made good progress, and their experiences are positive. However, records do not always reflect this. The records do not capture the good practice by staff or all the good work that they carry out with the children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to have family time in line with their agreed plans. This supports them to maintain relationships that are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children are attending education. However, this is not yet full time. Staff and the registered manager are working with placing authorities to challenge this.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff support children to attend routine health appointments, and specialist support is sought when necessary.

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improvement to be good

The care offered to children assists them to develop a positive self-view, which increases their ability to form and sustain relationships.

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improvement to be good

Children said that they feel safe living in this home. The children can identify adults who they can speak to should they have any worries or concerns. Children are confident that they will be listened to. The children said that staff are present in the home and there are good levels of supervision. Therefore, children feel more comfortable in their surroundings.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the number of restraints has been low. When it has been necessary to hold children to keep them safe, it has been reasonable and proportionate. However, records are not sufficiently detailed. Management oversight is also limited. This fails to show if interventions have been effective. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 4 Staff lack clarity about the use of consequences. When imposed, consequences are intended to be reasonable and proportionate, with managerial oversight to review their effectiveness and ensure fairness. However, these consequences are not consistently recorded, and there is no clear summary of their effectiveness.

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improvement to be good

When children have been missing from the home, staff have taken suitable action to search for them and to return them to the home. There is no management oversight visible on records. This is a missed opportunity to reflect on staff’s actions and identify any changes to support plans.

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improvement to be good

The manager alerts the appropriate safeguarding professionals when concerns are raised about a child’s safety. There is good multi-agency collaboration to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans do not contain current and relevant information. Risk management fails to enable children to manage risks. This over-restriction fails to enable children to develop independence skills and may leave children unprepared for when they move on.

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improvement to be good

The atmosphere in the home is calm, inviting and welcoming. Children and staff seem relaxed and happy in each other’s company. The interactions between the children and staff are positive. Children said that they are happy living at the home.

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

The manager does not have a consistent approach to monitoring the home’s performance. The lack of effective management oversight limits the ability to identify weaknesses and make continuous improvements.

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

There is a lack of management oversight of significant events, which limits reflection and the ability to identify lessons learned and reduce reoccurrence.

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

Supervision records lack detail. Group supervision records contain little reflection. Poor supervision arrangements are a reoccurring shortfall.

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

The home environment requires attention. While there are new kitchen cupboards, there is no dining table. Flooring in the kitchen is damaged, there is water damage to the living room roof and broken window restrictors. This was highlighted at the last inspection and is a repeat failing.

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

Internal record-keeping is not sufficiently robust, and the outcomes of incidents or care planning are not always well documented. Children’s care plans and risk management plans require updating. Records are not always well organised and accessible.

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

The management team is visible in the home and has a clear plan of how it wishes the home to run. The management team is highly respected by the staff team. Staff are complimentary about how the home is managed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 5 The registered manager received positive feedback from a mother of one of the children. She said that she sometimes sees the little boy she knew and loved. A mother also said that her son has been given the opportunity to thrive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that risk assessments are detailed documents that include clear strategies and guidance for staff.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must consider how risk management strategies can be safely reduced to empower 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 7 children to take more responsibility for their own safety and to prepare them for adulthood.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that there is sufficient oversight of significant events to reflect and identify areas for improvement.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that the home’s internal records are up to date and sufficiently detailed. 6 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 31 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 8 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 6 January 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;

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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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—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)) 30 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home is decorated and maintained to an acceptable standard and that any damage or wear and tear are quickly addressed and rectified.

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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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have oversight of the reports and that staff receive a debrief after any measure of control, discipline or restraint.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff are consistent in their understanding of the use of consequences. 6 January 2025

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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: 2605180 10

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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: Warren Bruce Court, Warren Bruce Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1LB

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Inspectors

Mathew Morris-Jones, Social Care Inspector Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605180 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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