Children's home run by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 1 SC037670 Registered provider: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a local authority to provide short breaks for up to two children at a time who may be experiencing social or emotional difficulties. The staff also provide outreach support to children and their families or carers in the community.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2020.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/03/2024 Full Good 08/12/2022 Full Good 05/01/2022 Full Good 06/02/2020 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This short break service is operated by a local authority offering help and support to children who are on the edge of care. It provides individually tailored plans, short breaks and outreach services to support children to stay at home with their families or carers. A social worker said, ‘The staff are warm, welcoming, and understanding of the children. The support they offer is excellent.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a safe space, friendly and welcoming environment for children. They help children to navigate the challenges they are experiencing in their lives. Children enjoy trusting relationships with the adults who support them and benefit from consistency and stability in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a caring, nurturing and supportive environment where children can spend time away from their families safely. Children say that they enjoy the time they spend at the home with staff. This includes planned day or evening visits or overnight stays. One child said, ‘It’s really good. We go to restaurants and listen to nice music and have nice conversations.’ Another child said, ‘It [the stay] gives me something to look forward to and it helps me to have a positive mindset.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from skilled, resourceful and experienced staff who ensure their visits and short breaks are a positive and enjoyable experience for children. Children enjoy various activities at the home and in the community. This promotes their social skills and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with the children to achieve the goals they have identified in their individual plans, contributing to progress and improvement in the children’s lives. A parent said, ‘It’s amazing. The boys have come on loads since going there. Staff have helped them so much with their confidence and anxieties.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently have high aspirations for children. Staff are working closely with graduates from a local university, who are offering group sessions for children on poetry and creative writing. This work has been successful and has proven to be a positive educational experience for children.

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

Children’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Staff have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and all staff are trained in child protection. Staff take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously.

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

Risks associated with children are well known and understood by staff. Staff follow risk management plans effectively, to reduce risks and keep children safe from harm. Staff have a good understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children and take Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 4 appropriate action to protect them from harm. Staff said, ‘Working in an edge of care service is really rewarding, as it allows us to provide the right support at the right time to help prevent situations from escalating.’

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

Significant incidents are not a regular occurrence at this home. Since the last inspection, there have not been any safeguarding incidents, no allegations of abuse and no restraints or missing-from-home incidents.

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

Staff provide children with good help and support through one-to-one sessions. These sessions enable children to work with staff and promotes their safety and emotional well- being. A parent told the inspector, ‘Staff have supported [the child], emotionally, they have helped a lot.’

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

Staff working with children undergo robust safer recruitment checks. This ensures that adults employed are selected and vetted carefully to protect children from unsuitable individuals.

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

Health and safety matters in the home are managed effectively by staff. The home is physically safe and appropriately secure. Regular fire evacuations are held to ensure that children and staff know how to vacate the premises safely, in the event of an emergency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively by an experienced registered manager who runs the home in the best interests of the children. The registered manager ensures that the home is suitably resourced and staffed to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff form good relationships and effective partnerships with the families and carers of children to provide consistency and stability in their lives. Staff work closely with social workers and all other professionals to improve outcomes for children and their families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff share a common sense of purpose. They stimulate staff’s enthusiasm and channel their efforts effectively. Staff communicate a strong sense of job satisfaction and benefit from reflective supervision sessions. Staff benefit from good quality training to help them meet the children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers hold regular team meetings to help staff reflect on their practice and review the children’s experiences. The home is visited by an independent person who reviews the quality of the children’s care. Combined with the manager’s quality of care reviews, there are effective arrangements for monitoring and improving the care provided for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are no breaches in regulation. Consequently, there are no requirements as a result of this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 5

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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: SC037670 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Children’s Regulatory Services, 1st Floor Nutgrove Villa, Huyton Municipal Building, c/o Postroom, Archway Road, Huyton, Merseyside L36 9YU

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037670 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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