Children's home run by Holywell Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 1 Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services 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 one child with social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

One child is currently being cared for in this home. This child spoke to the inspector as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since the 15 March 2024. The acting manager 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: 13 September 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 2662751 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for a long time. Staff know the child, their interests, and behaviours well. The child has positive relationships with the adults that care for them. The child trusts staff and feels safe and settled in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, tidy and appropriately furnished. The communal areas have been refurbished and redecorated since the last inspection. The child has had input into the changes in the home and their bedroom is the way they wish it to be. The child is relaxed and comfortable in their space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Boundaries are consistent in the home. The child has made progress as a result. Staff and the placing authority work together to prepare the child for any changes in the boundaries, such as the end of a deprivation of liberty order.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is not in education, employment or training. Staff previously facilitated tutoring in the home and made complaints on the child’s behalf to relevant agencies to get the child a suitable school place. This resulted in the child attending a suitable provision of secondary education. Staff make every effort to help the child explore possible avenues of education and employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff teach the child skills, such as cooking, cleaning and travelling independently. They have supported the child to apply for documents and accounts that the child will need as an adult. The child is developing skills for their adult life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote a structured and healthy routine, which the child follows. They promote the child’s hygiene and facilitate their medical appointments. Staff have provided the child with a gym pass and a home gym area. The child leads an active lifestyle and has a healthy diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child sees the people that are important to them regularly, in line with their individual plan. Staff have positive relationships with the child’s family. They transport the child long distances to ensure that the child maintains their relationships. Staff are flexible around the needs of the child and their family and will amend plans at short notice when required. The child is supported to maintain their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are creative in gathering the child’s views. They amend processes to suit the preferences and needs of the child, such as by gathering views organically in day-to- day interactions rather than formal meetings. Staff ensure that child’s views are used in planning for the home. They share the child’s views in statutory meetings with other agencies so that they are part of decision-making about their care. Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 4

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

Staff know the risks to the child and how to manage them. Risk assessments and plans are clear and detailed. They are updated regularly and contain strategies for the staff to follow.

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

Staff teach the child about risk and the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. They re-visit conversations with the child when the child has not understood or processed the information. Staff have positive relationships and work collaboratively with specialist agencies, such as the police and youth justice services. The child has joined-up professional support to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff know the child’s individual missing plan and follow it when the child is missing from home. The missing plan is current and detailed and considers the child’s individual needs. The child is usually returned to the home swiftly. However, the missing plan does not have the details of one associate that would potentially allow staff to locate the child more quickly. On one occasion, there was a brief delay in staff starting the missing from home procedures. This was unaddressed by the manager.

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

Staff speak to the child when they return to try and understand the reasons for the missing episode. However, return home interviews conducted by the placing authority have not always occurred. Managers and leaders have challenged this and ensured that there is defined and effective process to ensure they are completed. The completion of return home interviews has increased as a result.

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

The child is rarely held by staff. Staff are trained to hold a child safely in the event this is necessary. When staff hold the child, this is proportionate to the risk and with minimum force. Staff speak to the child after the hold about their feelings and restorative work is undertaken between the child and staff. However, discussions with the child are not timely and not always undertaken by someone independent of the incident. Managers’ discussions with staff are also delayed.

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

Staff manage behaviour through their relationships and reinforcement of positive behaviours. They regularly praise or reward the child when they are doing well. Consequences are rarely imposed by staff. When they are, they are fair and proportionate. The consequences are either directly linked to the behaviour or agreed between staff and the child. Managers have prompt oversight of consequences, however sometimes they fail to review their effectiveness. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that all behaviour management is effective.

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

Staff manage medication in the home well. Managers have implemented clear processes and ensure that all staff are aware of these. Medication is safely stored and administered. Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is registered at another home for the organisation. They knew the child well prior to undertaking the role. The manager is present in the home daily. They are supported by a competent and committed deputy manager who solely works at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers spend an evening and sleep in the home weekly. This allows them to observe the operation of the home and interactions within it closely. It also promotes their strong relationships with the child and staff. The child has positive relationships with both the manager and deputy manager and seeks them out to talk and make jokes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel that managers are available, supportive and responsive. The staff team is largely stable. There are no vacancies, and the managers do not use agency staff. The child builds secure relationships of trust with the adults that care for him.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers did not verify references provided for one new staff member. This means that the reasons for them leaving another position where they had been working with children or vulnerable adults was not checked.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers provide comprehensive training to staff. This training covers all areas of the child’s needs, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The managers identify where individual staff may benefit from further training in specific areas and provide this. Staff complete the training required of them and retain the learning. Staff are well prepared to meet the needs of the child they care for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well-attended by staff. Within these, the deputy manager leads reflection on incidents and collaborative consideration of where practice could improve. Team meetings are also used as opportunities to bond and promote wellbeing. Staff feel more cohesive and valued as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home regularly. The managers ensure that staff are aware of the contents of the independent person’s report and allocate the recommendations made to specific staff. This increases staff knowledge of the home’s functioning and promotes accountability for their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s review of the quality of care in the home is not completed in a timely way. The review lacks evaluation and specific actions to address shortfalls. This is a missed opportunity to identity issues and drive practice improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders supervise staff regularly. Staff feel able to approach them with any concerns or challenges in between formal supervision. Managers provide staff with timely appraisals which consider the views of the child they care for. Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 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 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, 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

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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

(Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person should verify, so far as reasonably practical, the reason why any employment or position involving work with children or vulnerable adults ended. 25 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 25 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 7 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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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— the name of the child;

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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

the date, time and location of 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 name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35(1)(a)(b)(2)(3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 8 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 30 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from the home. Specifically, that the missing plan should contain details of all associates that could assist staff to locate the child more quickly, and that any delays in following the plan are addressed quickly by management (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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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 2662751 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Scott & Wilkinson, Dalton House, 9 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1WD

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home for 2662751 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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