Children's home run by Idem Living Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 1 Registered provider: Idem Living Limited 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 organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home.

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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: 5 December 2023

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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: 2500668 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/12/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Good 25/01/2022 Full Good 05/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences while living in the home are positive. The home provides a warm, clean and welcoming environment. Children have lived in the home for some time. Children moving into and out of the home are supported to do so, which means they have a sense of belonging from the day they arrive until the day they move out.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff focus on children’s individual communication needs. Children can express themselves using various methods of communication. As a result, one child’s speech has significantly improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide variety of activities. Staff work with children to understand what hobbies and interests they have. Children have visited the zoo, swimming pool and trampoline park, and they have enjoyed a holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that all children’s health needs are met. Staff communicate with health professionals and work collaboratively to develop children’s physical independence. However, plans for children regarding the use of travel harnesses are not always drawn up in consultation with families and professionals. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff ensure that children’s records are child focused, detailed and personalised. Staff use children’s records to demonstrate their progress. Children benefit from key work, including sessions focused on developing their life skills and independence. Staff use photos to capture children’s progress and celebrate their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive support to attend education every day. There are clear and consistent routines that support this. Teachers speak highly of the care provided by the staff and the positive impact they have had on developing the children’s communication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively prepare children as they move towards adulthood. They have strong aspirations for children’s futures and advocate strongly for them. One professional spoke highly of the manager’s tenacity in making sure that children’s needs are at the heart of any decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and promote children’s time with the people who are important to them, and they have good relationships with children’s families. One child’s parents said, ‘Staff at the home are always reflecting on how to improve the experiences of the children.’

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

Children are appropriately helped and protected. They have up-to-date risk management plans, and the staff have a thorough understanding of children’s needs to ensure that Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 4 they are safe. When door locks are used in the home to ensure that children remain safe, they are carefully assessed and regularly reviewed with partner agencies to consider their necessity.

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

Positive behaviour plans are individualised and of good quality. The positive behaviour support team regularly visits the children to carry out observations and produce bespoke strategies. Restraint practice in the home is used only as a last resort. However, some restraints recorded are unclear and not always in line with regulation. Additionally, records do not show how staff capture the child’s voice in their debrief or how a staff debrief takes place.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. Managers have received safer recruitment training. All staff are checked and vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home. Additionally, managers and staff have carried out key-work sessions with children to compile a series of questions that they want to ask staff at interviews. This helps children to be involved in the recruitment process.

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

Children learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff have carried out various key-work sessions to help children understand risk. For example, work has been carried out with one child to help him understand the dangers of the internet, and another child has learned about road safety.

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

There is safe storage for all medication, including controlled drugs, and robust procedures are followed. This ensures that children have the appropriate medication they need to maintain their emotional and physical well-being. Since the last inspection, there have been two medication errors. The manager has taken effective action to amend children’s health plans where needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is knowledgeable about children’s needs. He is enthusiastic and demonstrates strong leadership. The manager is experienced and has worked in the home for several years. The deputy supports him. Managers and staff have high aspirations for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there has been a high turnover of staff. However, the team has recently stabilised, which has meant that children have developed nurturing relationships with the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems internally and externally. He knows the team’s strengths and areas for development. The manager collaborates well with other agencies, such as speech and language therapists, teachers, and the provider’s behaviour support team. When needed, the manager appropriately escalates any concerns, including those about transition arrangements and the sharing of relevant local authority documentation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 5 Regular team meetings provide a good forum for sharing information. There is a clear induction programme in place where staff work shadow shifts to learn about the children. Supervision is regular, and there is a suitable annual appraisal system that allows staff to focus on their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Not all staff are aware of the local offer that sets out the support available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff have access to various training opportunities to meet each child’s individual needs. One child is subject to a court-restricted order. However, not all staff have completed deprivation of liberty safeguards training to fully understand what these restrictions mean for the child. A recommendation has been made to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive. One professional commented on the positive changes for a child’s language development and how he has adapted to his routines in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 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

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

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 4 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 7 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. Regulation 35 (3) (a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the local offer that sets out the support available for children with SEND. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive deprivation of liberty safeguards training to help them understand the legal framework of court-restricted orders. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that there is a clear plan drawn up in consultation with families and professionals regarding the use of a child’s harness when travelling in a vehicle. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2500668 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Idem Living Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Stable Court Business Centre, Water Lane, Tarbock Green, Prescot L35 1RD

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Jon Dutton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2500668 9 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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