Children's Home run by Williamson Care Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 1 Registered provider: Williamson 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 privately owned and is registered to provide 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 home and manager were registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection of the home since it was registered.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 2

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inadequate

Care planning for children moving into the home is poor. Plans for new children moving in does not include how staff will meet their individual needs. Strategies are not identified to help staff manage the impact that children’s individual needs and behaviours may have on each other.

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inadequate

Leaders and managers do not recognise all children’s needs and vulnerabilities when they move into the home. One child experienced a poor ending as the provider gave notice on the child’s placement as staff were unable to manage the risk.

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inadequate

Children are cared for by a stable staff team. Children have developed positive relationships with some of the staff team. However, staff do not provide a consistent approach to caring for and supporting children. Children are not always treated with compassion and respect.

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inadequate

Staff help children to attend education provisions in line with their wishes. When children move into the home, staff endeavour to help children stay in their educational placements. For one child, this means that they can continue with their education and maintain existing friendships.

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inadequate

Children’s physical health needs are met. Staff encourage children to access services for their individual health needs. However, staff do not recognise children’s anxieties regarding attending appointments. For one child, this led to an incident of them going missing from home.

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inadequate

Staff respect children’s relationships with those important to them. However, staff do not help children to recognise or understand the risks posed to them from spending time with family members. As a result, one child has continued to go missing from the home to spend time with those who pose a risk to them.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is poor. Staff do not understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

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

Leaders, managers and staff do not recognise children’s vulnerabilities and risks. As a result, risks for some children have increased.

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

Staff do not always demonstrate warmth or empathy to children at times of distress. Staff do not support children when they are struggling with their mental health. As a result, incidents when children are in crisis have increased. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 3 Children’s records do not include all known risks and vulnerabilities. As a result, strategies are not in place to manage all risks to children. For example, children’s plans do not include strategies for staff to manage incidents of violent or aggressive behaviour. Staff do not protect all children from the emotional impact of witnessing this behaviour.

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

Staff do not recognise or understand children’s risks from exploitation, and strategies are not in place to manage children’s use of mobile phones. This means that staff do not know who children are speaking to when they access the internet. As a result, one child has formed friendships with unknown people. This has led to incidents when children are missing from home.

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

Children’s records do not include all actions taken by staff to locate children when they are missing from home. Staff are not empathetic or caring in their responses to children when they express their intent to go missing. When children return from missing-from-home incidents, staff are punitive in their approach. Staff do not have the skills to help children understand the risks they may be exposed to when they are missing from home. As a result, risks for one child have increased.

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

When staff find electronic cigarettes, they do not take sufficient and effective action to address this and reduce the risk of this occurring again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home is managed by a qualified manager. She is supported by a newly recruited deputy manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Children are supported by a stable but inexperienced staff team. Leaders and managers recognise the development needs of the staff team. However, due to poor and ineffective management oversight, staff are not provided with clear leadership and guidance to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the care staff provide for children is ineffective. Leaders and managers do not have oversight of all incidents that have occurred. This means that leaders and managers cannot identify and address any shortfalls in staff practice to improve the quality of care staff provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these shortfalls, staff say they are supported in their roles. They say managers are approachable. Staff have access to an in-house therapist to support them in their practice. However, clear plans and strategies are not in place for staff to support children or to manage their behaviour effectively. As a result, children are not provided with consistent care and support from the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff have regular supervision. However, supervision records do not demonstrate that leaders and managers provide effective and consistent support for staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 4 Staff attend team meetings. Managers share useful information with the staff team about various tasks that need to be completed within the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 5

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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; 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

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)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children and take action to reduce the risk of harm to children. 6 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. 6 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 6 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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure there is oversight of all incidents, that children’s records are reviewed and maintained to include all accurate and relevant information and that shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 5 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff support children with warmth and empathy and receive clear guidance to follow in practice.

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The care planning standard is that children—

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receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 5 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 8 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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they are able to meet the needs of children moving into the home, that they are aware of children’s risks when moving in and that plans are in place to manage any conflicting needs for children living together.

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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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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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

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

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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treat each child with dignity and respect;

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

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help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff support children’s individual care needs. 5 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 5 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 9 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s records are maintained and updated and include accurate information.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2775284 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Williamson Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mayes Business Partnership, 22 to 28 Willow Street, Accrington BB5 1LP

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Hayley Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775284 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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