Children's Home run by Idem Living Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 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 2023.

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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: 25 October 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: 1240449 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/10/2023 Full Good 25/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 12/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and one child has moved in. These moves were well planned and positive. The home has a warm, family feel. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised. Lots of work has been carried out to improve the garden area, which now houses a new sensory pod that one child was seen to be enjoying.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are central to the home. Children are at the forefront of staff practice, which is a key strength. When one child said that he no longer wanted to live in the home, staff worked with the child to understand their wishes and feelings. As a result, the child’s voice was heard, and plans were made for him to move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care from skilled staff who understand that they need to be nurtured to feel happy and safe. As a result, children enjoy the time they spend with staff. One parent said, ‘It’s like a family. The staff absolutely love the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff champion and promote the rights of children living in the home. Staff have successfully challenged a local trampoline venue about the lack of accessibility for wheelchair users. As a result, adaptations have been made so that all children can now visit and enjoy time there with friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s case records are detailed, and their voice is present throughout. Staff maintain daily records that capture the child’s day in a way that is helpful to them. Staff use key- work sessions to enhance the children’s understanding of personal hygiene, health checks and decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported by staff who know them extremely well. Staff are skilled at using various methods of communication to interact with each child. Staff work collaboratively with professionals at children’s schools and speech and language therapists. Leaders and managers have recently sourced additional training to give staff knowledge on using a total communication approach, which means that children can develop communication, build self-esteem, and become confident in making their own choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are understood. Some children have complex health conditions, such as epilepsy. Staff work collaboratively with various health professionals to regularly review children’s plans, which supports any changes to medication and treatment programmes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in various experiences and have many opportunities to try new things, ensuring that they are a part of the local community. Recently, children have been involved in a walking challenge, and they collected parcels at Christmas to take to Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 4 the local food bank. One child is a member of a youth club, which they said they enjoy attending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress in learning is positive. They attend school on a full-time basis, and staff support them to develop life skills, including money management and personal care. As a result, children’s confidence has grown.

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

Children’s risk assessments are detailed and clear, and individual risks are appropriately assessed. Plans are in place that provide staff with strategies to manage and mitigate the risks identified for each child.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been an incident where a child received their medication twice because it was not put away after the first dose. A decision was made not to seek medical attention. Although no children were harmed, the manager did not carry out a review of the incident to identify any lessons learned to share with staff to enhance practice.

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

Staff are suitably trained in fire awareness, and children regularly participate in fire drills. These drills are tailored for each child based on their individual evacuation plans that provide details of the support they require in the event of a fire.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place, and appropriate checks are carried out to ensure that suitable people are recruited. This ensures the safe care of children by appropriate adults.

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

Children do not go missing from the home due to the high staffing levels. Staff understand whistle-blowing procedures and know what actions to take should a concern be raised.

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

All staff have received online safety training, and children have engaged in key-work sessions to support them in staying safe online.

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

Professionals and family members say that the children in the home are safe and that there are trusting relationships between the staff and the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and knowledgeable. He is well supported by a deputy manager, and they both demonstrate strong leadership. Staff say the home is well organised, and they feel valued and listened to. The managers are visible and lead by example. There is a culture of high aspiration that runs throughout the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes effective use of his external and internal monitoring systems. He has good awareness of the home’s strengths and areas for development and maintains a good level of oversight on staff practice and children’s progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 5 New staff receive a detailed induction and undertake a range of mandatory training. All staff have received training to meet the specific needs of the children. However, safeguarding training is not specific to children with disabilities, which limits the staff's understanding of the specific risks and vulnerabilities faced by disabled children. A recommendation has been made to support this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are supported in developing their practice and enhancing their skills. They receive regular good-quality supervision and attend informative team meetings. There is a suitable annual appraisal system that allows staff to focus on their personal development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is positive, and feedback from children’s families is complimentary, particularly about the encouragement staff give children every day. One family member said, ‘The progress [name of child] has made with his eating is huge. They are really happy.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff take effective action following any medication errors. 4 May 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate resources to support their training needs. In particular, staff should receive safeguarding training in relation to children with disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 1240449 7

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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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Inspector

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240449 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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