Children's Home run by PIC Children’s Services in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 1 SC022442 Registered provider: PIC Childrens Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The registering manager is currently absent, and an interim manager is overseeing the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 September 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/05/2024 Full Inadequate 20/04/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 3

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improvement to be good

One child is living at the home. One child has moved on from the home since the last inspection. Shortfalls in leadership and management and safeguarding practices have affected children’s overall experiences. One child spoke with the inspector and gave mixed feedback about their time at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s transitions into and out of the home are planned. Staff spend time getting to know children before they move in and support them at their new home. Children who leave the home receive support to gradually visit and settle into their new home. However, staff say that they were ill-prepared for a new child moving into the home due to the numerous staffing changes at that time.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to numerous activities, inside and outside the home, to broaden their interests. This has included holidays abroad, sporting celebrations and boxing classes.

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improvement to be good

When children are not in formal education, staff offer alternative learning opportunities. A daily education planner is in place to support children. However, staff have limited success in engaging children with informal education.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are supported. The child struggled to engage with services in relation to their emotional health. Staff and the social worker have worked together to support their attendance, and they are now attending appointments weekly.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is welcoming. The child’s bedroom is personalised, and there are age-appropriate games, activities, and books on offer.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always keep children safe. Following incidents, staff update risk assessments for the child currently living in the home. Risk assessments include strategies for staff to follow to ensure the child’s safety, but they do not consistently follow them. Staff do not recognise the risks for children in relation to exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not demonstrated professional curiosity when the child who previously lived in the home misused substances in their bedroom. Staff do not always follow the strategies outlined in children’s plans to safeguard them when they return home under the influence of substances. This has left one child in possession of substances in the home.

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improvement to be good

When there are concerns in relation to staff practice, leaders and managers take appropriate action. However, they have failed to notify the local authority designated Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 4 officer and the regulator in a timely manner. Furthermore, plans for staff to learn and develop from poor practice are not always followed, and areas of concern are not addressed.

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improvement to be good

Staff sometimes fail to support children in understanding risk. Despite one child being vulnerable to exploitation, opportunities to educate them about these risks have been overlooked.

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improvement to be good

Staff are skilled in helping children when they are upset or struggling with their emotions. As a result, there have been no incidents of children being physically held.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment of new staff is safe. Leaders and managers have developed the induction process to ensure that staff working at the home can fulfil their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management arrangements in the home are not stable. The registering manager is currently off work, and the deputy manager is leading the home with the support of others in the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management oversight of children’s care requires improvement and strengthening. Monitoring systems have failed to identify where there are shortfalls in staff practice and support for children’s understanding of risks. This is a missed opportunity for leaders and managers to consider staff’s understanding and knowledge in how to support children. This leaves children vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

No members of the staff team have a qualification in residential childcare. Some staff members have not completed mandatory training that supports them in caring for children. When there are shortfalls in staff practice, there is limited additional training or learning to prevent this from happening again in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they feel well supported by the manager and enjoy working in the home. Records show that staff benefit from regular and reflective supervision sessions. The discussions are centred around the children and their views on how to best support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to meet the requirements identified at the last inspection. Two requirements are restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff follow plans to keep children safe. This includes educating children when there are known risks.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, staff must follow the home’s policies and procedures in relation to safeguarding.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 23 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 6 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must have oversight of the care being provided to children. In addition, staff must be provided with relevant training and development to carry out their roles effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 23 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e)) 23 July 2025

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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

The registered person may only— 23 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 7 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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home.(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the relevant qualifications to carry out their roles.

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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: SC022442 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: PIC Childrens Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 North Street, Haydock, St Helens WA11 0TW

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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC022442 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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