Children's Home run by Quality Protects Children Ltd in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 1 SC405448 Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. The home is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since July 2024.

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This monitoring visit

On 22 January 2025, an assurance inspection was carried out at the home. Serious shortfalls were found in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management arrangements at the home. As a result, Ofsted made the decision to suspend accommodation under section 20B of the Care Standards Act 2000. Compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard were also issued.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 18 March 2025 to monitor the suspension notice and any action taken by the provider to meet the steps identified in the compliance notices. The provider had complied with the suspension notice. However, insufficient action had been taken to meet the notices. There had been no changes to the management arrangements and key posts, including a manager, remained vacant. Furthermore, there was insufficient staff to meet the needs of the children.

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This monitoring visit

At the case review on 25 March 2025, it was concluded that the provider had not taken appropriate action to address the shortfalls identified at the assurance inspection. Therefore, the suspension notice remained in place.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the suspension notice. The provider confirmed that the new manager is due to start in September 2025. As the home is currently closed, the staff have been dispersed across the organisation. Recruitment Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 2 is ongoing to ensure that there will be sufficient staff once the home is ready to return to operation. A further suspension notice was issued.

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This monitoring visit

The additional requirements issued at the assurance inspection were not considered as part of this monitoring visit and will be considered as part of the next full inspection.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 3

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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 with 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

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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that staff have the necessary experience and skills to understand their role in keeping children safe, and that staff understand and follow agreed strategies as detailed in children’s plans.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders and managers should ensure that staff understand whistle-blowing processes and procedures and know when they should be utilised. 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 4 Leaders and managers should ensure that maintenance issues in and around the home are identified and rectified in a timely manner.

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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

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; and

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that staff working in the home have the necessary skills and experience to meet the needs of the children and have completed relevant training. Additionally, training records and supervision records should accurately reflect the training and supervision completed by staff.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should have effective monitoring and review systems in place to ensure that shortfalls in the quality of care are identified and addressed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 24 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 5 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 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that children are supported to experience positive moves in and out of the home. Furthermore, leaders and managers must ensure that those caring for children are equipped with the necessary skills, experience and qualifications to meet children’s specific needs.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them; 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 6 engage with them; and

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders, managers and staff must ensure that children are supported to provide feedback about the quality of care they receive and are consulted about the decisions that affect their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 24 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 7 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

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

The registered person must— 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 8 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a))

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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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix)) 24 April 2025

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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

mutual respect and trust; 24 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 9 an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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positive responses to other children and adults.

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

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

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help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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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strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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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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de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

and that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b)) Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 10 Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 24 April 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Quality Protects Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill House, Archway Road, Huyton, Liverpool L36 9XB

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Inspector

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC405448 12 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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