Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Sefton

Inspection report children's home: 2496251 1 Registered provider: Family Care Associates Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may have learning disabilities or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none. Inspection report children's home: 2496251 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/07/2024 Full Good 18/04/2023 Full Good 16/08/2022 Full Outstanding 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2496251 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious and warm environment. Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and one young person is being supported with their move to adult care. The manager and placing authority have worked together to ensure that each child and young person’s wishes are considered when identifying the best support for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are looked after by caring and committed staff who know them well. Staff build positive relationships with families through regular, open communication, which helps to ensure consistent care. They actively support children in maintaining close connections with loved ones and encourage parents to be involved in their child's care at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children by encouraging their interests and helping them access activities they enjoy. Staff take a patient and thoughtful approach, giving children the time they need to understand what is being asked. Disabilities are recognised and supported, never viewed as obstacles. Every child is given the opportunity to enjoy meaningful and fulfilling experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend good-quality time with children on a one-to-one basis. As a result, children are making progress with their independence skills. They are learning skills in dressing themselves, accessing public transport and understanding road safety. Children’s wishes and feelings are heard, captured and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care records, plans, and assessments capture their experiences and help staff better understand their needs and the support required. While the overall quality of these records is high and contributes positively to care, the manager has not identified inconsistencies in how staff document support for children’s health needs. These gaps make it more difficult to track each child’s progress in relation to their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children attend the same school. Staff ensure that children attend school as agreed in their care plans. Staff have good relationships with the children’s teachers. Effective handovers between staff at school and staff at the home help to ensure that children receive continuity and consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have memory books that capture their time in the home. This helps to provide children with good memories of their childhood.

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

Children are carefully supervised and supported based on their individual needs, making safety a daily priority. Parents and professionals agree that the children are well cared for and protected. Safety measures, such as locked doors, are based on detailed risk Inspection report children's home: 2496251 4 assessments that the manager regularly reviews and documents to ensure their effectiveness.

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

The manager ensures that each child's care plan is current and suitable. These plans provide clear guidance for staff on how to support children when they are upset, worried, or anxious. Staff are quick to recognise when a child is not okay, and they actively support their emotional well-being.

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

Staff respond effectively to behaviours that challenge, demonstrating a commitment to finding innovative ways to help children manage difficult situations. This approach reduces children’s anxieties and minimises incidents.

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort to ensure safety. They are trained and follow up with children to understand behaviours and prevent re-occurrence. However, the manager has not recorded how effective physical interventions are. On one occasion, when the manager was involved in an incident, they carried out the staff debrief and signed off the report, resulting in no independent oversight. Without the manager’s review and evaluation, it is unclear whether physical interventions are appropriate or effective.

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

Staff are trained in safeguarding and work closely with professionals to protect children. Managers understand the additional risks that disabled children may face and know how to respond. Staff foster a transparent culture, enabling them to confidently identify and address concerns. A social worker praised the manager’s clear communication and highlighted the child’s significant progress.

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

Safer recruitment checks are in place but not consistently robust. In one staff file, a spent offence was recorded but not fully reviewed. This oversight raises concerns about the effectiveness of recruitment checks and could affect children’s safety. Leaders and managers recognise the importance of robust recruitment and have stated they will address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a determined leader who sets high expectations for the care children receive. Both the manager and staff are supported by a child-focused senior team. The management team takes great pride in their roles and is strongly committed to improving outcomes for children, leading staff by example and serving as strong role models.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some changes in the staff team. However, the staff team is now consistent and stable. When there have been vacancies, these have been covered by the existing staff team or staff from an agency who the children are familiar with. Staff say the manager is approachable and they feel valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the progress children are making, regularly spending time with them to track their development. The manager also conducts regular Inspection report children's home: 2496251 5 reviews of care to highlight progress and evaluate the support children receive. A parent highlighted this success, saying, ‘[Name of child] has made so much progress. He is patient and communicates so much clearer.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a range of core training and specialised training available to help staff meet children’s needs. All training is up to date. New staff receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance in their new role. Managers provide regular supervision to staff, and team meetings are well attended. Staff supervision is focused on the wellbeing, personal development, and the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers conduct appraisals with staff on an annual basis. Staff reflect on their work and set targets for the year ahead. The appraisals also include the views of key individuals. This helps the manager understand the children’s experiences and the ability of leaders to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work collaboratively with external professionals and individuals, such as social workers, teachers and parents. A social worker commented, ‘I have updates very regularly. The communication is great, and they attend all reviews to advocate on behalf of the children and their families.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths and areas of improvement. They have implemented systems to improve their oversight through regular auditing and evaluation. This is improving practice in several areas and means that staff provide better care for children. The manager has met the requirements made at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers take allegations of harm seriously. They take swift and appropriate action when concerns arise, by sharing information with safeguarding agencies and carrying out internal investigations when appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers held a comprehensive debrief with staff following the ending of a child’s placement. This was to examine any lessons learned and will support future improvements to staff practice. Inspection report children's home: 2496251 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, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person 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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all factual records of physical interventions include a clear description of the hold used. These records must be reviewed to confirm their accuracy and to identify any shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when conversations take place with children following the use of 1 September 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2496251 7 physical intervention, that they are timely. And nominate an individual to review the record if the registered person was involved in the incident.

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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 individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(a)(b)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that robust recruitment checks are in place, including risk assessments where necessary. 1 September 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 signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date information about the child and the support offered by staff, specifically in relation to children’s health needs, and how staff have supported children meeting their health targets. 1 September 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2496251 8

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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 children's home: 2496251 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor Offices, The Unit Berry Way, Euxton, Chorley, England PR7 6RA

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2496251 10 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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