Children's home run by Social Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 1 Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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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 one of several homes owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of this inspection. One child has moved out, and one child has moved into the home since the last inspection. The inspector spoke to three children about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has left the employment of the provider since the last inspection. A new manager has been appointed who was previously registered at another home for the provider. She has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 15 January 2025

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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: 2553543 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2025 Full Good 19/07/2023 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they are happy living in the home and that they like the people caring for them. There have been a number of changes in staff since the last inspection. One child said that even though the staff are new, they view them as family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are beginning to build positive relationships with the children. They get to know the children’s likes and dislikes by spending time talking with them. Children are starting to view them as people they can trust, and they enjoy being with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff prioritise children’s educational needs. When children cannot attend formal education, managers and staff work closely with educational professionals to explore the barriers that children are facing. When one child was struggling to attend school, the manager invited the educational professionals into the home to build the child’s relationship with them. This supported the child’s return to school, and they are now attending regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are at the forefront of managers and staff’s practice. When decisions are made that are not in the best interests of the children, they advocate on children’s behalf to challenge the relevant professionals. One child said, ‘I know they have my back and are fighting for me.’ Children know that their wishes and feelings are important, and they feel heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is well maintained, and children have areas where they can watch television together or play games, as well as relax separately. However, some areas of the home are in need of repair. The kitchen windowsill, the wall between the kitchen and conservatory and several windows in the home are damaged. The condition of one child’s bedroom carpet is poor. The manager states this is due to be replaced, as well as their bedroom being painted and new furniture being purchased. The manager is aware of the other maintenance issues and has plans to make improvements to the home to ensure that children live in a warm and welcoming environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have alarms on their bedroom doors, and the rationale for their use is not clear for each child. This unnecessarily limits children’s privacy.

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

The manager is proactive at escalating safeguarding concerns for children. When there were concerns that one child was a victim of sexual exploitation, the manager worked collaboratively with education professionals to ensure that the risks were clearly identified and presented to the relevant professionals. As a result, there is a strong multi-agency approach to addressing the risks for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 4 Managers ensure that staff have the skills to de-escalate situations effectively. As a result, restraints are rarely used by the staff with children.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that the relevant safeguarding checks are undertaken for new members of staff. They attend training as part of their induction that is linked to the children’s individual vulnerabilities. This ensures that staff have the skills to keep children in their care safe.

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

Staff are aware of the individual vulnerabilities for children and follow their risk plans. However, the plans do not always contain the detailed steps for staff to follow. Although this has not resulted in a safeguarding incident, there have been occasions when staff have not taken the necessary actions when children are missing from home. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that the safeguarding strategies used by staff are consistent and effective.

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

Incident records for children do not always contain the necessary detail needed by staff. This limits the manager’s oversight of actions taken by staff to keep children safe. This is something the new manager has identified and is taking action to address.

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good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has left the organisation. A new manager has been appointed who was previously registered for another home owned by the provider. She has identified several of the shortfalls that need to be addressed and is taking action. This has led to an improvement in the leadership and management of the home. However, the positive changes are not yet fully embedded.

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good

Leaders and managers do not address shortfalls in staff practice effectively. When practice concerns were identified, leaders and managers did not ensure that they followed a robust plan to support improvement. This resulted in the continuation of poor practice by members of staff. The new manager and the responsible individual have recognised this shortfall and are taking steps to establish a positive safeguarding culture within the team.

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good

Leaders and managers do not always notify Ofsted of significant incidents. The regulator was not informed of a potential safeguarding incident following allegations made against two members of staff. This limits the external oversight of the safeguarding practice in the home.

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good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the independent person’s reports are effective in improving their care of the children. Reports often contain factual inaccuracies and do not thoroughly evaluate staff practice and responses to Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 5 safeguarding incidents. This is a missed opportunity to identify any areas of development at the earliest point of intervention.

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good

Leaders and managers make use of internal systems of monitoring that have recently been improved. The impact of this is currently being embedded and is starting to show in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 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 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

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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed by managers at the earliest opportunity. Where there are concerns relating to staff practice or conduct, managers must ensure there is a robust action plan in place that is adhered to.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that incidents are recorded by staff with the necessary detail so that managers can evaluate staff safeguarding practice effectively. 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff are provided with clear guidance to follow to keep children safe. This includes ensuring that the provider’s policies are up to date and contain the relevant information for staff. 28 November

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 8 is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the use of door alarms is thoroughly assessed in respect of each child and only used as a safeguarding measure. Any use of monitors must also be kept under regular review, with a clear rationale for their use.

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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

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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 28 November

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and 28 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 9 the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that their visits evaluate the practice of staff effectively and this is reflected in their reports. The information contained in the report must be accurate and there must be frequent unannounced visits to the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children live in a warm and welcoming environment that has a homely feel. Walls and windows should be repaired, and damaged carpets should be replaced in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2553543 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Social Care Services Group, 31 Shaw Road, Stockport SK4 4AG

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2553543 11 and inspects 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 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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