Children's home run by Exceptional Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 1 SC483070 Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Good 09/05/2023 Full Good 16/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and three children have moved in. One child has remained settled. The manager carefully considers the needs and risks of all children. When possible, children moving into the home are provided with the opportunity to meet the staff and visit the home. This helps children to settle and feel safe.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education and learning. Attendance is good, and children are making good progress. One child who struggled to attend school has successfully reintegrated into their educational provision. Another child is studying at college and has aspirations for the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the children’s health needs well. Children are educated about healthy life choices. They are encouraged to stay active and have a healthy diet. Health risks are shared with children to help them make informed choices. As a result, one child has stopped using vapes and developed alternative methods to manage their emotions.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in various hobbies and interests. Children can choose activities they wish to engage in. One child is looking forward to a holiday abroad and has been involved in the planning for this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home environment is well maintained and safe for children. The home has recently been redecorated with the children’s involvement. Any repairs are carried out promptly. This ensures that children have a safe and hazard-free environment.

p.3

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

Children have staff who they can confide in without fear of judgement. Staff listen to children. One child said, ‘I have changed so much. I have been in care most of my life, and I have never felt safe anywhere before.’

p.3

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

Children rarely go missing from home. When they do, staff follow the missing-from-home procedures. Staff report children missing to the relevant professionals and work collaboratively with them. When children return home, staff are curious about why they went missing so they can identify ways to prevent similar incidents in the future.

p.3

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

Significant incidents are well managed. Staff ensure that they follow children’s plans and risk assessments to promote children’s safety. Children who have self-harmed are provided with emotional support that is nurturing and caring. Staff provide first aid and consult medical professionals for further guidance. They refer children to the appropriate Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 4 agencies for ongoing support with their emotional well-being. However, risk assessments do not always reflect when risks have reduced.

p.3

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

Children know how to make complaints, and the manager ensures that all complaints are treated seriously. Allegations are reported to the relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer. They are thoroughly investigated, and any identified actions are completed in a timely manner. The manager discusses the outcome of complaints with children.

p.4

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation and therapeutic parenting. They remain consistent in the message they give children to help them feel safe and settled. One child said, ‘[Name of child] was scared; like every day, there was something, but the way they were with [name of child]. They keep consistent, they keep trying, and the change in [name of child] has been amazing.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a home that is well managed by a skilled and knowledgeable manager. The manager is working towards the relevant qualification and is due to complete it within the required time frame. The manager has a clear vision for the home, with high aspirations for the children and staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular support and supervision. Supervision has a clear structure and provides an opportunity to discuss staff development and improve the quality of care provided to children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly. They are led by the manager and, more recently, supported by the in-house therapist. The therapist provides learning and training opportunities to enhance staff’s understanding of the children in their care and how to best meet their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a permanent and consistent staff team. Staff absence is covered by permanent staff or staff in the company who are familiar with the children. The manager ensures that all staff spend time with each child to foster strong, trusting relationships with them. Children benefit from having consistent care from staff who know them well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home once a month. The manager and staff value these visits, as they help them understand the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided to children. The manager has additional systems in place to review children’s progress. This enables them to identify any shortfalls and implement measures to continually improve the care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 5

p.4

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that plans for keeping children safe are regularly reviewed and updated. These plans should reflect the current situation for children when risks have reduced, enabling staff to understand what action to take. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

p.5

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: SC483070 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malthouse Business Centre, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

p.6

Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483070 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7