Children's home run by Phoenix Care & Education Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Care & Education Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 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: 1228091 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2025 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Good 18/10/2022 Full Good 29/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about living at the home. They have positive relationships with staff and each other, creating a positive dynamic at the home. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and milestones. This helps children and those around them to acknowledge their progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience positive moves into and out of the home. They are provided with opportunities to meet staff and visit the home before moving in. This helps children settle into the home quickly and feel comfortable. When children move out, the transition is well planned, and staff provide them with emotional support and reassurance throughout . Staff stay in touch and help children maintain positive relationships with each other when appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in creating positive memories. Children participate in enjoyable activities, and staff offer them new experiences. For example, children enjoy travelling abroad for the first time and going on caravan holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s engagement with education and work closely with schools to promote their attendance. Staff are persistent in their efforts to remove any barriers to education and ensure that the right support is in place to help children learn.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional health needs are met. Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs. They support children in accessing appointments, especially when they feel anxious. This support helped one child to attend the dentist, which is good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining relationships with their families. Staff develop positive relationships with children’s family members and maintain regular contact with them. One child’s family member said that they would not be where they are without the support of the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals supporting the children speak highly of the care provided by staff. One professional said that staff ‘genuinely care’. Another said that staff are ‘aspirational’ for the children they support.

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

Staff respond effectively when children go missing. They actively search for children in known locations and contact family and friends. Staff follow the children’s plans to report them missing, and they greet them in a warm, reassuring way when they return home.

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

Physical intervention is used to protect children and others from harm. Staff use effective de-escalation techniques to support children, and physical intervention is a last resort. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 4 Staff monitor children’s well-being following an incident and provide them with opportunities to express their views.

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

Staff provide a non-judgemental and reassuring response to children following incidents of self-harm. This helps children be more open about their feelings. Staff respond to self- harm incidents appropriately and ensure that the child is provided with first aid. Room searches are carried out in a respectful manner to ensure that children understand the intent is to keep them safe.

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

Children have clear and consistent boundaries, and staff adapt these to support each child’s individual needs. There are clear plans in place for children’s use of the telephone and internet. Children know what is expected of them.

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

Staff understand the risks associated with substance misuse for children. When incidents occur, staff promptly seek medical advice and carry out regular welfare checks. However, children are not always provided with opportunities to reflect on incidents and learn ways to prevent them from reoccurring.

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

The provider does not always inform the regulator of serious incidents. The limits the regulator’s oversight of the home. The manager accepts this is a shortfall in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong and stable leadership team at the home. Leaders and managers know the children well and have a good understanding of their individual needs. They reflect on the progress children make and consider any changes required. Managers are effective advocates for children, ensuring that their plans reflect the children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about working at the home and say they feel well supported. They enjoy engaging with the children and the learning opportunities provided. Team meetings are well attended, and staff receive regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have high expectations of staff and the care they provide to children. When there are shortfalls in staff practice, the manager responds in a thorough and timely way. Shortfalls are addressed in supervision and team meetings, and the manager arranges any necessary training to improve staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that new staff attend training specific to the child’s individual needs before they start working at the home. However, not all staff have received training about what to do when a child goes missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of the children’s records. However, on occasion, leaders and managers evaluate their own practice. This means that there is not always independent oversight of leaders’ and managers’ practice in the records. Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 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 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure all staff are suitably trained to meet the individual needs of the children living at the home. Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that leaders’ and managers’ practice is monitored and reviewed effectively. 2 January 2026

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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

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 6 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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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. (Regulation 11 (1)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with opportunities to reflect on incidents with staff and learn ways to prevent them from reoccurring.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the regulator is notified of serious incidents involving children in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, 14.10)

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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: 1228091 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Care & Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 22-24 Balfour Road, Bootle L20 4NZ

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Inspector

Hayley Smith, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1228091 8 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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