This inspection was announced and took place on 31 July and 1 August 2017. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available for the inspection. It also allowed us to arrange to see people during the day. This was the organisation’s first inspection since their registration in July 2014.

You First Support Services CIC provides personal care and support for people with a learning disability living in the community. The care and support is provided for people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection they were providing support for 41 people, however only one person was receiving personal care. The level of personal care provided is minimal and much of the support the service provides is about living and socialising independently within society.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from abuse because the provider had systems in place to ensure checks of new staffs characters and suitability to work with vulnerable adults were carried out. Staff had also received training in protecting vulnerable people from abuse.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had a clear knowledge and understanding of their personal needs, likes and dislikes. Staff had a very in-depth understanding of people’s needs and how they preferred to be supported both in their home and within the community. People’s staff teams were small and were picked with the person or a relative being involved meaning they could select the right type of person that would fit in with their likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests.

People were able to talk with senior staff in the office at any time as there was an open door policy and all staff in the office knew them well. People who received care and support from You First Support Services CIC indicated they were happy with the service provided. All the parents we spoke with said the registered manager and staff were open and approachable and cared about personal preferences and maintaining independence.

People’s care needs were recorded and reviewed regularly with senior staff and the person receiving the care. All support plans contained evidence to show they had been consulted about their care and they had agreed the content of their care plan. People were involved with deciding the information put into their support plans and one support plan had been edited by the person’s parent to be more reflective of their needs and aspirations. Support workers had comprehensive information and guidance in support plans to deliver consistent support the way people preferred. We found staff were motivated and committed to ensuring people received the agreed level of support.

Staff told us the training they received was good; one staff member said the training could be very specific to people’s needs if something was identified. The registered manager explained they had carried out a staff training survey to identify the type of training and development staff wanted. They said the plan was to provide, “An individual bespoke training and development plan that will be tracked via supervision.” One staff member explained that as a person’s needs had changed due to a parent not being present for a short length of time, the registered manager had ensured all staff supporting the person had received training for a specific need around maintaining their nutritional health.

We observed people were cared for and supported by staff members who were polite, compassionate and caring. They had a very relaxed and cheerful relationship wit