Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC467264 Inspection date 20/12/2013 Inspector Andrew Hewston Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Date of last inspection 28/08/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

p.2

Brief description of the service

This privately owned children’s home can accommodate up to four young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties

p.3

The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be inadequate .

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Young people are cared for by a small yet committed staff team, who have a high awareness of the challenges that residential care brings. Young people are positive about the care that they receive and about the relationships they have formed with members of the staff team. They feel safe in the home and well cared for.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Planning for young people is not sufficiently detailed and does not give a clear picture of individualised care that needs to be provided. Outcomes are not consistently positive, with young people being involved with absence without permission, criminal behaviours, poor educational achievement and a lack of staff support to respond to health issues.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

Some staff practices do not consistently support the safety of young people, with risk assessments not being followed. Inconsistencies are also noted with regard to responses to behaviours in the home that decreases the effectiveness of sanctions and behaviour management programmes.

p.3

Overall effectiveness

The home's management have some awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in practice and attempt to develop the service. Poor monitoring systems and a lack of qualified and experienced staff have not allowed the service to move forwards sufficiently to meet the needs of the young people.

p.3

Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the children's home is conducted so as to (a) promote and make proper provision for the welfare of children accommodated there; and (b) make proper provision for the care, education, supervision and, where appropriate, treatment, of children accommodated there (Regulation 11) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the home promotes the contact of each child with his parents, relatives and friends in accordance with the arrangements set out in his placement plan (Regulation 15 (1)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person promote and protect the physical, emotional and mental health of the children accommodated in a children's home (Regulation 20(1)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person promote the educational attainment achievement of children accommodated in a children's home, in particular by ensuring that the children make use of educational facilities appropriate to their age, aptitude, needs, interests and potential (Regulation 18 (1)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person make suitable arrangements to ensure that the home is conducted with due regard to the sex, religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background (Regulation 11 (2)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, with regard to smoking in bedrooms (Regulation 32 (1)(A)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

17B (2001) ensure that within 24 hours of the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint in a children’s home, a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose which shall include all aspects of the legislation (Regulation 17B (3)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure the registered person shall establish and maintain a system for monitoring the matters set out in Schedule 6 at appropriate intervals and improving the quality of care provided in the children's home (Regulation 34 (1)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure a record in the form of a register showing in respect of each child accommodated in a children's home is fully completed (Regulation 29 (1) Schedule 4 (1)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that there is at all times a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working at the children's home (Regulation 25 (1)). 21/01/2014

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed by him receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal (Regulation 27 (4)) 21/01/2014

p.4

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

p.5

Recommendations

 ensure all staff understand, share and implement the home’s ethos, philosophy and approach to caring for children (NMS 3.4).

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are inadequate .

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people make good attachments with the staff team and develop a high awareness of their backgrounds and the reasons that they are unable to live at home. Social workers state that the home has been positive in settling young people down, acknowledging the challenging behaviours that the young people display.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people attend health appointments, although it is difficult to assess if specific health needs have been sufficiently responded to due to poor records of appointments and specific needs. Recordings do not clearly show if all young people are registered with local health services and if their health is improving. Young people's attendance at educational provisions is poor for all at the home. There is a lack of evidence to show that young people are being supported in developing, with relation to educational achievements.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people contribute to group living through participation in meetings, making suggestions for meals, activities and discussions with their key workers. Young people's interaction with the community through activities is limited. Young people have been involved with criminal behaviours while living at the home, relating to areas of drug misuse and robbery. These have had a negative impact on the outcomes of young people and have resulted in their involvement with the police, remand arrangements and Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes to curtail their involvement with the community.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from the promotion of contact with their families. This has helped to develop relationships with previously estranged members and helped to maintain consistency with important friendships.

p.5

Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from staffs’ promotion of new skills relating to group living and in preparation for leaving the home. Although independence skills’ training is embryonic for the current group of young people they have shown an interest in areas such as cooking and menu production. Household tasks such as laundry and keeping rooms tidy are challenging for some young people, but they accept that they need to learn how to do them. Pathway planning is not appropriately completed with relation to young people's current placements and requires updating by the placing social worker to fully support them in their placement.

p.5

Quality of care

Young people state that relationships between themselves and staff are good and staff 'listen to you a lot and understand what you have been through.' Staff have a good awareness of the differing likes and dislikes of the young people. This has been reinforced through the relationships that have developed in the home. Young people state that they get on well with their peers. There are no records of bullying behaviours within the home.

p.6

Quality of care

The views of young people are gained through regular young people's meetings, where current issues in the home are discussed and recorded. Key worker sessions are completed on an individual basis and ensure that their views and concerns are taken into consideration with relation to the running of the home. Young people are aware of how to raise concerns if they are not happy within the home. Complaints that have been raised are recorded appropriately. All complaints that have been made have been withdrawn by the young people prior to any investigation, although the management team have examined the issues raised and information forwarded to social workers where necessary. This awareness raising with the placing authority is positive and ensures discussions take place to promote the welfare of young people.

p.6

Quality of care

However, placement planning is poor, with a lack of up to date placing authority documentation. The homes' plans are overly generic, vague and include information that is incorrect such as the wrong contact details. As such, planning for young people does not make proper provision for the care, education, and supervision of the young people. Placement plans includes a section relating to their cultural needs. This has not been completed, although the Registered Manager states that they have completed work with relation to young peoples culture. This lack of supporting evidence does not help to support young people's cultural needs.

p.6

Quality of care

Contact arrangements between the young people and their families or significant others is well known by the management of the home. Contact has been promoted to develop relationships that may continue following the young people leaving care. Records of arrangements of contact and when these have occurred are insufficient. This lack of clear guidance could effect decisions made by staff and have a detrimental effect on the welfare of young people.

p.6

Quality of care

A social worker was positive about health arrangements within the home, stating that the home had been able to get the young person 'to a health appointment, which was the first time in a year'. Health planning within young people's files is, however, unclear with differing information being recorded within health files to their main file. Staff do not consistently support young people in promoting a healthy lifestyle with relation to drug use and do not enlist the support of community projects with regard to decreasing this. There is an over reliance on social workers making referrals relating to differing health aspects of the young people's lives rather than the staff team. This does not ensure that the home is fully supporting the health of young people. All full time staff have completed training in 1st aid to respond to accidents within the home.

p.6

Quality of care

Information relating to young people's education is insufficient. There is a lack of information available relating to educational placements that are in place or planned for as well as a lack of information regarding educational issues with individuals. Where placements have been in place these have not been supported by the staff team. This does not promote the educational achievements of young people.

p.7

Quality of care

Young people are able to be involved with differing activities within the community and monies are available for this to be completed. Young people state that they have been involved with some activities but generally prefer to be out with their own friends rather than staff. Staff have a limited awareness of the whereabouts of the young people during free time and staff do not therefore sufficiently support young people's wellbeing at this time.

p.7

Quality of care

The home is appropriately decorated and furnished throughout, with communal areas being clean and well looked after. Bedrooms contain some personalisation from the young people. All young people's rooms show evidence of smoking and the majority of bedrooms contained ashtrays in clear view of staff, suggesting that staff are not sufficiently robust in responding to either the health of the young people or the safety of all those within the home.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

The service is inadequate at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people state that they feel safe in the home due to staff being around. Risk assessments are completed with relation to the young people. The inconsistent actions of staff do not fully ensure that these are responded to appropriately however. There have been instances where young people's safety has been put at risk due to a lack of appropriate staff responses to risk assessments.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are involved with leaving the home without permission. Following such events the staff record all information relating to the young people and discussions are held to examine the reasoning for such absences and how these can be avoided in the future. The Registered Manager is working with the local police to ensure that they respond to such instances in a way appropriate to risks associated with the young people.

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Reward systems are in place to promote positive behaviours and these are well known by the young people, although they state that they have rarely achieved. Sanctions are in use and further promote positive behaviours. The vast majority of these are fully recorded within an appropriate log book as well as individual files. Instances of restraint are not consistently well recorded, with some information regarding incidents being unclear or not fully completed. Recordings suggest that there is an inconsistent approach to young people's behaviour. Some destructive and intimidatory behaviours have been allowed to continue without challenge, while other less challenging situations have resulted in restraint. The monitoring of incidents and restraint records has not clearly led to any improvement in recordings and the registered manager has at times signed off records that are poorly completed. The poor records relating to incidents and restraints do not ensure the safety of young

p.7

Safeguarding children and young people

Staff have completed all necessary vetting checks prior to working at the home to ensure they are safe to work with vulnerable young people. Young people have been involved in the recruitment of staff and a new system for ensuring appropriate staff are recruited has been developed and is in place.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Incidents that relate to possible safeguarding concerns have been examined by the Registered Manager and recorded to support the safety of young people. An insufficient number of staff have completed training in safeguarding, with staff showing a lack of awareness regarding how they would respond to concerns raised by young people. This does not fully support the safety of the young people.

p.8

Safeguarding children and young people

Regular health and safety checks are completed in the home. All necessary fire safety checks and drills are completed to support the safety of staff and young people.

p.8

Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are inadequate .

p.8

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager is appropriately experienced and qualified and has been in place since the opening of the home in August 2013. This is the first inspection of the home since its registration and therefore no requirements or recommendations have been in place to develop practice at the home.

p.8

Leadership and management

The home has an appropriate statement of purpose in place. This has been updated to ensure that it relates to the provision offered within the home. A young person's guide contains basic rules and expectations relating to life within the home, supporting their awareness of the care they will receive.

p.8

Leadership and management

Monitoring of the home is completed by the Registered Manager and the regulation 33 visitor on a monthly basis. Systems are in place to support these visits and checks being completed, although the inspection has highlighted that such monitoring has been ineffective in picking up areas of poor practice and poor records, to improve the quality of care provided in the home.

p.8

Leadership and management

The Registered Manager states that the home is adequately financially resourced, with sufficient funding in place for activities, birthdays, food and maintenance. There are however, insufficient permanent staff within the home, with staff working a high number of hours and the home using agency staff that are not appropriately trained or experienced in residential care for young people. New staff are awaiting the completion of checks prior to starting at the home to enhance the current team. Staff are regularly supported through supervision and team meetings, where a good range of issues relating to the home and young people are discussed.

p.8

Leadership and management

Staff training is not sufficiently robust to ensure that all staff have the necessary skills to respond to the needs of the young people. Insufficient staff have completed training in food hygiene, equality and diversity, recording or safeguarding. Some training is due to be rolled out in the new year, but current levels of diploma qualifications are low.

p.9

Leadership and management

Individual records of young people do not give a clear awareness of their life while at the home. Main files are not consistent with additional supplementary files. Information is recorded within the home's running log and young people's logs yet there is a lack of clear referencing within files to highlight when incidents have occurred and responded to, to support the welfare of young people. The home's register is not appropriately recorded, lacking information about previous placements and placing authorities. This does not support staff's knowledge of young people.

p.9

About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

p.10

About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

p.10