Children's Home run by Care and Management Services Ltd in Birmingham

Unique reference number SC419229 Inspector David Morgan Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Care And Management Services Limited Registered person address Park Business Centre Hastingwood Industrial Park Wood Lane Brimingham B24 9QR Responsible individual Roslyn Ann Clift Registered manager Karen Josephine O'Grady Date of last inspection 18/03/2014 2 of 9 Inspection date 23/12/2014

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Previous inspection good progress Enforcement action since last inspection There has been no enforcement action since the last inspection.

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Overall effectiveness good

Outcomes for children and young people good Quality of care good Keeping children and young people safe good Leadership and management good

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Overall effectiveness

In March 2014 this service was making good progress and no requirements or recommendations were made. This inspection finds that standards have been maintained overall at a good level and are very high in some areas. One requirement and six recommendations are made. These do not represent major shortfalls but rather developmental and administrative issues.

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Overall effectiveness

Children are happy in this home and make good progress. They raise concerns with confidence that they will be resolved. They are safeguarded well and feel safe. External people, such as parents, are very pleased with the service. Staff establish meaningful relationships with children who have complex needs. Recent changes in the staff team have been handled sensitively, which is extremely important to children. Their personalised care packages are applied thoroughly.

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Overall effectiveness

The manager understands her service well. She is ambitious for improvement and the capacity is in place to achieve this. 3 of 9

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Information about this children’s home

This children's home is operated by a small, private company. It provides care for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2014 Interim good progress 03/04/2013 Full good 05/11/2012 Interim good progress 16/05/2012 Full good

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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.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the employment of staff as listed under schedule 2. This is with regard to this information being available on site for all staff whatever their contractual arrangements (Regulation 26(3)(d), Schedule 2) 23/02/2015

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s): 4 of 9  ensure the home’s location promotes children’s health, safety and well- being and avoids factors that present significant risks to children. This is with regard to local transport and leisure facilities being included in the location assessment (NMS 10.2)  ensure that risk assessments of the whole children’s home environment are carried out to identify any potential sources of harm to the children, are recorded in writing and regularly reviewed. This is with regard to fire risk assessment addressing the risks posed by children and the fact that people are asleep in the property at night (NMS 10.8)  ensure there is a good quality learning and development programme and that staff are equipped with the skills required to meet the needs of the children and purpose of the setting. This is with regard to ensuring that all

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Recommendations

this information is recorded (NMS 18.1)  ensure staff are provided with regular supervision by appropriately qualified and experienced staff. This is with regard to maintaining evidence of the supervision of agency and other staff who are supervised by other managers (NMS 19.4)  ensure staff appraisals takes into account any views of children the service is provided for (NMS 19.6)  implement effective procedures for monitoring and controlling the activities of the home. This is with regard to such procedures identifying patterns and trends and evaluating them as part of a process of improvement. (NMS 21.1) 5 of 9

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children make good progress. Some children experience remarkable improvements in their quality of life. In particular, their emotional and mental health improves so they are far more able to take advantage of the wide range of opportunities on offer. These improvements are reflected in their relationships with staff and ability to make decisions. They feel engaged with their care. One child said, 'staff change the care they give me because of what I say.' Their self-esteem improves so they feel greater commitment towards building constructive life-styles.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Increased self-confidence means that children commit themselves to regular patterns of education. In some cases this progress is not consistent and has been severely compromised by delays caused by their local authorities. However, children's academic achievement is actively supported by staff. Alternative educational arrangements are put in place when needed and firm attempts made to coordinate other agencies. Children set ambitious targets based on their new-found optimism.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children who are preparing for independence are sometimes affected by a lack of community resources. Staff endeavour to ameliorate the impact of this and strongly advocate on their behalf. Meanwhile, each child has a clear programme in place to help them learn necessary skills, such as budgeting. A high level of success is achieved and children become able to access social and recreational resources with increasing levels of safety and confidence. Residents who have left often keep in touch with staff. They demonstrate and talk about the success of the care they received in the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people good

Children develop their social skills well and have a high level of trust in staff. This is particularly evident in the clear progress they make with their families. Relationships are sustained, restored and normalised. This is a substantial emotional benefit to children because they feel more secure and have greater understanding of their own backgrounds.

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Quality of care good

A good quality of care is being sustained. The high quality of the service is shown by its ability to deal with challenges. The effects of recent staff changes, for example, have been felt but then resolved promptly and effectively. Staff, parents and social workers are all highly impressed with the service. One parent said, 'the staff at the home are excellent. It is very welcoming and I am happy with the care that my child receives.' The 'vibrant and dependable staff team' described by one professional encourages young people to be all they can be. In particular, children feel their views 6 of 9 are heard and acted upon both in their own care and the operation of the service. Processes are adapted to meet each child's needs so their engagement is maximised. Recent re-decoration of the house is testimony to this. The property itself is presented to a good standard and has a large garden at the rear. Complaints and

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Quality of care good

concerns are minimal. Serious issues are addressed promptly.

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Quality of care good

Children are routinely involved in discussions about their own care. They understand why strategies are in place and are helped to follow them and achieve success. Staff advocate strongly on behalf of children, for example with local authorities. The guidance followed by staff about children's care clearly reflects the agreements reached with other professionals. Staff receive additional training when new knowledge is required, for example, regarding autism and psychosis. Of key importance is that staff are sufficiently enthusiastic and flexible to implement new strategies promptly when required. Consistent practice based on well-organised, multi-agency planning has led to substantial results.

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Quality of care good

The company has the benefit of its own psychologist who contributes to staff training and care planning. There is also close liaison with external medical and mental health agencies. This leads to a high degree of consistent practice. For children it means that their emotional and psychological needs are given the high priority they require. Medication regimes are kept under close review and are administered appropriately by staff; children enjoy good general health. Opportunities for children to self- medicate are taken when the risk is low.

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Quality of care good

The urban location of the service means there is ready access to a wide range of city resources. Transport services are excellent and some children learn to use them well. Staff endeavour to use such facilities as much as possible with children. The nature of the children's needs means that some find this challenging and their progress in the community is modest. However, as in other areas of care, strategies are revised accordingly. Individual interests are supported well and some children have pets. Children's cultural and other needs arising from their backgrounds are met well. The staff team is diverse in terms of gender, age and ethnicity and provides a good variety of positive role models. The promotion of social diversity is usually complimented by a programme of relevant events. This has been temporarily interrupted by the changes of staff but is planned to resume in the near future.

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Quality of care good

As a result of new regulations, the manager has compiled a reasonable assessment of the home's location. This has taken into account the views of the police with regard to particular social risks. High risk features such as railways and leisure centres have not been sufficiently well considered.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

7 of 9 A high standard of safeguarding is maintained. Very few negative incidents occur and children are only rarely held by staff. Children say they feel safe with staff and this is confirmed by their parents. There is routine liaison with the police and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding issues. Events that require notification to other agencies, including Ofsted, are reported promptly. Staff recruitment processes are reported to be thorough but there is no evidence on site as required.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Children's negative behaviours are managed successfully and strategies benefit from input from a range of external professionals. Staff training is effective and is well thought of by staff themselves. Children are encouraged to work towards positive behaviour and are rewarded accordingly. Sanctions or negative consequences are used rarely. However, children learn that extremely negative activities, such as damaging property, have implications. The recording of incidents is thorough and a central log has been devised for implementation imminently.

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Keeping children and young people safe good

Good physical measures are in place to protect children and staff. The risk assessment process itself is particularly thorough in most instances. It facilitates consistency between staff and clearly shows children's progress in reducing their levels of risk. Fire safety precautions are thorough and serve to educate staff on a regular basis. The fire safety risk assessment is up to date and precautionary measures are addressed well. However, it does not clearly address potential or actual risks posed by the resident group or the fact that people are asleep in the property at night. Given the measures that are in place, the likelihood of this shortfall posing a risk to children or staff is low.

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Leadership and management good

The manager was registered for the service in 2012 and is appropriately qualified and experienced. She provides a good standard of leadership and is supported well by the organisation. This is reflected in effective management of each shift. Children's needs are prioritised and office management is thorough. A development plan is in place and records show that improvements are regularly made to the service. Planning is underway to address the forthcoming major changes in regulations, which is good practice. The previous inspection raised no requirements or recommendations.

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Leadership and management good

New children receive written details about the service that reflect the Statement of Purpose. The Statement of Purpose itself is under review. This is because of a slight change in focus onto children who also have some mental health needs. A degree of expertise has been developed in this area.

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Leadership and management good

The staff team are organised well. Recent pressures have now been addressed through recruitment. Casual and agency staff are used but only in a controlled way. This means that children always have a majority of familiar adults in the house. Shift leaders are qualified but few of the other team members are. A rolling programme of training is provided to staff. The effectiveness of training is evident in the 8 of 9 presentation and knowledge of staff. The record of staff training on non-mandatory subjects, however, is insufficiently clear. This under-represents the wide range of child-specific subjects that are covered and reduces the effectiveness of monitoring exercises.

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Leadership and management good

A clear supervision and appraisal procedure is implemented. This provides robust support to each member of staff. Staff are encouraged to develop their skills and any shortfalls in their practices are addressed. This serves to stimulate staff and motivate them to provide a good service to children. Agency and casual staff who work in the home are supervised by a director although evidence of this is not available on site. The manager is careful to ensure that staff are compatible with children and that children's views contribute to the staffing arrangements. However, this positive practice does not show in staff appraisals.

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Leadership and management good

The manager and staff are eager to improve the service further. Monitoring exercises reflect the regulatory requirements and ensure that any shortfalls are addressed promptly. There is, however, insufficient evaluation of patterns, trends, and quality assurance outcomes. This is necessary to improve the service and to fulfil the aspirations of the manager. Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Leadership and management good

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Judgement Description

Outstanding A service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Good A service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Adequate A service that only meets minimum requirements.

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Judgement Description

Inadequate A service that does not meet minimum requirements.

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Information 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.

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Information 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 framework of inspection for children's homes.

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