Children's Home run by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in Dudley

Unique reference number SC038500 Inspector Andrew Hewston Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

p.1

Email joanne.palmer@dudley.gov.uk Registered person Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Registered person address Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 3 St. James's Road DUDLEY West Midlands DY1 1HZ Responsible individual Nicola Jane Prashar Registered manager Joanne Palmer Date of last inspection 08/01/2015 2 of 6 Inspection date 24/03/2015

p.1

Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

p.2

This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has declined in effectiveness .

p.2

This inspection

Since the last inspection, there has been delay in submitting notifications to Ofsted about significant incidents at the home, with one incident taking over six weeks to be reported. A requirement has been made to ensure that this area of practice improves.

p.2

This inspection

There is insufficient information recorded in the home about these incidents. For example, about the subsequent involvement of safeguarding organisations, and how the registered person has worked to involve these. This may be due in part to an electronic recording issue, but this highlights the need for clear records to show how the registered person has worked to support the children and staff. No safeguarding policy is available to clarify the process for supporting children who may suffer abuse, or to detail the way that staff should record information regarding allegations. This lack of openness about procedures has the potential to impact on the safety of children.

p.2

This inspection

Not all information within notifications mirrors that within restraint records about the same event, with regard to the rationale for a restraint. Insufficient information means that there is a lack of a clear picture of events surrounding an event and why staff have used restraint. This again may be due in part to a computer based issue but does not show that staff fully support children's welfare at all times.

p.2

This inspection

There is an inappropriate variation in the level of activities that staff offer to children. The majority of children enjoy a good range of activities; including weekly visits to cubs; trips to the cinema, leisure centre and local parks. However, a small minority of children have not been offered activities for over two months due to the concerns of staff about them. This is unacceptable, as both risk assessments and placement planning support the children's ability to be involved with such activities. Such practice restricts children’s opportunities for community involvement, does not 3 of 6 support a healthy lifestyle, and creates a sense of isolation for individuals.

p.2

This inspection

Monitoring of the home is completed through both the management team and the independent visitor. The last quarterly quality review report shows a basic examination of care practice in the home. Some information relating to behaviour management is included, although there is little assessment of the peaks and troughs in these figures. This lack of analysis does not fully support the further development of the home or the care provided. Ofsted has received intermittent reports from the independent visitor. They do show that the staff team have responded to issues raised.

p.3

This inspection

The home offers a stable environment with an experienced and well trained staff team that are well supported by the management team. No recommendations or requirements were made at the previous inspection of the home. There have been some developments since the last inspection: new furniture within some children's rooms and structural work in the roof to relating to some cracks in the building.

p.3

This inspection

Children say that they like being at the home and they get on well with the staff. There are staff that they get on well with and would go to if they were concerned about their care. They talk about their key workers and the regular meetings they have with them. Key working meetings include discussions about the home, the rules, and future planning of areas such as holidays and menus.

p.3

This inspection

Children continue to make progress in school, and staff attend all necessary appointments and meetings. Staff are enthusiastic about children achieving and as a result attendance and involvement in school activities is high. Staff update placement plans regularly and these link well to children’s admission documents and to their subsequent progress and behaviour. Some children are moving into longer term placements, with sound transition arrangements. These include visits and good planning to ensure that children are going to the best place. 4 of 6

p.3

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by the local authority. The home can accommodate up to four children and young people.

p.4

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2015 Full outstanding 19/03/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 13/11/2013 Full outstanding 19/03/2013 Interim good progress

p.4

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 the registered person shall prepare and implement a written policy which sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect (Regulation 16.1) 15/05/2015

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure a safeguarding policy provides for written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response (Regulation 16 (2)(d)) 15/05/2015

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that if, in relation to a children's home, any of the events listed in column 1 of Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table (Regulation 30.1) 30/04/2015

p.4

Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that children accommodated in the home are encouraged to develop and pursue appropriate leisure interests and provided with appropriate 17/04/2015 5 of 6 leisure facilities and activities. (Regulation 18.2)

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 restraint is only used in exceptional circumstances, to prevent injury to any person (including the child who is being restrained) or to prevent serious damage to the property of any person (including the child who is being restrained) (NMS 3.13)  ensure the manager regularly monitors, in line with regulations, all records kept by the home to ensure compliance with the home’s policies, to identify any concerns about specific incidents and to identify patterns and trends. (NMS 21.2) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.5

Recommendations

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.6

What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

p.6

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.

p.6

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.

p.6