Children's home run by Birmingham City Council in Birmingham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has sustained effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The quality of care for children and young people remains good. Young people make progress from their starting points, they become more confident, less anxious and are more able to express their views and feelings. Staff are committed to building young people’s emotional resilience. The manager and staff have worked hard to meet the requirement to improve the physical environment. The responsibility for more major work lies with the local authority’s property services department. Staff continue to decorate children and young people’s bedrooms and make concerted efforts to make the environment comfortable and homely. The manager’s assertiveness and leadership is clear to see as she persistently emails the surveyor and puts pressure on the department to commence the work. Her service manager has also made a complaint about the response from property services. This challenge now results in a surveyor visit having taken place. The

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

refurbishment in the home is still not complete; plans are in hand and the requirement is repeated for this inspection. Staff embrace developments in risk management, as recommended at the last inspection. They now support children and young to learn new skills in, what they previously perceived as, risk-taking activities. For example one young person is confident enough to visit the shop and purchase some small items. Discreet supervision reassures the young person and promotes safety. This young person is growing in confidence and tries activities that are part of growing up. Another young person enjoys making a favourite hot chocolate drink and on this visit took great pride in making a cup of tea for the inspector. Growing confidence now leads this young person to talk to the cook to find out more about cooking skills. Working in partnership with a local authority independence worker reinforces these

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

developments. Individual sessions with young people and advice to staff have a positive impact. Young people learn new skills and meaningfully plan for their transition to adult placement. The recent appointment of two transition co-ordinators from within the staff team feeds the on-going momentum to improve. The registered manager, when talking about children and young people, says ‘Independence and transition should start as soon they walk in the door.’ The transitions co-ordinators’ duties include training for the whole staff team. This development promotes a culture for all children and young people to be as independent as possible and to work towards their potential. Improvements in recording and child-focused communication are steady and in pace with the long term and desired outcomes for children and young people. Children and young people use a wider range of communication aids and refer to their own personal records and planners to explain about their experiences in the

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

home and their plans. For example, children and young people used their new activities’ planners, which include pictures and symbols, throughout this inspection to tell the inspector about their plans and all the things they have enjoyed. Children and young people choose and thoroughly enjoy an array of activities. They proudly showed the jewellery they had made the previous day. A quickly arranged trip to an interactive museum appeased children and young people’s disappointment when their chosen war-time tank experience had to be cancelled due to icy weather. They returned full of beans and ready to explain what they had seen and achieved on this latest trip. Since the last inspection and three children and young people have been admitted, and four young people have left, the home. One young person was admitted and discharged over a short period time. The manager and staff support young people to positively move into and on from

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

the home; even when under difficult circumstances. For example when the emergency admission of a young person, potentially out of registration category, was made to the service. In this case, good advocacy with an effective understanding of the regulatory framework ensured a sound and professional challenge by the registered manager. The responsible individual is approachable and the manager and staff appreciate his response when there appears to be a conflict of interests. They value that he will now meet with staff to talk through how placement decisions are made and conflicts resolved. Strong leadership, a review of this challenging admission and transparent communication leads to a more robust referral process. There is an overall confidence that line management and staff are able to promote the needs and interests of all children and young people. Transition is well-managed. Developments in communication mean staff are quick

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

to give the attention to detail that is so essential to reassure children and young people. Direct work with children and young people to help them to communicate and understand their needs. They are less anxious and gradually become more comfortable with their moving on plans. Children and young settle well in the home. Improvements in communication have a positive impact. For example young people recall and refer back to the information they receive from the young people’s guide. They also say that young people’s meeting are a really good way to find out about how the home is run. Safeguarding procedures and responses remain robust. Staff know how to keep the children and young people safe due to effective staff training and risk management plans. Working with safeguarding agencies is yet another string to this service’s strong partnership working bow. There are no concerns about children and young people going missing or risks of child sexual exploitation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people continue to make good progress. They thrive, develop and make marked progress in their behaviour and abilities to interact with others. Improvements in behaviour and self-regulation enrich some children and young people’s time with their families and results in reunification. Effective working relationships with schools support children and young people to attend and enjoy education. Staff also make concerted effort to contact schools in order to share and replicate the communication passports that are used in school. This demonstrates their on-going commitment to achieving a more joined up approach to enabling children and young people to express their views and wishes. Children and young people develop a good understanding of their health. They understand the importance of a good diet and exercise in staying healthy. For example all children and young people try a range of foods, including more fruit

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and vegetables. Some young people develop a greater understanding about the links between their mental health and behaviour. They understand that medication helps them with their behaviour and are pleased they are now calmer and able to concentrate better. Some young people are also beginning to understand how talking therapies also help behaviour and health. For example some young people enjoy focused key working sessions about improving behaviours. Staff also seek out and embrace working with mental health agencies where staff have expertise in learning disability. Young people and their key workers hope working with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) will help to explore childhood experiences and the reasons for behaviour. The registered manager uses independent monitoring and staff training to drive improvement. For example staff training in autism gives them greater insight into

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

their skill-set. Tracking recommendations from independent visitor’s reports leads to better sharing of information from the team meeting. Keeping up to date with the care planning framework and operation of the home in this way, leads to a connected and consistent quality of care in the home. The registered manager is measured and strategic in her approach and makes steady and meaningful progress. This is most pertinent with the work to improve communication and she says, ‘Communication is coming on – we don’t want to move too quickly. Communication is part of everyone’s appraisal and not just what we do with young people. Also how we communicate with each other and other agencies.’ Recommendations with regards to developments in communication are repeated due to the on-going work in the home.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care for 12 children with learning disabilities. The home’s statement of purpose states children can be of both gender and aged up to 18 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

11/02/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

13/03/2014 CH - Interim Satisfactory progress

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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 (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person is required to — (2) (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— (i) meet the needs of each child; and (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 30/05/2016

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Recommendations

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

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Recommendations

 Record information about the child in a way that will be helpful to the child. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14)  Support children and their parents to understand the nature of records kept in the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep and encourage children to keep appropriate memorabilia and help them record significant life events. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection 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.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This 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 Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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