Children's home in Birmingham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged Requires improvement 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

There are some improvements within the quality of care and management of this home. Young people make progress. They continue to attend, do well in and enjoy education. Some young people are looking forward to going on holiday and flying in an aeroplane for the first time, as they become more confident. Other young people now enjoy a wider range of meals and enjoy going out to restaurants to eat.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people achieve progress in terms of trying new independent skills, including going shopping at the supermarket. Staff and young people are keen to work with the independence co-ordinator to prepare young people for transition and moving on to their adult placements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

All young people experience good health due to the support they receive from staff. They eat healthily, enjoy exercise and are supported to attend health and medical appointments.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has met some of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection. As a result staffing is more stable, activities are improved and bedrooms have been decorated. New communication processes for young people are emerging. For example young people have chosen themes for their bedrooms.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staffing arrangements now meet the needs of the young people. Staff cover sickness and there is no use of agency staff in the home. This means young people experience a good level of permanency and receive a greater consistency in their care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection one new young person has been admitted. Care plans are more organised and show that young people experience positive transition into the home due to detailed information sharing. Regular meetings with social workers show young people settle well and quickly make good progress in terms of health and education. However, some care planning information is still not up-to-date. For example staff present good insight into a recent incident in the home. However young people’s behaviour and risk management plans do not have details about how to manage their sexually harmful behaviour. The recommendation regarding keeping records up to date is therefore repeated

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The organisation of activities is greatly improved. The weekly activities’ board is kept up to date. Photos and symbols let young people know what they are doing and when they will be seeing their families. They enjoy arts, crafts and sensory play. Young people are proud of their achievements and staff ensure items are framed and ready to display in young people’s bedrooms. They also enjoy going to youth club and trips out in the mini-bus. On this inspection young people and staff had turned the lounge into a cinema. They thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the dark, watching a DVD and eating popcorn.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Emerging improvements in communication and meaningful recording of events can be seen as young people use the more recent photo displays as visual points of reference. Displays in the home include young people enjoying messy-sensory play with cornflour and water, completing art work, visits to a German market and Chinese New Year Celebrations.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Areas such as communication and child centred recording still require improvement. The registered manager also needs to improve some partnership working in order to provide greater challenge to agencies who do not work effectively to promote and safeguard young people’s welfare.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are not routinely given choices about the general running of the home. There are few symbols and pictures to aid them with their choices and an opportunity to try new things. As a result, staff are not always proactive in how they present information to young people. For example staff routinely visit the same local fish and chip shop for take-away suppers. Staff usually order what they think is the young person’s favourite or a culturally appropriate meal; such as halal kebab meat. This arrangement minimises diversity and choice for young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On this inspection, and after discussion with the inspector, staff and young people enjoyed looking at photos of food and one young person completed a list of young people’s choices.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff also make efforts to seek the views of young people. For example key workers discuss forthcoming reviews with young people and what will happen. Some key working sessions are recorded in symbol form and this enables young people to look back and understand their experiences at the home. However, this positive work is still not routine throughout the home and available for all young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some of this emerging work also lacks a consultative dimension. For example staff provide young people with good information about what happens in a review meeting. However the format to retrieve their views is not in a form they can understand. As a result there is no clarity regarding the views and wishes of young people on their future plans.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Similarly key working sessions about activities are shared with young people but show they are told about what is going to happen. There is no consultative process to this part of the key working process.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Attempts at working in partnership with schools, in order to replicate young people’s communications passports to use in the home, so far, has minimal impact. Sharing ideas on the best use of communication programmes is limited. Staff still talk in terms of young people’s ‘limited communication’. While photo displays give young people good visual reference about their activities; there are few tools and visual aids to enable young people to make their views and choices clear. Positively one young person did have a communication booklet. However symbols were jumbled and would not have been useful to the staff and young person as a communication tool.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding within the home continues to be good. Young people do not go missing and there are no concerns about child sexual exploitation. Young people experience a strong sense of safety. The manager and staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. For example, the registered manager liaises with school and social workers to ensure that child protection concerns are quickly referred. However, managers’ ability to challenge agencies sometimes lacks rigour. As a result managers fail to impact on delayed responses from team managers and other local authority departments. For example managers and staff are still unaware and have not challenged the lack of response about young people sustaining injuries in their transition from the home to school and via school transport.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External and internal monitoring assures the quality of care for young people. The management and staff team also try to learn from mistakes. For example medication procedures and staff training are under review due to staff errors. Staff presented effective knowledge regarding the safe storage and administration of medication on this inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team have maintained quality of care and improved some areas in the home within good timescales since the last inspection. However there is a lack of strategic research and management to drive improvement in terms of communication and child-centred recording in the home.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children’s home is registered to care for five children with learning disabilities. The home’s statement of purpose states that the home currently cares for all males; but would provide care to females should a vacancy arise. Children can stay at the home up to the age 18 years. Some young people may go beyond their 18 th birthdays while they await adult placement.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

28/10/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

26/03/2015 CH - Interim Improved effectiveness

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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

5: Engaging with the wider system to ensure children's needs are met:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met standard the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

(c) if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; 31/05/2016

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Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard the registered person must ensure that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (i) ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings,

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Requirement Due date

(ii) help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 31/05/2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

(i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; 31/05/2016 22: Contact and access to communications:

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a disabled child accommodated in the home is provided with access to such aids and equipment as the child may require as a result of the child’s disability in order to facilitate the child’s communication with other persons. (Regulation 22(4)) 31/05/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Keep all children's case records up to date. This is with particular regard to updating young people's behaviour management plans with information about how to manage sexually harmful behaviour. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 62 paragraph 14.3)

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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)

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Recommendations

 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

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Information about this inspection

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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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