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, but some areas still need improvement. The registered manager has met some of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

For example, group dynamics between the children and young people are much improved. They are much happier at the home and surveys carried out by the management team show the majority or children and young people no longer worry about bullying. The surveys have also been useful in picking up young people‘s concerns about bullying at school. They now feel safer due to intervention by staff who work well with schools.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Improved working in partnership now ensures children and young people‘s attendance and behaviour in school is effectively managed and maintained. The vast majority of children and young people have good education attendance because staff work with schools to help manage challenging behaviours. Routines such as good sleep patterns, doing homework and morning routines makes education a priority in this home. As a result the majority of children and young people value and understand the requirement to attend school.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home‘s statement of purpose and the admissions and discharge register are both up to date after improvements made from the last inspection. Two young people have left the home since the last inspection. There is now good on-going work to move young people onto fostering placements and to address their poor admission to the home. The majority of children and young people, including those admitted as an emergency, have either moved on or are planning to move onto new placements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Transition plans are well-managed. For example, post 16 years‘ transition plans are needs led and take the maturity of young people into consideration. Young people are happy they are moving onto a fostering placement, rather than straight into semi or full independent living. They feel more reassured because they feel living in a family reflects their experiences of having lived at this home, and they want this to continue.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Other children‘s anxieties about moving are put at ease due to pre-visits to their new placements and inclusion of parents. Other children and young people are now looking forward to imminent moves to live with foster carers. They have good information about their prospective moves to ease their transitions. Wanting to keep in contact with staff after their moves, shows the strong attachments children and young people experience with staff.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has had a block on admissions since the last inspection; due to poor group dynamics between the children young people. Reward systems, talking time and greater self-reflection show clear behavioural improvements for some young people. For example one young person is extremely pleased he goes to the cinema alone and received a bicycle as he learns to think, talk and take time out before he smashes items. The use of a punch bag also helps young people re-direct some of their anger.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Positive dynamics between the children and young people show a strong sense of camaraderie. They acknowledge they can fall out but make up quickly and all are pleased that a specific young person has left and so the bullying in the home is ended. Children and young people are proud of their improved friendships, achievements and behaviour. For example they received a certificate for a first aid course. The first aid trainer says, ‗the session was a joy to deliver. The young people were extremely receptive, engaged and bright, and seem to really enjoy what they were doing‘

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some parents are however disappointed that their child‘s behaviour is not improved. They are happy with staff but feel that poor peer relationships disrupt improvements in behaviour. They are unhappy about the physical environment and describe their child‘s bedroom as a ‗prison cell‘ due to the poor state of repair and personalisation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

In terms of the requirement to improve the physical environment; the last inspection report‘s findings remain the same and still requires improvement. While some rooms are newly decorated, these rooms remain vacant. Some children and young people‘s bedrooms remain in a very poor state of repair. Walls and décor are damaged. Rooms lack furniture and there is a significant lack of personalisation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and staff fail to impact on some children‘s repeated destruction of their environment and personal possessions. Plans to fit wardrobes and new floors have been drawn up; but some children and young people‘s reality is that they continue to sleep in bare, and poorly presented bedrooms. As a result some children and young people have few toys to play with or keepsakes to show their journey of growing up.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers and staff have good insight into the reasons why children and young people present challenging behaviours. They are also skilled at describing and recording when and how these behaviours present. However plans to manage behaviours present as very negative. A lack of emphasis on the positive qualities may give a child a very poor self-image, should they read their own records.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Strategies to develop positive qualities are poorly represented and there is little bespoke input for children and young people. For example, plans negatively comment about young people‘s creativity and making up stories. There is no strategy to positively channel this creativity other than present children with colouring books to help calm them down. Some young people also like books about cooking. Positively staff have brought in books; but these are adult books and not specifically bought for children to be able to read and learn about how to cook. This interest is not supported with a trip to the library or book store in order to broaden this young person‘s experience and learning.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager‘s insight into autism helps mould more appropriate behaviour management. The registered manager says ‗We need to look at behaviour in a more detailed way – the small things. One thing at a time.‘ However lack of staff training and formal assessment of children and young people undermine consistent behaviour management strategies.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers do no not track outcomes and patterns arising from behaviour management and weekly reward charts. For example, they do not evaluate why children and young people accumulate poor or very good scores. As a result managers lack insight into the impact of strategies used by staff. Lack of research, the review of behaviour patterns and lack of training in autism results in the leadership and management requirement also being repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

While education is a clear strength for the majority of children and young people; education arrangements for one young person remain unsatisfactory. They remain unhappy at school and feel set aside from other children. For example they have one to one tuition in the public library or the children‘s section of one of the larger book stores. As a result of spending the majority of the school day with the same adult tutor, the young person has little social development young people their own age. The education standard is therefore repeated.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Shortfalls in recording continue and this requirement is repeated. For example records about individual young people‘s concerns about bullying are not consistently robust. For example, one young person‘s survey captures views about bullying but individual records do not show what staff have done in response to these concerns. This lack of consistent recording compromises children and young people‘s understanding of their experiences.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers are currently piloting a new file system for children and young people‘s records resulting in two files in tandem for each young person. Lack of clarity about which behaviour plan staff are working from does not promote consistency of care and poor outcomes for children and young people. Lack of clarity also undermines leadership and management. The registered manager talks about improved relationships between young people and parents facilitating early resolution of concerns. Whereas another manager talks about some young people having to talk to their social worker about bullying due to not being able to express these concerns to staff. These contradictions do not lend to consistent quality of care or to children and young people‘s understanding about how their safety is promoted in the home.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Safeguarding within the home is improving as children and young people reduce episodes of go missing and there are no concerns about child sexual exploitation.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people make progress from their starting points. For example they go missing less, now sleep in beds as opposed to the floor, have good toileting programmes and family contact improves due to better behaviour. All children and young people have good school attendance; including 100 % attendance for some children and young people since the last inspection.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people thrive, grow and maintain good health as a result of living at the home. 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. Monitoring children and young people‘s health result in significant improvements in their outcomes. For example young people receive appropriate dental treatment, have better sleep patterns and reduce enuresis.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Change of key workers is a good example of managers and staff listening to young people‘s views. They are included in their care planning and some get to read and comment on their behaviour plans and discuss these in key working sessions.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

External and internal monitoring assures the quality of care for children and young people. 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 and the still requires improvement across a number of areas.

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Information about this children's home

This local authority children‘s home is registered to care for eight children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home‘s statement of purpose states children can be of either gender and between the ages of 9 - 17 years. The home offers short, long-term and emergency care to children.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/11/2015 CH - Full Requires improvement

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Recent inspection history

12/03/2015 CH - Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

14/02/2014 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 —

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

(ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 13/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the education standard the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (iii) understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

(vii) raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child‘s education or training provider and the child‘s placing authority. 13/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the positive relationship standard so that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on mutual respect and trust; an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 13/06/2016 (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child‘s behaviour, in accordance with the child‘s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

(v) communicate to each child expectations about the child‘s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child‘s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

(ix) understand how children‘s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

(xi) de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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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 enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children‘s home that—

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Requirement Due date

13.—(2) (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

(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; and

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Requirement Due date

ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 13/06/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (―case records‖) for each child which are kept up to date. (Regulation 36.—(1) (b)) 13/06/2016

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Recommendations

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