Children's Home run by Motivations Activity Projects Ltd in Sandwell

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers fail to ensure that young people attend full-time education and have not proactively escalated concerns about the lack of young people‟s education provision to all relevant agencies.  Managers have not promptly addressed the improvements needed in the home‟s furnishings.  Managers have not ensured that young people‟s files contain the required essential information, enabling staff to understand and meet young people‟s needs.  Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff have obtained the obligatory level 3 diploma in working with children and young people, within the required timescale.  Managerial oversight of the quality of record keeping and reviewing documentation is poor.  Managers have not fully completed the local area risk assessment, omitting necessary information about consultation with relevant agencies.  Leaders and managers do not always complete reflective supervision

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The children's home strengths

 Positive relationships between young people and staff mean that young people make some progress with their lives, in particular with their emotional resilience and behaviour.  Staff encourage young people to be involved with the running of the home wherever possible. Staff listen to young people‟s views and opinions.  Staff support young people to work with specialist services to help their emotional health.  Young people recognise that staff care about them and want the best for them. This builds young people‟s confidence and self-esteem.  The registered manager is aware of the areas of strength and areas for development of the home.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard, with particular reference to the furniture in the lounge, one young person's bedroom furniture and cabinets in the office, the registered person must (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. 22 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard, the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(a)(i) help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans; (2)(a)(viii) help a child who is not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 15 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard 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— (1)(a)(b) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 15 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works 15 July 2016 in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— (4)(a) the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"). The relevant date is— (5)(b) in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016 (Regulation 32 (4)(a) (5)(b)).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— (a) include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child (Regulation 36 (1)(a)). 15 July 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person (Regulation 46 (1) (2)). 15 July 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.2).

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Information about this children's home

The children‟s home is privately owned. Care is provided for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

21 December 2015 Interim Declined effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

9 February 2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Requires improvement

Managers and staff fail to ensure that all young people attend full-time education. This negatively affects young people‟s educational opportunities and outcomes. One young person has received only one hour education each day for nine months, meaning that he has lost a considerable period of knowledge and learning. Staff try to ensure that all young people continue to learn and develop, but a lack of full- time education impacts upon this aim. Staff provide opportunities for young people to complete educational worksheets with them, but this does not make up the shortfall where young people should be receiving a full-time education from qualified teachers. In addition, young people‟s educational progress and support needs are not being assessed. There have been changes in the home with young people leaving to move to other placements and new young people arriving at the home. New young people grow in confidence and say that they have been welcomed by staff and are getting to

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Requires improvement

know both staff and the day-to-day running of the home. Young people form positive and caring relationships with staff and use these nurturing relationships to feel safe and secure. When faced with challenging personal difficulties, staff provide effective support. Staff liaison with other professionals underpins and enhances young people‟s ability to understand their personal situation and make sense of their lives. Young people are supported to attend all routine health appointments and where more specialised support is required, for example from therapeutic services, staff support young people‟s attendance. Young people are helped to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating patterns and physical exercise. When young people find this approach challenging, staff work well together to promote a healthy eating plan, for example, and involve young people in meal choices, thereby promoting good health.

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Requires improvement

Young people develop appropriate self-care and independence skills in line with their age and stage of development. Young people report enjoying cooking, they prepare snacks, look after their rooms and help complete their personal laundry. Young people move towards their transition to young adulthood prepared and equipped with essential life skills. Young people are involved in the day-to-day running of the home. They personalise their rooms to their own taste and are involved in decision making about activities and weekly menus. One young person said that he wants new furniture in his room, and is working with staff to decorate the room with colours of his choice. He is reassured that adults listen to him and respond to his views and opinions. Young people live in a home that has a welcoming and homely atmosphere. It is personalised with pictures of young people living there and presents as a clean and

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Requires improvement

comfortable place to live. Recent improvements to the garden enhance young people‟s experiences and they have helped develop the garden area and taken an interest in growing the vegetables and decorating the exterior space. Additional improvements are needed including with one young person‟s room, the lounge area and furniture in the staff office, to make sure that the high standards are maintained. Young people are supported with seeing their friends and family wherever possible, ensuring that important relationships are maintained and underpinning young people‟s sense of identity. One family member said, „Staff work wonderfully well with him. Staff keep me updated with everything, and he is happy to come and see me and to go back to the home.‟

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Good

Young people are supported by staff who understand their vulnerabilities and the risks that they face in the community, particularly from those who wish to exploit them. Staff strategies are well deployed regarding young people who go missing or have unauthorised absences. There had been a number of going missing from care episodes in relation to young people who have since left the home. These had reduced prior to the young people leaving, reflecting improved relationships between young people and staff. Staff maintained contact with the young people, and worked closely with other agencies including social workers and police to minimise these risks and promote young people‟s safety. Staff understand the steps that they must take if there are any safeguarding concerns regarding young people. Staff are attuned and observant about any instances of bullying. Young people say that they can talk to staff if they have any

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Good

worries. This helps to increase their self-confidence and safety in their home. Young people are well supported by staff in relation to behaviour management. Staff‟s calm and reassuring approach to young people in crisis promotes change. De-escalation strategies help to limit challenging behaviour and promote a welcoming and pleasant atmosphere in the home. A reward and incentive scheme helps young people to moderate their behaviour and there has been a significant decrease in incidents. In addition, regular one-to-one sessions with young people further promote and reinforce young people‟s polite and positive behaviour. Young people are helped as staff are familiar with their risk assessments. They work well as a team and highlight changes or unfamiliar behaviour which needs to be addressed. Managers have not reviewed all risk assessments in line with organisational policy, meaning that opportunities for review and change are

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Good

missed. Incidents of physical intervention are increasingly rare, and all staff are trained and confident in the use of physical intervention when this is necessary, for example, to prevent young people hurting themselves, each other or staff or causing excessive damage to the home. This ensures that staff consistently follow safe methods and fully understand de-escalation techniques to promote young people‟s safety. Managers ensure that safe staff recruitment is rigorously followed, ensuring that young people are protected from unsafe adults. Managers ensure that staff are aware of the whistleblowing procedure and process to follow, further promoting young people‟s safety. Staff complete regular health and safety checks in the home. This means that environmental hazards are monitored and any shortfalls addressed. All young people participate in regular fire drills, meaning that they understand how to safely

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Good

leave the home in the event of a fire, further promoting their safety.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager has been in post since 2014. She has a level 5 diploma in Children, Young People, Leadership and Management, obtained in 2014. She has over ten years‟ experience working in residential care settings. Leaders and managers prioritise the needs of young people in their care, but this is not always reflected in young people‟s outcomes and in the records within the home. For example, one young person has not had a full-time education for over nine months. While the registered manager has liaised with many relevant professionals, a lack of proactive action on the part of managers and staff, including escalating concerns, has resulted in the young person remaining with little educational input. This affects his educational attainment and life chances as he misses opportunities to learn and develop his knowledge. Staff at the home help the young person with completing educational sheets and projects, but this

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Requires improvement

does not ameliorate the effects of missing education provided by professionally qualified teachers. This is not in line with the aims set out in the home‟s statement of purpose, which states that any child admitted to the home „is expected to engage in education until the age of eighteen. Appropriate placements to meet their education needs will be sourced and then the child enrolled.‟ Rigorous oversight of young people‟s files and other documentation by managers is lacking. For example, young people‟s files are untidy and overfull, and at times, documents fall out and information may be lost. Some information was misfiled by staff in other young people‟s files, resulting in confusion. Managers do not always review and audit risk assessments and placement plans in line with their organisational policy, meaning that opportunities to promote young people‟s progress may be overlooked. Managers have not ensured that young people‟s files contain all necessary

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Requires improvement

information needed so that staff have all essential documentation to meet young people‟s needs. Managers have not fully completed the location risk assessment. It lacks information about consultation with other agencies. Some general information has been obtained, but specific information may highlight possible risks in the local community affecting young people living at the home. The registered manager has not ensured that files are kept securely, as the cabinets in which files and other documents are kept are not fit for purpose and pose a potential risk to maintaining confidentiality. There have been a number of staff changes in the home and the registered manager is recruiting to fill four vacancies. The vacancies are generally covered by bank staff who are familiar with the home and the young people living there. This helps maintain consistency of care for young people. However, there are occasions

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Requires improvement

where agency staff are used. The registered manager ensures that changes of agency staff are kept to a minimum, again, to promote consistency for young people. The registered manager ensures that all staff receive regular supervision enabling them to discuss their work with young people and their own developmental needs. Not all supervision records mirror a reflective supervision approach, essential to allow staff the opportunity to discuss how working with young people in crisis impacts on their lives and on the young person‟s life, with appropriate strategies to support and enhance practice. New staff say that they receive a thorough induction, enabling them to start work with confidence at the home. More experienced colleagues are effective mentors to new staff and further assist the process of helping them understand the needs of the young people that they care for. The registered manager has failed to ensure that all staff have the required

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Requires improvement

qualification to work in a children‟s home. Where they have not gained the qualification, all staff are enrolled on courses but not all staff have completed these in the requisite timescale. The registered manager has failed to meet all previous requirements made at the interim inspection of the home in December 2015. The education standard is not met. The quality and purpose of care standard was met with improvements to the home environment, but further enhancements to the home are necessary to ensure that young people continue to live in a comfortable home commensurate with their needs. The leadership and management standard is not met as there are continuing shortfalls in managerial review and oversight. The registered manager has ensured that staff have completed training about young people‟s needs, specifically autism spectrum disorder, so that staff understand young people‟s specific diagnoses and can care for them appropriately.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager is aware of the strengths and areas to develop in the home. Her priority is to ensure that the home is fully staffed, as this will provide ongoing stability and consistency to young people. In addition, the registered manager plans to ensure that all staff have completed their level 3 diploma within the required timescale, so that they have the necessary skills and abilities to meet young people‟s global needs. The registered manager has planned various improvements to the home environment to ensure that it remains a homely and welcoming environment for all young people.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against „Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection‟.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or that result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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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 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

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Information about this inspection

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

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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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