Children's home in Birmingham

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected, their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, their care and experiences are poor and they are not making progress.

p.2

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 The home has not had a registered manager for well over a year. The lengthy delay in appointing an experienced manager has resulted in staff and children lacking an overall sense of direction and leadership.  Managers have failed to meet the majority of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection.  Managerial oversight of the quality of care in the home is not robust and fails to identify significant concerns that have a negative impact on young people. Additionally, there has been a delay in notifying Ofsted of a significant incident.  Leaders and managers have failed to ensure a stable workforce with the skills and qualifications required to deliver a safe and effective service for young people.  Young people do not have positive views about the home. The use of agency staff means that they are not able to build secure and trusting relationships with staff who can get to know them well.

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

 Young people are not in education. Efforts to secure full-time provision in liaison with the placing authority have been ineffective; young people are missing months of statutory provision. This undermines their life chances.  Young people do not respect the authority of staff and managers. They do not develop the necessary discipline that they need to maintain a school programme or to work in the community.  Staff feel overwhelmed and exhausted. Many are new to the home and lack experience and confidence. They do not operate as a team or have confidence in their ability to manage complex and challenging behaviours consistently. The high volume of calls to the police leads to the criminalisation of young people. This disadvantages them significantly in their futures.  Managers have failed to put effective measures in place to reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation and substance misuse. This has led to young

p.3

The children's home provision is inadequate because:

people being put in unsafe situations and the breakdown of placements for two young people.

p.3

The children's home strengths

 The new manager has started a programme of regular recorded supervision with staff.  Permanent staff who will join the home later in the year have been recruited to vacancies in the staff group. Some agency workers who have shown an aptitude for the work have also been recruited as permanent staff.

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

11: The positive relationships standard In order to meet the positive relationships standard, with particular regard to supporting young people to improve their behaviour, the registered person must ensure that staff: (2)(a)(i) meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans; (ii) help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; (iii) encourage each child to take responsibility for the child's behaviour, in accordance with the child's age and understanding; (iv) help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; (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; (vi) help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual

p.5

Requirement Due date

and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; (vii) help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship; (viii) strive to gain each child's respect and trust. 22/07/2016

p.5

Requirement Due date

12: The protection of children standard In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to having accurate risk assessments that are 22/07/2016 up to date and include relevant and effective actions to reduce risk, and to making appropriate referrals of safeguarding information, the registered person should ensure that staff: (2)(a)(i) assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child's relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the regulatory reform (fire safety) order 2005 and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. Specifically, they must ensure that fire risk assessment reflects risks and mitigating actions in respect of young people smoking in the house. (Regulation 25(2)(b)) 22/07/2016

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure, and has signed the record to confirm that it is accurate; and that within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(vii)(b)(1)(2)(c)) 22/07/2016

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4) (e)) 22/07/2016

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (Regulation 27(1)(a)(b)(iii)) 22/07/2016 13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard, with particular regard to staff experience, a consistent approach to working with young people, and working to develop secure relationships and managerial oversight, the registered person must (2)(b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (e) ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

7: The children's views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children's views, wishes and feelings standard, with particular regard to young people being able to develop secure and trusting relationships, the registered provider must ensure that (1) children receive care from staff who: (a) develop positive relationships with them; (b) engage with them; and (c) take their views, wishes and feelings into account, in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives. 22/07/2016

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b)) 22/07/2016

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. (Regulation 32(4) 22/07/2016 8: The education standard In order to meet the education standard, with particular reference to ensuring that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational progress and are helped to do so, the registered person must ensure that staff: (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; (viii) help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. 22/07/16

p.7

Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that children's home staff should take every step to make sure that individual children and young people are not subject to discrimination, marginalisation or bullying from their peers by virtue of their gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health,

p.8

Recommendations

disability or for any other reason, with particular regard to ensuring that young people are supported not to feel conspicuous or isolated in the community as the result of their colour and ethnic origin. ( 'Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 16 paragraph 3.12)  Ensure that staff in the home develop the home's effective working relationships with each child's placing authority and with other relevant persons, which may include services, individuals (including parents), with particular regard to keeping parents informed of any developments including positive achievements. ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 52 paragraph 10.3)  Residential childcare should foster positive relationships, encouraging strong bonds between children and staff in the home on the basis of jointly undertaken activities, shared daily life, domestic and non-domestic routines and established

p.8

Recommendations

boundaries of acceptable behaviour.('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', Residential childcare - key principles, page 7)

p.9

Information about this children's home

This home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation.

p.10

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

p.10

Recent inspection history

15 September 2015 Interim Declined in effectiveness

p.10

Inadequate

Young people are not making progress because they do not have the opportunity to develop secure and trusting relationships with staff who take a consistent interest in them. They speak of being bored and lonely. Some young people from black and ethnic minority backgrounds, in particular, speak of feeling conspicuous and isolated in the local area. Despite this having being raised by the young people and their families, there has been no considered response from the staff and managers. Consequently, young people do not feel supported or learn to challenge discrimination confidently. Without someone to rely on for support and robust challenge, young people feel vulnerable and do not learn to deal with disappointment or to manage conflict peaceably. As a result, the number of incidents of negative behaviour remains high. Young people are not in education. This is not the unique responsibility of the home, but discussions between the staff in the home, placing authorities and

p.11

Inadequate

virtual heads have not been effective in identifying an appropriate educational resource. Staff and managers have not been sufficiently assertive in advocating for educational provision. As a result, a young person living in the home has been without education since he arrived at the home, and no firm plans have been agreed for a return to school after the summer break. As a result of this delay, he has not received his statutory education for several months. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of routine within the home. Young people have activity plans and daily planners, which include periods of education, activities in the community and individual time in the home with staff. Periods are set for personal care and mealtimes. However, young people ignore them persistently, largely doing what they want when they choose. Staff and managers fail to challenge them robustly, with the result that young people do not develop the

p.11

Inadequate

discipline that will support them through school and adult life. Young people have hopes and aspirations for positive futures and careers but do not know how to achieve these. They lack confidence and resilience in knowing what to do, if they are not successful, or how to plan an alternative. This frustration and uncertainty can lead to frequent incidents of volatile behaviour. Many young people have been placed at some distance from their homes and communities. While this decision may be justified on the grounds of safeguarding concerns, young people miss relationships that are important to them, especially with family members. However, parents of young people do not speak highly of the partnership with the home or the contact that they receive, and describe it as irregular and only in response to something going wrong. Failure to establish routine regular contact is not the sole responsibility of the home. However, staff

p.11

Inadequate

and managers are not developing positive relationships with parents of young people. This is a wasted opportunity to present a unified approach and a strong message for young people that professionals and parents are working together in their interests.

p.12

Inadequate

The recommendation to manage negative behaviour, raised at the previous inspection, is not met. Despite key-work sessions taking place, staff continue to be ineffective in managing young people’s behaviour. This has led to the breakdown of two young people’s placements. Discussions with the police and review of records demonstrate a high volume of calls made by staff to the police. While some of these calls are warranted, due to concerns about young people who have gone missing, other calls are because staff have been unable to manage behaviour. In the period between 19 June 2016 and the date of the inspection, the police received 16 calls from the staff, and from members of the public about the young people living in the home. Staff have reported young people to the police for theft and assault, and the allegations have later been retracted. Staff have told the police that they cannot manage the challenging behaviour. There is no evidence of

p.12

Inadequate

staff considering how young people are being criminalised. Staff’s inability to manage presenting behaviours means that young people receive clear messages that the young people are in control. This does not help them to feel secure. The high volume of calls to the police leads to the criminalisation of young people. This disadvantages them significantly in their futures. Managers have failed to put effective measures in place to reduce the risk of child sexual exploitation and substance misuse. The compliance notice raised because of the concerns identified during an investigation visit in June 2016 has not been met. The manager has updated risk assessments for a number of risk areas for a young person who is accommodated in the home. However, the location risk assessment does not reflect known and active risks in the local community. The young person accesses cannabis, is known to frequent addresses of concern and has associations

p.12

Inadequate

of concern with community members. This is not detailed in the location risk assessment. The individual risk assessments do not include cannabis use despite incidents of staff finding cannabis use by young people in the home. Staff have not shown professional curiosity in following up where cannabis has been obtained from. This means that staff cannot be assured that young people have not been exploited in exchange for cannabis. There is inconsistency between a young person’s behaviour management plan, which indicates that he has no history of fire setting, and his risk assessment, written on the same date. The latter lists fire setting as high risk and details his spraying aerosols into plastic bottles and setting fire to them. In addition, the fire risk assessment does not reflect this risk or that young people smoke cannabis in the home. Failure to update the fire risk assessment with all presenting concerns

p.12

Inadequate

does not enable clear strategies to be documented and shared with staff. This puts young people and staff at risk of significant harm. In June 2016, two young people were given permission to go on an education trip. Both of these young people are at risk of child sexual exploitation. This trip went ahead with no risk assessment in place. The two young people went missing, while out of the county, and did not return for six days. The responsible individual has been conducting an investigation into how this occurred and who gave permission for the trip to go ahead. One month after this incident, there is no explanation as to who was responsible for this. Managers and staff did not identify or make robust plans to reduce risk. Consequently, these two young people had negative experiences and were in unsafe situations. This is not good enough for young people and potentially has an impact on their emotional and physical well-being.

p.13

Inadequate

They were not protected from harm by the adults whose duty it is to care for them. Records of restraint are incomplete. They do not all include the view of the young person concerned, and a number are not signed off to show that they have been reviewed by the manager. This does not provide evidence of debriefs taking place or reflection on strategies used, or inform future practice. Staff add sanctions records to the computerised database system. However, records do not consistently include the young people’s views and are not being reviewed by the manager. There is no detail of the outcome or effectiveness. This does not support staff to learn whether the behaviour management techniques are effective. Ofsted has received a notification of a significant incident six days after the date the incident occurred. Lack of timely notification does not enable Ofsted to have an up-to-date view of the home or to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place

p.13

Inadequate

for young people, in response to incidents. There have been no complaints or incidents of bullying since the last inspection. Judgement grade

p.13

Inadequate

The majority of the requirements and recommendations of the last inspection have not been met. The home still does not have a registered manager. Young people in the home complain that they cannot identify a member of staff whom they could confide in on a regular, predictable basis. Young people do not have an education programme. Staff and managers do not maintain consistent daily routines in the home that would support school attendance. Staff are not managing young people’s behaviour and the number of negative incidents remains high. Agency staff who do not have any experience or training in managing challenging young people are being used to work on shifts. The home has now been without a registered manager for well over a year. A manager from another home within the same organisation had been providing interim cover. A new manager has recently joined the home and has now submitted her application. She has the national vocational qualification (NVQ) level

p.14

Inadequate

4 and eleven years’ experience as a manager in residential services. However, the delay in recruiting to this vacancy has resulted in the home lacking a sense of direction and leadership at this critical time. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure a stable workforce with the skills and qualifications required to deliver a safe and effective service for young people. The staff team is incomplete and there are a number of vacancies for full-time permanent workers. The management team has made efforts to address this and has recruited to these posts. Some of the new staff have been trained to NVQ level 3, but others have not met regulatory requirements for professional qualifications. The manager is clarifying this as a matter of urgency. However, in the meantime, the manager is relying on agency workers to provide adequate cover for shifts, some of whom have little experience of working with young people with

p.14

Inadequate

challenging behaviour. Furthermore, the fact that they are not employed consistently means that young people do not have the opportunity to build up trusting and secure relationships. One young person commented about one member of staff: ‘He is all right, but he’s agency so I don’t know when I will see him.’ The new manager has begun formal recorded supervision sessions with staff. These discussions have revealed that morale is low and that workers feel overwhelmed and under pressure. Staff and managers both refer to a ‘blame culture’ among staff. This has led to a lack of trust between colleagues who do not work as a team. The result is that they do not apply firm and predictable boundaries in the home to promote young people’s welfare and to meet their needs. While staff and managers are empathetic towards young people, they do not demonstrate adequate authority in order to manage volatile behaviour. As a

p.14

Inadequate

result, staff are over-reliant on the intervention of the police to contain the safety of young people in the home. The new manager has started to initiate staff team meetings and encourage staff to model good behaviour to each other and to the young people in the home. At the time of this inspection, there was no tangible evidence of any meaningful improvement to the service young people receive. The current training matrix does not provide accurate information about the staff team, or about what training is up to date or when it needs to be refreshed. The manager recognises this and has asked for a more accurate format to be provided by the provider’s head office. The statement of purpose is not up to date and does not reflect the current management structure or the staff team and the experience and qualifications of team members. The manager does not maintain a robust oversight of the quality of care provided

p.14

Inadequate

to young people. For instance, individual incidents are reviewed but the management advice does not present a clear plan with allocated tasks, timescales and an indication of how they would be followed up. Consequently, expectations are not explicit and this allows incidents to drift, with no explicit resolution. This means that young people are not clear about the consequences of their actions.

p.15

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’.

p.16

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 children looked after 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

p.16

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.

p.16

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 that 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 whom 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

p.17

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 .

p.17

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,

p.18

Information about this inspection

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

p.18

Information about this inspection

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

p.18

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

p.18