Children's home in Birmingham

Inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean that children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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The children’s home provision is inadequate because:

 Staff are failing to follow agreed care plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans. This is placing some children at serious risk of harm.  Potentially hazardous items, such as razors, are not effectively risk-assessed or monitored.  The registered persons have failed to provide staffing levels as agreed with one child’s placing authority. This has resulted in a lack of monitoring of a child during the night and has put them at risk of harm.  The registered persons have failed to meet requirements made at the last inspection about safeguarding children and about leadership and management.  The registered persons do not provide clear leadership and direction to ensure that staff fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively.  Management monitoring systems remain ineffective. Managers are failing to ensure that staff practice is appropriate, safe and in line with children’s care

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The children’s home provision is inadequate because:

plans and risk assessments.  Staff do not always ensure that they obtain the important information from key professionals that they need to safeguard children in line with their agreed multi-agency care plans.  Poor recording of information means that not all relevant staff are aware of children’s needs and any changes in their needs. Furthermore, poor recording systems mean that the home is unable to provide a clear audit trail of events.  A failure to meet two of the requirements from the previous inspection has resulted in Ofsted issuing two compliance notices relating to child protection and management monitoring systems. Three requirements have also been made, about staffing, the recording of complaints and staff rotas.

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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

12. The protection of children standard.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (a) that staff: (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. 02/09/2016*

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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: (2)(c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 02/09/2016

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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: (2)(h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 02/09/2016*

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of the investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must (a) maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. This is with specific reference to ensuring that the staff duty roster of persons working at the home is a record of the 02/09/2016 actual rosters worked. (Regulation 37 Schedule 4 (a) point 3)

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to provide care for four children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Inadequate

Staff are failing to take account of identified risks when caring for children. A requirement from the previous inspection in relation to managing risk has not been addressed. Where risk assessments are carried out, staff do not always follow them. The overall experience and progress of children is poor because they are not adequately safeguarded.

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Inadequate

Children’s psychological health needs are not always met. Staff do not ensure that they obtain important information when children have been discharged from hospital after incidents of self-harm. As a result, a child was not properly monitored during the night as agreed in a care plan agreed with the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). This lack of action demonstrates staff’s inability to ensure that they have current information about how to keep children safe and work effectively with other professionals. Since the last inspection, children have had better, and improving, relationships with staff. New and inexperienced staff are no longer left in charge of the home. This has improved the ability of the home to manage complex behaviours, and addresses the steps detailed in the compliance notice issued at the last inspection. However, staff continue to make poor care decisions that place children at risk.

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Inadequate

Children say that they now feel listened to and are able to express their views. Weekly house meetings take place where they are able to discuss menus and the activities they wish to pursue. Children engage in activities that they like, such as going to the gym, and one young person recently went on a day trip to Skegness.

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Inadequate

The home has chosen not to accept new admissions since the last inspection. However, the registered person has taken steps to improve the admission procedures. A new admission checklist has been produced to ensure that all the required information is obtained prior to admission. A new compatibility risk assessment process has also been developed, which takes into account the needs and risks of children, as well as the potential impact on the existing group. These steps mean that a compliance notice issued at the last inspection has been addressed.

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Inadequate

One child has continued to make progress in their education. Their latest school report highlights improved attendance and achievement. One child is very proud of her progress and spoke enthusiastically to the inspector about the next school year and the opportunities that that provides. Some progress has been made in supporting another child who was not receiving any education at the last inspection. Staff have supported the child to apply for jobs and apply for college courses. The child has been offered a place on a course, which is due to start in September 2016. This improves their future prospects and means that the requirement made at the last inspection has been met.

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Inadequate

Children are encouraged to acquire a range of independence skills within the constraints of their identified risk-taking behaviours. They take responsibility for cleaning their bedrooms and laundry. Some have also developed the ability to cook meals.

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Inadequate

Since the last inspection there have been a number of incidents where children have placed themselves at serious risk. This includes incidents of self-harm and attempted suicide, which resulted in a children being hospitalised on three occasions. Staff have involved the police and paramedics to help them manage these incidents. Although their actions prevented serious harm in these instances, this inspection identified significant shortfalls in the way that risks are managed and a lack of awareness of potential hazards. This means that the staff are not adequately protecting children from the risk of harm and abuse.

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Inadequate

Staff do not follow agreed protocols and do not demonstrate that they can, when needed, prioritise a child’s safety over the need for independence and privacy. For example, one child’s access to razors is limited due to a known high risk of self- harm. Despite this, the inspector found a razor on a chest of drawers in the child’s bedroom. The registered manager was unable to explain how this had happened as this was against the agreed protocol and was not in line with the child’s risk assessment. There was no documentary evidence that staff had followed the protocol the home has introduced for signing razors in and out. Staff could not confirm whether the razor had been provided to the child, or how long the razor had been in the room. This posed a significant risk of harm and staff had not taken account of the child’s risk assessment. There was no evidence that staff have considered or offered any alternative means to help the young person attend to

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Inadequate

her personal care needs. This calls into question the ability of staff to provide safe care and enable children to look after themselves safely. The management of health and safety does not fully protect children. Staff carry out weekly health and safety checks and daily checks of sharps, which are kept locked up. However, during this inspection, the inspector identified examples that posed a risk to children. For example, on the first day of this inspection, the inspector noticed that the cover to the boiler was not fitted properly and children had access to this area. On the second day the cover had still not been fitted. There have been few incidents of children going missing since the last inspection. Staff continue to work with the police when children go missing. The registered manager has taken steps to prevent children calling taxis to the home after a recent incident where a child left the home during the night. This has reduced the

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Inadequate

The registered manager has improved recruitment practices since the last inspection. She has obtained documentary evidence that agency staff used have been carefully vetted prior to working in the home. The responsible individual has also produced guidance to ensure that gaps in applicants’ employment history are scrutinised and explanations recorded for any gaps identified. These actions have addressed the previous requirement.

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Inadequate

This is a poorly managed home. The registered manager and responsible individual have failed to address two requirements made at the last inspection relating to the protection of children, and leadership and management. Management monitoring systems are ineffective and do not deal with poor staff practice. This has led to children being placed at serious risk of harm.

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Inadequate

The registered manager started working at the home in December 2015. She has relevant experience of working with children in a residential setting and a level 3 qualification. She is currently completing her level 5 diploma. However, this inspection has identified significant management shortfalls.

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Inadequate

The registered persons have given notice to terminate a child’s placement on the grounds that they cannot keep her safe. However, the notice date has passed by more than three weeks. Managers have not been sufficiently challenging of the placing authority or escalated their concerns formally to senior leaders in the placing authority, to ensure that swift action is taken.

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Inadequate

Two staff have left the home since the last inspection and the registered manager is currently trying to recruit to these posts. There remains a reliance on agency staff and, although the registered manager tries to use the same agency staff, this is not always possible. This has a negative impact on the continuity of care provided to children. Furthermore, staffing rotas do not give accurate details of who worked in the home or their actual hours worked. This does not support effective monitoring of the home. Most of the permanent staff hold the level 3 qualification in working with children and young people. They have also received all the required mandatory training. Staff receive regular supervision. However, shortfalls in staff practice identified during this inspection and the previous inspection call into question the competence of staff and the quality of staff supervision. Staff have failed to follow

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Inadequate

children’s care plans, risk assessments and behaviour management plans, which has placed children at risk. Recording of information in some instances is poor and contradictory. These issues have not been identified by management monitoring systems and poor staff practice has not been discussed and addressed in supervision. Although there appears to be a commitment to multi-agency working, some shortfalls found during this inspection do not fully support this. For example, the registered manager has not provided waking night staff for one child as required by the placing authority. This has placed the child at risk. Care plans regarding a child’s psychological health and well-being produced by CAMHS have not been implemented. This does not fully safeguard children and has an impact on their ability to make progress. Children know how to make a complaint because this is discussed regularly at the children’s house meetings. However, the registered manager has not kept a record

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Inadequate

of a complaint recently made by a neighbour. This weakness in record keeping makes it harder to monitor the management of complaints and to drive improvements. The management team is now able to access care records kept electronically. This addresses the requirement made at the last inspection. However, it remains difficult to access some records easily. This does not support effective monitoring of staff practice or the quality of care. There is a detailed statement of purpose, which is reviewed regularly by the registered manager. It informs children, parents, carers and professionals of the services provided. Amended copies are now sent to Ofsted as required, which addresses a requirement made at the last full inspection. Improvements have been made regarding staff training and induction since the last inspection. Staff have received ligature training and the registered manager has ensured that agency staff have received safeguarding children and behaviour

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Inadequate

management training. There is now documentary evidence that agency staff receive an induction which helps to ensure that they know basic information about children’s needs and the running of the home.

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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 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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

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