Children's home in Birmingham

This monitoring visit

Ofsted received concerns from a young person’s placing authority about the care provided for them at this service. This monitoring visit was completed to assess whether there are any breaches in regulations. The regulatory requirements made at the last inspection remain and, following this monitoring visit, further requirements have been raised.

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This monitoring visit

The registered persons have failed to provide a stable and consistent staff team, which has meant that young people have not been adequately safeguarded. Poor decisions made regarding leaving inexperienced agency staff in charge of shifts, coupled with a lack of scrutiny of their experience and training, has placed young people at risk. Shortfalls in terms of leaving inexperienced staff in charge of shifts have been identified at previous full inspections.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspector found further examples of inexperienced staff being left in charge of shifts. In the period between 28 July 2016 and 1 August 2016, young people were cared for on four occasions by agency staff who were left in charge of shifts; this includes covering sleeping-in duties. The inspector also noted that on 30 July 2016, an agency member of staff was left working on their own from six am until nine-thirty am. This is unsafe practice, especially given the high- risk behaviours of the young people and recent incidents of self-harming behaviours and young people going missing from the home. A review of staffing rotas identified an over-reliance on agency staff at the home, which means that young people were being cared for by staff they did not know.

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This monitoring visit

There was insufficient evidence available to ascertain whether some agency staff had suitable previous experience of working with young people. There was also a lack of documentary evidence available to confirm that agency staff had been given appropriate information about the needs and risks of young people and the running of the home. This was because of poor-quality records, such as the daily handover sheets, which did not always include information about young people’s risk-taking behaviours, or identify who was present at the handovers.

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This monitoring visit

The induction checklists used for agency staff were not always complete, and in one instance there was no induction checklist or agency profile for an agency member of staff. Consequently, there was a lack of documentary evidence to demonstrate that agency staff had relevant experience and training for working with young people, and whether the member of staff had been appropriately vetted in line with regulatory requirements.

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This monitoring visit

Only one of the agency staff employed had received training on self-harming behaviours, including the use of ligatures. This means that the staff were not appropriately equipped to manage one young person’s high-risk self-harming behaviours. This is unsafe practice.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector also identified that staff were unable to manage the challenging behaviours presented by the two young people when they were being cared for by two agency staff on 30 July 2016. Records demonstrated that the young people were particularly targeting one member of staff. Examples of behaviours include: throwing apples and other food at the member of staff; throwing a lit cigarette at the member of staff, which burnt their eye; and both young people sitting on the member of staff, pinning them down for 15 minutes.

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This monitoring visit

Young people were able to access the office where important and confidential information is stored. The inspector found that a young person had ripped a number of pages out of the daily log book covering the period 19–30 July 2016, which contained important information. Young people took the safe key. One young person was able to access the computer in the staff office and accessed a social media site. This placed her at risk as she has a history of being at high risk of sexual exploitation and, during the previous three days, she had gone missing from the home twice.

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This monitoring visit

It is Ofsted’s view that young people were ‘in control’, as staff could not manage their behaviours. This failure by staff to manage young people’s behaviour placed young people and staff at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The registered persons failed to increase staffing levels as requested by one young person’s placing authority. The request was due to increased high-risk behaviours, including sexual exploitation, by a young person who had gone missing from the home twice in three days.

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This monitoring visit

During the period 29 July 2016 to 1 August 2016, staff did not have adequate on- call management support. The daily handover sheet for the period 29 to 30 July 2016 stated that staff had made 16 attempts to contact a member of the home’s management team during the previous night and day. This resulted in inexperienced staff being left without management support, to manage very challenging behaviours presented by the young people.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector identified further shortfalls in record-keeping. A young person’s risk assessment had not been updated to include information about a recent incident when they had taken an overdose while they were missing from the home. Staff handover sheets did not always give details of who was present, including agency staff, or information about incidents of young people going missing. This made it difficult to assess if agency staff were given important information about how to keep young people safe.

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This monitoring visit

During the visit, the inspector identified that there had been delays in notifying relevant agencies, including the local authority designated officer, of an allegation made against a member of staff by a young person. A young person made an allegation against a member of staff on 21 July 2016. The registered manager did not take prompt action in line with safeguarding procedures. The young person’s social worker was not notified of this allegation until 28 July 2016, when it was referred to the local authority designated officer. This was a significant delay and potentially placed young people at risk of harm. Furthermore, the registered manager did not inform the inspector of this incident during the full inspection on 26 and 27 July 2016. This was despite the inspector asking the registered manager if there had been any child protection concerns or staff conduct issues since the last inspection visit on 8 and 9 June 2016. To date, Ofsted have not received a

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This monitoring visit

notification regarding this allegation, as required by the regulation. This does not provide Ofsted with confidence that the registered persons are working with them in an open and transparent manner.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not adequately support young people with their physical, emotional and psychological health needs, which places young people at risk of harm. They do not always ensure that young people receive appropriate medical attention when they have self-harmed. Staff do not take into account young people’s emotional state when high-risk behaviours increase, and there is a lack of documentary evidence that they monitor young people’s safety after an incident of self-harm. Furthermore, staff do not always update young people’s risk assessment after incidents of self-harm. This lack of action means that all staff, including agency staff, caring for young people, may not know young people’s current needs and risks, which affects their ability to keep the young people safe.

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This monitoring visit

Management monitoring systems remain ineffective, which does not ensure that staff practice is appropriate, safe and in line with young people’s care plans and risk assessments.

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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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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that must be taken so that the registered persons meet 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.

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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 enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that–

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Requirement Due date

(1) (b) promotes children’s welfare. 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:

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Requirement Due date

(2) (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 02/09/2016 13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(2) (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 provider must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. This includes obtaining documentary evidence that all the required checks have been obtained for all agency staff used. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction. This also includes providing written evidence that agency staff have received an induction. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is with specific reference to ensuring that agency staff have received training in self-harming behaviours, including the use of ligatures and safeguarding children training. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which–

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Requirement Due date

(a) include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; (b) are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 02/09/2016

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to statutory requirement notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. in 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 this guidance, please telephone 0300 123 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

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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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