Children's home in Birmingham

Inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures, that mean that children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted,

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The children’s home provision is inadequate because:

 Safeguarding practice within the home is poor. Staff do not follow child protection procedures. This exposes young people to risk of harm. Failures in recruitment practice leave young people at risk. Some staff working in the home have significant criminal histories but no formal checks or risk assessments have been completed. This presents a significant risk of harm to young people.  Young people are admitted to the home inappropriately. Senior managers allow the admission of young people whose needs staff cannot meet. This causes upheaval in the home and distress to young people.  Confidential information is not kept securely or safely in the home. The computer system within the home can enable unauthorised access by unknown individuals. This may result in a breach of confidential information regarding young people.  The statement of purpose is not up to date, and lacks information regarding

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The children’s home provision is inadequate because:

the current staff team and their experience.

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The children’s home strengths

 Young people say they are happy in the home.  Young people enjoy a number of activities.  Young people make good progress in their education.  Young people enjoy good relationships with staff.

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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

(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that remain designed to ensure children’s safety. 15/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

(1) The protection of children standard is that children remain protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (vi) The registered person must ensure that staff take effective action when there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare 15/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

(1) The care planning standard is that young people— (a) receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that young people are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of young people for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation. 15/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that the managers of the home only accepts placements for children when the registered person is satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. Managers must fully consider the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the home has a secure system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the regulator. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the following elements of the workforce plan are included in the statement of purpose (in accordance with Schedule 1, paragraphs 19 and 20): the staffing structure, experience and qualifications of staff, and arrangements for supervision of staff practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.10)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that when records are kept electronically, only staff with a legitimate need to view them can access them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides accommodation for four young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. A private organisation owns and manages the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Inadequate

Safeguarding practice is poor. There are serious failings in child protection arrangements and recruitment practice. This significantly undermines the progress made by young people and places them at risk of harm.

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Inadequate

Young people report they are happy in the home. One commented, ‘I like this home. It is cool.’ They enjoy close relationships with staff and generally make good progress. Staff support young people through difficult life events. Staff help young people gain the skills to support them in later life. This is supported by regular and effective key working. Staff express their delight in the progress made by young people.

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Inadequate

Young people learn new independence skills, such as cookery. This supports the celebration of culture and difference as young people and staff exchange recipes from their home countries. Progress is recorded well in photographs, which offer mementoes of achievements and are a source of pride for young people.

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Inadequate

Outcomes for young people remain largely positive. Staff recently supported two young people in moving from the home to semi-independent provision. These moves occurred with a high level of staff support and effective communication and engagement with the professional network.

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Inadequate

Staff understand young people well. There are effective behavioural management strategies in place for each young person. This includes taking young people for walks when they feel distressed or upset. Another young person will prepare a drink for staff when he is ready to discuss his thoughts and feelings. This successfully reduces incidents of violent behaviour.

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Inadequate

Young people achieve well in education, many for the first time. The enjoy access to a local library, café and safe use of the internet within the home. Despite considerable challenges, young people maintain placements in mainstream school provision with high levels of attendance. Young people have recently completed qualifications to BTEC level 1. They are also helped to work with careers advisers to explore options for the forthcoming year. This progress acts as inspiration to others and increases self-esteem of those concerned.

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Inadequate

Staff promote healthy living. Young people learn to improve their self-care skills and have variety in their diets. For this reason staff within the home have agreed that fried food will no longer be prepared. Staff try to teach young people yoga. Young people have access to a local gym and are currently looking into joining a local football team. Staff are supporting young people in a healthy eating challenge and promote the value of drinking fresh water each day. Medication procedures are safe, and assist staff in supporting young people with challenging health conditions.

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Inadequate

There are serious flaws in safeguarding practice. Staff failed to notify professionals of a serious allegation made by two young people against a staff member. Staff started an investigation of their own volition by taking written statements from two young people. This constitutes very poor safeguarding practice as it is not in keeping with local procedures and compromises any potential police action. Furthermore, it allowed the staff member concerned to continue working with young people, potentially placing others at serious risk. The home failed to notify Ofsted of this incident. A further notification should have been made when a young person was found in possession of a knife.

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Inadequate

Recruitment practices are dangerous and unsafe. One staff member worked in the home for one week with a serious criminal history involving violent offences and drug possession. Managers failed to obtain the appropriate clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service or to attempt any form of risk assessment. Currently, three care homes within the organisation share a pool of ‘bank or temporary staff’ that they can access when there are staff shortages. The interim manager confirmed that some records of bank staff are held away from the home. This prevents a full assessment of staff before their arrival to work within the home. Once more, this places young people at serious risk of harm.

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Inadequate

Staff effectively advocate for young people both internally and via specialist agencies. Staff recently supported a plan for one young person to visit a parent at weekends. They are now able to manage travel without staff support.

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Inadequate

Staff have developed relationships with key partner professionals in the local community. The local police refer to good channels of communication. Managers attend the local community forum and feed-back on areas of risk such as local child sexual exploitation locations of concern. This helps staff to offer appropriate advice and guidance to young people.

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Inadequate

There is an immediate response when young people go missing from the home. Good communication with family and friends support this. Independent return-to- care interviews are offered regularly and information is shared well. Staff visit the locations that young people frequent, such as local cafes, to introduce themselves and risk assess the venue. Managers effectively plan activities around moments of high anxiety, for example family contact, for young people. This helps young people to reduce risk-taking behaviour, such as running away from the home, and helps them to settle.

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Inadequate

Behaviour in the home is good. Young people respect staff and there is no use of restraint. Staff act quickly when difficulties occur to deescalate them. They are proactive and creative in seeking to safeguard young people. Young people have a coded phrase that they can communicate to staff when in distress or at risk outside of the home. Staff are currently arranging an alternative event to a forthcoming local carnival. Neighbours are invited to attend this event at the home. The aim is to discourage young people from attending the carnival and thereby reduce risk.

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Inadequate

Consultation is good. Young people are familiar with the complaints procedure. Residents’ meetings are effective forums for young people to discuss their thoughts and feelings, and address any peer-related issues. Case records show young people supporting each other and challenging poor behaviour among themselves. This promotes camaraderie in the home and ensures that young people remain heard and represented.

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Inadequate

There has been a considerable period of upheaval within the home. This has created instability and culminated in the loss of a senior manager. A number of allegations from employees past and present are under investigation.

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Inadequate

The most recent registered manager left the home in January 2015, leaving the staff within the home lacking direction and consistency. The interim manager plans to remain in her position. She is due to complete her level 5 qualification in the summer of 2017 and remains supported by one deputy manager.

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Inadequate

The statement of purpose is not up to date. It does not reflect the current staffing structure or levels of experience. This prevents placing professionals an accurate assessment of the skills of the current staff team.

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Inadequate

The admissions policy is poor. This same issue was evident during the last full inspection. While the interim manager was on leave, an admission occurred without an appropriate assessment of the impact on other residents. Despite the brief length of the placement, this caused distress and upheaval in the home.

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Inadequate

The computer system in the home is not secure. The interim manager states that an unknown individual has accessed her email account. Consequently, the confidentiality of young people’s electronic records is compromised, placing them at potential risk.

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Inadequate

Managers say they are committed to improving the service. Recent updates to the home’s policies covering the sexual exploitation of children and gangs offer clear practice guidance to staff. A new independent visitor is now in position. She says she is committed to offering regular scrutiny and challenge to managers.

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Inadequate

Despite the upheaval, staff morale remains positive and focused on meeting the needs of the young people. They report regular and effective supervision and appraisal. There has only been one staff departure since the last full inspection. One staff member commented, ‘Our manager is amazing. We really work as a team here.’

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Inadequate

Staff benefit from good access to training. This includes general training from a placing local authority, online provision and specialist training when necessary to care for a young person’s specific needs Managers promote a learning culture in the home by introducing a ‘theory of the month’ for discussion at the staff meeting. This encourages staff to reflect on and understand the behaviours of young people more clearly.

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Inadequate

Managers ensure that the home is in a good state of repair with all the necessary risk assessments and checks undertaken in respect of the building.

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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 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

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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