Children's home in Birmingham

The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people say that they are very happy and form close and trusting bonds with staff members.  There has only been one recorded incident of missing behaviour in the last year. Local police comment that the home is a ‘beacon of good practice’.  Young people engage very well with the local community and support fundraising activities. They recently supported the rejuvenation of a local park.  The home benefits from a stable, permanent and committed staff team, and there has been no loss of staff members in the last twelve months.  The approach toward multi-agency working is very positive. Staff recently liaised well with youth offending services to ensure that breach action was delayed for one young person.  A rigorous training programme and learning culture motivate staff. This includes monthly presentations on relevant social work theories.  Young people benefit from inventive levels of individual support. These include

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The children's home provision is good because:

regular visits from a massage therapist and the services of an in-house psychologist.  There is one shortfall: one staff member has failed to obtain their level 3 qualification within the required timescale.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

32: Fitness of workers The requirements are that (4) An individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. The appropriate qualification is (a) the level 3 diploma for residential childcare (England). 1 January

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Information about this children's home

A private company owns this home. It sets out to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people who have behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

29/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

17/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Good

Young people say that they are extremely happy in their home. The atmosphere of the home promotes a real sense of pride and belonging. One young person commented, ‘It is great here.’ Young people enjoy very close relationships with staff and learn new social skills, such as forming peer relationships. Their rooms are personalised and each contains an individualised motivational phrase. Outcomes for young people are positive. Staff use up-to-date research and guidance to argue for young people to ‘stay close’ to the home when they leave. Effective independent living skills programmes support well-planned transfers onto less-supported placements. When outcomes are not positive, managers and staff reflect well and act to avoid a repetition. Staff hold a deep-rooted belief that ‘a Stonelake child is for life’ and provide support and outreach of their own volition. Young people benefit from a rich array of activities and experiences. Staff

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Good

proactively use their own connections to obtain work experience packages, such as work in a local gym. Outings, such as trips to local football matches or a recent overnight visit to an amusement park, engage and entertain young people. Staff believe that transparency is key to building close relationships. Young people are encouraged to be open and honest with staff. Staff work tirelessly with young people to explain their need to safeguard them and to encourage appropriate behavioural expectations. As a result, young people engage well and reduce risk- taking behaviour. Staff prioritise educational achievement. They scrutinise homework to assess sufficient challenge. One young person recently returned to education after a three-year absence and received an educational award. Staff use their in-depth knowledge of local education provision to match placements to the specific needs of young people. This supports a culture of achievement and attainment.

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Good

Work with parents is very positive. One parent commented, ‘Thanks for your consistent support.’ Parents provide an ongoing presence in the lives of young people. With staff support, young people make progress to enjoy unsupervised visits. One young person recently spent the Eid festival at his family home. Regular communication between staff and parents/carers, via events such as coffee mornings, helps to support consistent behavioural management. These meetings allow staff opportunities to share their experiences of what approaches work well when managing the challenging behaviours of young people. In turn, parents/carers continue the approaches with the young person concerned when they are away from the home. Staff promote healthy living as important. Young people learn to manage complex health conditions with staff support. Excellent, well-planned routines offer stability and a chance to ‘get to grips’ with intensive and prolonged treatment packages.

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Good

Young people receive support to understand the importance of safe sexual health; this includes knowing where to obtain contraception. Staff attend gym classes and ‘Zumba’ to illustrate the benefits of regular exercise. One young person is raising funds to support others suffering from a relevant health condition. This allows them to reflect on their own situation positively and, in doing so, to help others.

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Good

Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff recently liaised with the radicalisation expert in the local authority to research and risk assess a safe place of worship for one young person. The expert concerned continues to offer training and advice to staff members to keep young people safe. Safeguarding is inventive. Young people have a code word, which informs staff of a wish to alert them to concerns. This allows the exchange of sensitive information to occur without attracting unwarranted attention and preserves privacy for young people. Staff use group work effectively to address issues of concern such as sexting. The local authority expert on child sexual exploitation liaises with staff to provide information on local ‘hot spots’ of concern. Identification remains sought for all visitors, any concerns are shared with the allocated police community support officer and preventative action is taken. This keeps young people safe.

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Good

Behavioural management is successful, and there is no use of restraint. Staff understand key behavioural triggers and take preventative action, such as avoiding television programmes that might have a negative effect. The in-house psychologist supports staff to develop their understanding of three key phases of presenting behaviours: the lead up, presenting behaviours and fall out. This analysis is crucial to developing coping mechanisms for young people. Young people understand and respect a sanctioning system based on restorative practice. Young people learn to apologise for their behaviour and understand the effect on themselves, their peers and the wider community. Sanctioning remains linked to concerning behaviour. Recently, one young person spent some time with the local fire service, learning of the dangers of house fires. This was a sanction for smoking in his bedroom. The star of the week system, behavioural contracts and

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Good

financial incentives are very motivational. This approach, coupled with strong relationships with staff and peers, helps to support good behaviour. Young people reduce risk-taking behaviour. Incidents of missing behaviour occur very rarely. Despite young people arriving with a history of absconding, there is just one recorded episode of absence in the last year. Local police refer to the home as ‘a beacon of good practice’ and view the strength of relationships between staff and young people as integral to achieving this. Young people learn to contribute positively to the community. They recently participated in a local project to rejuvenate a local park and engaged successfully with the national citizenship programme. Community resources, such as army cadets, support the establishment of good routines and self-discipline. This acts as a great source of pride and insight. Staff prioritise culture and difference. Young people participated in a joint Islamic

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Good

and Christian soup kitchen. This helped to develop their understanding of both religions and promoted constructive activity. Consultation is strong in the home. Residents’ meetings occur regularly and take place without staff input. Young people are presently working with each other to write a book on their experiences within the care system. They are encouraged to contribute to staff appraisal via the ‘360 vision’; this ensures that their wishes and feelings are heard and that staff practice can be addressed if required. Multi-agency work and information sharing are effective. They inform robust risk assessments. A placing professional referred to the home as ‘fantastic’ and ‘nurturing’. Staff recently liaised with youth offending services to avoid breach action for one young person. This ensured the avoidance of unnecessary criminalisation and placement stability. Advocacy remains routinely offered. Staff used an independent advocate to obtain

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Good

funding for a holiday abroad for a young person. He is now excited and anxious to experience some ‘winter sunshine’. In addition, staff sought independent advice to challenge a decision from an independent reviewing officer. This appropriate intervention maintained placement stability and developed trusting relationships with staff.

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Good

The home benefits from a dynamic and child-centred interim manager. She has a vibrant and engaging personality. She remains an active member of a local group of children’s home managers and author of literature aimed at improving residential care. Her application for formal registration has experienced delays in receiving the required clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Ofsted has received this application, and this is currently being processed. The interim manager has been in post since February 2015, and there are four deputy managers supporting her. The interim manager is due to conclude her level 5 qualification in January 2017. Managers have addressed the concerns of previous inspections and acted on the concerns of this inspection during its course. A new workforce development plan is in place, coupled with a strengthened whistle-blowing policy. In addition, the recruitment process is considerably tighter, ensuring the ongoing safety of young

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Good

people. The management team remains committed to and focused on improving outcomes for young people. Managers promote a genuine sense of love and affection in the home and delight in the achievements of young people. This sense of purpose transmits well to the staff team that remains known as the ‘Stonelake Superstars.’ Managers monitor the work/life balance of the staff team. Despite one staff member not completing the level 3 qualification within the required timescale, staff report good-quality supervision and appraisal. Supervision is effective, which supports good staff retention and high standards of care. Staff are delegated key roles to match their specific abilities. The staff team contains five qualified social workers. Staff members point to an entrenched learning culture. One commented, ‘We are always learning and talking about things. Training comes from everywhere: the internet and from the local authority.’

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Good

Two staff members recently achieved an appraisal objective of developing public speaking, by advocating for a young person in open court. This supports a warm, stable family-style atmosphere in which young people thrive. Managers benefit from the increased scrutiny offered by a new independent visitor. His observations and action points have resulted in quick improvements to the home environment and adjustments to the training provision. This helps to support a high standard of care for young people. Managers understand the strengths and weakness of the home. This informs robust decision-making on admissions to the home. A confidence in established policies and procedures permits the admittance of young people presenting with high need. This supports the development of enhanced practice and skills in the home. Managers recently undertook a four-week assessment, prior to agreeing the admission of a young person. They liaise very effectively with colleagues in the

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Good

local authority to produce excellent risk assessments and effective introduction plans. The young person in question remains settled. Case files show regular management audit and regular review of care plans and risk assessments. These are updated prior to each statutory review and after significant events, and they clearly evidence the progress achieved by young people. Managers regularly advocate for young people. They ‘badger’ key professionals to ensure quick access to essential support services, such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) appointments. Reports are regular and of a consistently high quality. Managers are constantly seeking new means of improving quality and analysis, for example by using the minutes of the local safeguarding board to inform the risk assessment of the local community. Managers use established procedures to challenge any delay in care planning for young people. This means that managers have a clear idea of the

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Good

needs and issues affecting young people in 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 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 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

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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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