Children's home run by Birmingham City Council in Birmingham

Good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children’s home provision is good because:

 Children and young people progress across all aspects of their lives. They grow in confidence as they try new experiences and consistently celebrate their achievements.  Children and young people hold the home in high regard. One said, ‘The staff are all kind and I get on with most people, and this means that we can all do activities and be like a normal family.’  Communication is an ever-developing theme throughout the home. Significant improvements in children’s and young people’s behaviour are a result of joint working with schools to develop communication processes.  Both health and education staff are very complimentary about the staff. Teachers value staff’s knowledge of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They are keen to extend the behaviour management strategies used at the home across to school.  Improved communication and participation empower children and young people. For example, information about the children’s home’s quality

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The children’s home provision is good because:

standards is in symbol form, meaning that children and young people are now fully aware of how the staff should care for them. They are very much involved in the running of the home.  Strong leadership supports a cohesive team and an environment where children and staff flourish, and there is on ongoing drive for improvement.  Areas for development include ongoing improvement of the physical environment, and continuing developments in communication and the consistency of recording in children’s and young people’s files.

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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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard:

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person is required to — (2)(c) ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— (i) meet the needs of each child; and (ii) enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 31/12/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Record information about the child in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  Keep all children’s case records up to date. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This is with particular regard to streamlining and prioritising information in children’s and young people’s care, risk and behaviour management plans.  Support children and their parents to understand the nature of records kept in the home and how to access them. Staff should understand their role in encouraging the child to reflect on and understand their history, according to their age and understanding. Staff should keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia and help them to record significant life

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Recommendations

events. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home is registered to provide care for 12 children with learning disabilities. The home’s statement of purpose states that children can be of either gender and aged up to 18 years of age.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 18/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/11/2015 Full Good 11/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/08/2014 Full Good

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Good

Children and young people make good progress. They live in a relaxed and enabling environment where they are more independent, make their own choices and develop excellent social skills.

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Good

Transition to the home is managed sensitively, and children and young people settle quickly. Their comments include, ‘If you’re new… you won’t even recognise you are new, as staff and young people always make you feel welcome.’

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Good

Social workers hold the staff and the service in high regard. They say that they ‘cannot fault’ the staff and that children do ‘exceptionally well.’

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Good

Placement planning provides good outcomes for children and young people because staff, social workers and families work together. The individual identity of children and young people and links to family background are of paramount importance to staff. Children and young people benefit from one-to-one and joint key-working sessions with their care and social workers. Sessions include support with home contact and awareness about bullying, behaviour, sexual health and improving education, showing clear links to the placing authority’s placement planning.

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Good

Good levels of stability and clear boundaries help children and young people to manage their anxieties and behaviour. For example, having personalised morning routines means that all children and young people prepare for school. For some, this means that they can now address previous poor attendance and look forward to reaching their potential.

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Good

Education is an integral part to all children’s and young people’s lives. Attendance is good, with children and young people saying that they enjoy school. The annual education awards ceremony is one of everyone’s favourite events.

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Good

Children and young people grow up in an environment of discovery and learning. They thrive and develop as they try a range of new experiences and activities. Children and young people grow in confidence as they learn to do more for themselves. Having a shower and making the bed are big achievements for some young people. They are full of smiles in the morning, as they become more independent. Making guests a hot drink extends social skills and provides a welcome break for parents when these skills are used during home contact.

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Good

Activities include a range of arts, crafts, trips out, horse riding, football and swimming, and are key factors in developing children’s and young people’s confidence. Feedback about recent outdoor activities is extremely positive, with plenty of ‘loved it’ comments. Children and young people now have greater confidence to enjoy opportunities in the community. Some of these new experiences include going on holiday, and enjoying eating out and visiting the barbers for a haircut.

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Good

Children and young people develop a greater understanding of themselves and society, as staff talk to them about a range of issues. On this inspection, children and young people talked to the inspector about topics such as being gay and trans- gender, contraception, Black history and healthy relationships.

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Good

Improved social skills, tolerance of others and empathy help children and young people to build positive relationships with their families, teachers and friends. Some say that living at the home has helped them to become less racist and be kinder to other children, young people and adults. Their manners are a credit to the staff support that they receive at the home.

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Good

Children and young people can now contribute to the running of the home and their care due to ongoing improvements in communication. A range of visual reference points, access to symbol cards and ‘talking boards’ ensure that children and young people can let others know about their needs, emotions and views. Displays boards in symbol and picture form give them more access to information about their rights, how to complain and independent advocacy.

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Good

Children’s and young people’s consultation and participation in the running of the home are a strong and an ever-developing theme. They share their views because staff value and act upon their ideas. Activities can be arranged with both individual and friendship groups in mind, as children and young people share their views in key-working sessions and young people’s meetings. They feel valued, because their ideas are acted on. For example, there are now more TV channels, as children share their ideas about technology.

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Good

Health outcomes improve as staff support and educate children and young people about their medical and health needs. For example, children and young people may have gained weight but now have a greater understanding of how high-sugar diets may impact on their behaviours. Healthy eating and regular exercise make a positive contribution to children’s and young people’s health.

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Good

Some improvements to the physical environment are evident, with an ongoing redecoration programme by the local authority. However, the responsible individual acknowledges that progress remains slow, and the statutory requirement from the last inspection is repeated. In the meantime, staff continue to make a concerted effort to make the individual houses homely with soft furnishings and pictures. A range of photo displays provide an inclusive and celebratory feel to the home, as children’s activities, achievements and awards take pride of place. Children and young people enjoy the comfort of their rooms. They enjoy relaxing in their own space with an array of personal possessions, toys and media equipment.

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Good

Safeguarding and quality of care are good, because care planning is bespoke and child centred. Regular monitoring of records leads to accurate and effective care planning.

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Good

Risk management keeps children and young people safe, because assessments are regularly reviewed and adapted accordingly. However, current poor reference from risk assessment to behaviour management documentation compromises access to joined up information, particularly when new staff are recruited to the home.

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Good

Informed knowledge and effective implementation of safeguarding procedures keep children and young people safe. Their complaints are taken seriously and referred to the local safeguarding team in a timely manner. Joint working with social workers and families promotes safe family contact. The manager also works well with partner agencies, such as schools, to ensure that all aspects of children’s and young people’s lives are safeguarded.

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Good

Security within the home and appropriate levels of supervision when out in the community mean that there are no concerns about children and young people going missing. There are no children and young people who are at immediate risk of child sexual exploitation.

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Good

Child-centred care shines through behaviour management plans. Quick access to information about individual likes and dislikes gives staff an immediate connection with children and young people. Access to their risk and behaviour management plans gives children and young people involvement in how they present and how their behaviours are managed. They clearly acknowledge that being rewarded and distracted helps to improve their behaviour.

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Good

Behaviours improve, because staff understand triggers and motivators and can deflect the negative and reward the positive behaviours. Children and young people appreciate that staff are fair and kind. They feel good about themselves, because they have instant praise and reward when they are able to turn their behaviour around. When things do not go so well, children and young people appreciate talking through ‘blips’. They say that staff make them feel special, because staff try to understand them and help improve behaviour.

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Good

Children and young people live in a safe environment due to regular health and safety monitoring. For example, children and young people understand the dangers of fire due to information displayed in symbol form, discussions in young people’s meetings and fire drills. Sound procedures for the safe administration of medication promote and safeguard children’s and young people’s good health.

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Good

The manager has been registered since May 2013. She brings extensive experience to the role and is suitably qualified with the level 4 national vocational qualification in management. She leads a cohesive staff team. Children and young people receive good care from qualified staff with strong working relationships.

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Good

Significant improvements in communication, participation and advocacy exemplify the strong and inclusive management style at the home. These developments have continued during a period of absence by the register manager and show that improvements are successfully embedded in the running of the home.

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Good

Training and staff supervision are well organised. Staff fully appreciate the professional and personal support that they receive from the management team. Staffing arrangements, their skill set and partnership working ensure that the manager and staff are able to meet the home’s statement of purpose.

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Good

Staff are open to feedback and embrace training to improve their practice and outcomes for children and young people. For example, children and young people now enjoy greater freedom of movement in the home. This is as a result of training on the topic of deprivation of liberty and the removal of high door handles.

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Good

Consistent monitoring promotes good quality of care. Independent monitoring reports are very positive, and shortfalls are addressed quickly and effectively. The manager’s monitoring activity provides meaningful information about patterns and trends in the outcomes for children and young people. Managers and staff are fully committed to driving improvement, and this ensures consistent, child-focused care.

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Good

Staff team skills in partnership working enhance opportunities and outcomes for children and young people. Work with the local authority children’s rights and participation worker is driving improvement, as children and young people are more empowered. Ongoing work with school speech and language therapists consistently extends communication themes at the home.

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Good

Developments in child-friendly and meaningful recording are ongoing. Collating information, including photos, and writing more child-centred records help children and young people better to understand their looked-after journeys. However, some aspects of recording systems at the home remain institutionalised. For example, record codes such as ‘CR10’ and ‘CR8’ are meaningless to children and young people.

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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’. 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 looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 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 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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