Children's home run by Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council in Walsall

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Managers do not always follow safeguarding policies and procedures in the event of children making an allegation.  Behaviour management records do not detail the steps taken to prevent a physical intervention.  The home’s location risk assessment does not reflect risks in the local area.  Not all aspects of the home offer children a homely environment.

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The children's home strengths

 Children are starting to make progress.  Feedback from children and professionals is good.  Transitions into the home reflect children’s needs.  Staff engage children in positive activities coupled with playing games, which children enjoy.  Children attend and engage in mainstream education.  Children’s health needs are met both physically and emotionally.  Children are happy, and are able to have their friends visit the home.

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— (a) that staff— (vi) take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and (vii) are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies 28/02/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)) 28/02/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  Ensure that the children's home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children's homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than 'institutional' impression. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15 paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home's location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: ‘Children's homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children's homes providers on new duties under regulations that came in to effect in January and April 2014’. (‘Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64 paragraph 15.1)

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Information about this children's home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 07/10/2015 Full Outstanding 19/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/12/2014 Full Outstanding

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Requires improvement

The home has recently been redecorated and modified to reflect a change in provision. This has meant moving from a service for children who have disabilities to taking children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. However, some parts of the home remain institutional and equipped for children who have disabilities, for example a sensory room.

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Requires improvement

Children have positive relationships with staff. The staff use this positive relationship to enable children to thrive physically, emotionally and socially. Staff are particularly good at helping children to build their self-esteem and confidence through well-matched activities. For example, children enjoy story time. Each bedtime staff member will read to children to help them settle. Their current favourite books are ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The girl in the dress’. Children are also encouraged to invite their friends to the home. One child said they enjoyed the ‘fun activities’ that they do.

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Requires improvement

Children attend and engage in education. When difficulties arise, staff support children to return to school in a sensitive and gentle manner. They work closely with the school and try to identify the issues that may have an impact on school attendance. A key worker from the virtual school said that he: ‘Had been specifically working with staff, they have been absolutely brilliant, they have gone over and above, attend all the meetings …[together] we identified a particular school as they have fantastic resources as we aspire for [the children] to do well and the pastoral care is excellent.’ A placing social worker said: ‘So proud of [child] being back at school. Staff have a good grasp of [child] and his behaviour. The school is a massive accomplishment.’ This close partnership with education professionals means that children are able to reach their full potential.

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Requires improvement

Children have started to make progress in respect of their physical and emotional health. They are supported to attend all health appointments and are registered with a dentist, optician and general practitioner (GP). Children have access to appropriate services, for example the children and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS). This makes sure children’s holistic health needs are being met.

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Requires improvement

Children’s wishes and feelings are central to the day-to-day running of the home. This has been carefully balanced with the need to settle the children in before they start to fully contribute their wishes and feelings, and have these embedded in the home and their care plans. For example, children choose the decoration of their bedroom, with football teams being a current favourite. This is being sensitively initiated to give the children some level of control over their lives, and for them to know that their views are valued. This in turn increases their self-esteem and confidence.

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Requires improvement

Staff are trained in safeguarding practice. However, staff do not always work in accordance with the home’s safeguarding policies. Appropriate action has not been taken in respect of referring an allegation to the designated officer. This does not ensure that children are safe and that their allegations are taken seriously.

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Requires improvement

Children rarely go missing and are not at risk of exploitation. In the event that they do go missing, staff make sure that children are returned home quickly and safely. Managers and staff notify all appropriate individuals and agencies immediately whenever a child has been missing. This coordinated response helps to keep children safe.

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Requires improvement

Behaviour management is individualised to each child. Daily reward programmes prove effective in helping children to self-regulate this behaviour. Staff adapt their parenting style to meet the behavioural needs of the children. For example, one child does not respond well to more than one staff member in the mornings, and they are now able to choose who they would like to help get them ready for school. Physical interventions are only used as a last resort. The frequency of interventions lessen as children learn to trust staff, and this reduces the possibility of putting themselves and others at risk. However, physical intervention records do not give a clear picture of the events leading up the restraint. This does not help managers and staff to understand what de-escalation strategies work for each child, and those that do not work.

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Requires improvement

The location risk assessment does not fully address the risks in the local area. As a result, staff are unable to thoroughly protect children. For example, the manager has not assessed the local area to establish any potential risk to children’s safety.

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Requires improvement

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She holds a relevant degree and higher-level qualifications including the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. A skilled and motivated staff group supports her. Managers promote a positive culture of improvement within the home, coupled with high aspirations and bespoke nurturing parenting styles for children that makes sure that progress is made from their starting points. The manager is aware of the strengths and development areas of the service and is equally aware of how to continually improve the experiences and progress for children.

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Requires improvement

The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals. This gives staff the opportunity to reflect on their roles and responsibilities. Staff completed a comprehensive training programme in the preparation for moving from children who have disabilities to children who have emotional and behavioural needs. All staff are appropriately qualified in line with regulatory timescales. This ensures that staff are trained to meet the children’s needs.

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Requires improvement

The manager has made sure that the home’s statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the service and that each child receives a copy of the children’s guide. The home receives regular external monitoring visits that provide additional quality assurance of the service. This helps to ensure that the manager is monitoring the quality of care.

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Requires improvement

The manager has developed positive working relationships with external agencies, including education professionals and specialist health providers. This is reflected in the positive feedback from professionals. The manager challenges when the responses from other services are not effective. This helps children to get the support they need. The service is currently going through a recruitment process for staff. There has been no recruitment since the last inspection.

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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 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

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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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