Children's home in Birmingham

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement at the full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness .

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been no registered manager in post at this home since August 2016. The acting manager failed to submit an application despite Ofsted providing him with additional support and advice in respect of this. The acting manager has recently resigned from post and was serving notice during this inspection. The registered individual has been solely accountable for this service since August 2016. It is worrying that the registered individual has made only one very short visit this year particularly given that the shortfalls that were identified at this inspection centre on leadership and management.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Not all of the recommendations that were made at the last inspection have been fully met. There are two areas that need attention. The recommendation in respect of specific training being provided to staff has not been met. The acting manager was unable to demonstrate that he had a good understanding of what training he and the staff would find beneficial. The regional manager was able to evidence that some arrangements have been put in place for specific and relevant training for all staff in the coming months.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home presents as neglected from the outside. The garden lacks care and attention and does not reflect a family home. This is compounded by a driveway that could be a health and safety risk. Some discussions are underway with the landlord to try and resolve the driveway issues. Some aspects of the inside of the home require care and attention, in particular the rear lounge area. This was discussed with the acting manager at the last inspection and little action has been taken to make satisfactory improvements.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager has failed to ensure that appropriate notifications are made when the police are involved with the young people living at this home. The discussions in respect of this during the inspection demonstrated the acting manager’s lack of knowledge regarding this area of regulation. The registered manager failed to update the young people’s care planning following these incidents. As a result, the care that young people receive has not been reviewed in line with their presenting needs. The acting manager has failed to ensure that the care planning documentation which he has produced underpins practice in the home. Documented behaviour management strategies are not always followed and this results, at times, in an inconsistent approach to care. Due to poor management oversight, this shortfall has not been identified by the acting manager and therefore has been left unaddressed.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager has failed to ensure that the behaviour management strategies and consequences that are used are always recorded and reviewed appropriately. There have been two serious recorded incidents in which staff used low-level physical intervention to reduce the risk of harm. These have not been recorded as such. The management oversight is poor and leaves more questions about incidents than answers.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

The acting manager has failed to ensure that clear expectations and strategies are in place to support one young person to make healthy and better choices around food and meals. For example, the young person has been allowed to drink cold tomato soup out of a can for breakfast; this has gone unchallenged and has not been addressed by the acting manager. This approach to care is obstructing this young person’s progress with some aspects of their transition to adulthood.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

When young people go missing from home they are not always afforded return interviews with an independent person. When interviews are arranged there is undue delay. This results in young people not always being provided with an independent person to talk to should they have any worries or concerns about the care that they receive.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

There has been one new member of staff employed at this home since the last inspection. Safer recruitment in respect of this application was good. However, the member of staff has not been provided with regular and meaningful supervision, in line with the company’s policy, since taking up employment. Not all of the training that is required to safely care for young people was provided prior to the member of staff working with the young people. This member of staff undertook six wide- ranging training sessions on the same day and then had their first supervision session with a line manager. This fails to allow for learning to be absorbed and reflected upon.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

While living in this home, young people continue to make good progress in some aspects of their lives. One young person has been living here for over a year. This is a real achievement for them. To celebrate, the young person was taken to see Manchester United play football. This supported him in celebrating his progress and provided him with lifelong happy memories.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are included in important decisions about their home. Their wishes and feelings are listened to and taken into account. One young person was recently involved in the employment process to identify a new manager for the home. This reduced their anxiety about change and supported them to have a voice in decisions about their future care.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are being encouraged to increase their skills in respect of independence in the community. One young person now has a mobile phone and this has supported them to have time in the community without staff. This offers the young person reassurance, and they feel safer knowing that they can contact staff should they require support. This has also reduced the need to immediately contact the police should the young person go missing, as staff can make contact by phone to ensure that the young person is safe and well.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

One young person has been supported to have increased positive contact with their family both in this home and the family home. This was particularly positive over the Christmas period, when the young person’s family joined them in the home to celebrate the festivities. One member of staff spoke about how positive this was for the family, and stated that they had a ‘whale of a day’.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are cared for by a dedicated and stable staff team. Staff who were spoken with as part of the inspection talked about young people with warmth. Staff know young people well and have good relationships with them that are based on honesty, mutual trust and respect. The staff have experienced a high level of change in their management structures over the past 12 months. Despite these changes, morale remains high and staff are positive about working in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to care for up to two children who may have some behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 06/01/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/05/2015 Full Requires improvement 17/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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 with 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

6.—(1) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— (a) understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; (b) use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff— (i) understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; (ii) protect and promote each child’s welfare; (iii) treat each child with dignity and respect; (iv) provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; (v) help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; (vi) help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare

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Requirement Due date

the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult; (vii) provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; (viii) provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and (ix) make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice; (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; and (d) ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a 03/04/2017 child that— (i) relates to the child’s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and (ii) is not arranged or provided as part of the health service

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Requirement Due date

continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006(a),satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3). (3) The conditions are— (a) that the care is approved, and kept under review throughout its duration, by the placing authority; (b) that the care meets the child’s needs; (c) that the care is delivered by a person who— (i) has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and (ii) is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care; and (d) that the registered person keeps the child’s general medical practitioner informed, as necessary, about the progress of the care throughout its duration. 10: The health and well-being standard

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Requirement Due date

10.—(1) The health and well-being standard is that— (a) the health and well-being needs of children are met; (b) children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and (c) children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, that children are supported to make healthy food choices and understand the importance of a healthy balanced diet. 03/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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Requirement Due date

13.—(1) The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (a) lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; (b) ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; (d) ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 03/04/2017 (e) ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; (f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child

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Requirement Due date

and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (g) demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on— (i) research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and (ii) feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 27: Appointment of manager

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Requirement Due date

27.—(1) The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— (a) there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and (b) the registered provider— (i) is an organisation or a partnership; (ii) does not satisfy regulation 28; or (iii) is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. (2) If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— (a) the name of the person so appointed; and (b) the date on which the appointment takes effect. 03/04/2017

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Requirement Due date

35: Behaviour management policies and records

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Requirement Due date

35.—(1) The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out— (a) how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and (b) the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (2) The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (3) The registered person must ensure that— (a) 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— 03/04/2017 (i) the name of the child; (ii) details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; (iii) the date, time and location of the use of the measure; (iv) a description of the measure and its duration; (v) details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (vi) the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’),

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Requirement Due date

and of any other person present when the measure was used; (vii) the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and (viii) a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; (b) within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— (i) has spoken to the user about the measure; and (ii) has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and (c) within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (4) Paragraph (3) does not apply in relation to restraint that is planned or provided for as a matter of routine in the child’s EHC plan or statement of special educational needs. 40: Notification of a serious event

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Requirement Due date

40.—(1) If a child dies, the registered person must without delay notify— (a) HMCI; (b) the placing authority; (c) the Secretary of State (if the Secretary of State is not the placing authority); (d) the local authority in whose area the children’s home is located (if that local authority is not the placing authority); (e) the clinical commissioning group (as defined in section 14D of the National Health Service Act 2006) for the area in which the home is located; (f) if the child was accommodated in a secure children’s home, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales (‘the PPO’); and (g) each other relevant person. (2) If a child accommodated in a secure children’s home dies, the registered person must allow the PPO to investigate the death by— 03/04/2017 (a) granting the PPO access to— (i) the premises of the home; and (ii) the home’s documents and records; (b) allowing the PPO to take away from the premises, securely,

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Requirement Due date

copies of any documents or records provided under sub- paragraph (a)(ii); and (c) if they consent, allowing the PPO to interview in private any children, parents or relatives, or persons working at the home. (3) If there is a referral of a person working in the home pursuant to section 35 (Regulated activity providers: duty to refer) of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006(a), the registered person must without delay notify— (a) HMCI; (b) the placing authority; and (c) each other relevant person. (4) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— (a) a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

(d) a child protection enquiry involving a child— (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (5) A notification made under this regulation— (a) must include details of— (i) the matter; (ii) the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and (iii) any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; (b) must be made or confirmed in writing. (6) In this regulation, references to the PPO include a person appointed by, or working on behalf of, the PPO for the purposes of an investigation under paragraph (2).

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 10.1 Sufficient staff means a home having enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home, and that those staff are able to respond to emergency placements, where accepted. The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (regulation 31(1)). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51)

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Recommendations

 3.9 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet 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)

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Recommendations

 13.1 As set out in regulations 31 to 33, the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62)

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Recommendations

 10.10 The following elements of the workforce plan should be 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)

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the ‘Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection’.

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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 that 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 focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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 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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