Children's Home run by Serenity Specialist Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 1 SC471672 Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have learning disabilities. It is owned and operated by a small private company.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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Good

How well children and young people are helped and protected Good

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Good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers Requires improvement to be good

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Good

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

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Good

Date of last inspection: 8 February 2017

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Good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff protect young people from harm because they devise detailed risk assessments and ensure that safeguarding processes are followed consistently.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people develop their confidence and skills and learn the necessary Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 2 independent living skills as a result of living in this home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people benefit from appropriate and warm relationships with staff. This encourages them to improve their relationships with others.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff ensure that young people receive a good welcome to the home. Young people know how to complain and their issues are responded to promptly.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Case files are kept up to date with all necessary documentation and young people read what is written about them. This helps young people to accept and understand their care arrangements.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff support young people in developing a healthy lifestyle. Young people do not smoke, they eat healthily and take exercise, promoting their health and general well-being.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home is in need of some redecoration and repair to ensure that the quality of the environment is maintained for young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There need to be more robust arrangements in place to ensure that staffing levels are adequate. This is to ensure that good quality, safe care is provided to young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff must consistently provide young people with regular and meaningful key work sessions. This is to improve challenging behaviours and ensure that progress is made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/05/2016 Full Good 25/01/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/07/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1) and (2) (c) (i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, redecorate and repair the bedrooms, living room, hallway and landing areas. 01/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11 (1) and (2) (a) (i)) 01/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that staff help each child to develop socially aware behaviour (Regulation 11 (1) and (2) (a) (ii)) 01/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that staff encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding (Regulation 11 (1) and (2) (a) (iii)) 01/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that staff help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone (Regulation 11 (1) and (2) (a) (vi)) 01/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that staff communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1) and (2) (a) (v)) 01/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 01/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 4 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) and (2) (d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, support young people who cause damage to their bedrooms to maintain them well.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

ensures that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1) and 13 (2) (d)) 01/07/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress from their starting points and their experience of living in the home is positive. Internal care planning arrangements are effective and young people understand what is written about them. Case files are kept up to date and statutory care plans are received in a timely manner. Staff work in partnership with the local authority to review these plans, ensuring that the care plan for each young person has clear aims. As a result, young people know why they are looked after and understand what the longer-term plan is for their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to complain and feel confident to raise issues that matter to them. This means that young people feel listened to and are able to make changes to things that affect them, such as food or activity choices. Young people have positive relationships with staff and are able to communicate with staff about their wishes and feelings. However, not all young people are engaging in one-to-one sessions and when they do, records of these sessions are not meaningful. This shortfall means that the wishes and feelings of some young people are not routinely gathered. As a result, some young people’s behaviours are not addressed or explored. These behaviours will negatively affect them in the future. For example, one young person has damaged his bedroom door and does not wish to tidy his bedroom. This has resulted in it becoming very unkempt. The bedroom does not directly affect the young person’s physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, staff need to ensure that the young person is supported to manage his behaviour and his emotional anxiety in the longer term.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people attend routine health appointments, such as doctor and dentist appointments, when required. Young people are encouraged to engage in a healthy lifestyle, such as eating healthily and being physically active through walking and going Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 5 to the gym. Young people’s cultural needs are met, with staff providing for individual dietary requirements. This means that young people feel that they have a say in the care they receive. This enables them to develop their sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s attendance in education is generally good. Staff work in partnership with local schools and colleges to ensure that stable education placements are maintained for young people. This means that young people understand the importance of education and understand how this will help them in the future. Staff advocate and challenge education professionals on behalf of young people when they have concerns or issues that negatively affect them. As a result, young people are supported through these difficult situations and feel listened to. This reduces their emotional anxiety. Staff work collaboratively with social workers to provide consistent care for each young person. A social worker told the inspector, ‘I have no concerns with the quality of care and feel staff safeguard him. Staff have really supported him with his education; they have gone above and beyond to get him there. They work well with him and keep me informed.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are dedicated to providing young people with the skills required to live independently and this is a strength of this service. Young people’s independence is promoted and they enjoy assisting staff with food shopping, planning their meals and cooking. As a result, young people are equipped with the skills that they require to care for themselves appropriately. Staff help young people with budgeting, encourage young people to save their pocket money and assist them with ‘travel training’. This means that young people are more confident in the community, are able to manage money and value the importance of their belongings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have close links with young people’s family members and ensure that good communication is in place. The staff team promotes appropriate contact with family members and encourages young people to have regular telephone conversations with their parents. This means that young people feel less lonely and more emotionally stable, improving their day-to-day experiences.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers and staff work in partnership with social workers and the police to create detailed and child-centred risk assessments. These risk assessments are regularly reviewed and ensure that a safe environment is provided when young people have displayed behaviours such as setting fires. This means that the risk of harm is reduced and young people’s safety is promoted. The registered manager and staff team have good safeguarding procedures in place, which staff understand and follow promptly. This helps to keep young people safe from harm. Incidents of young people going missing from the home are generally low. When young people do go missing, they are reported to the police and staff follow them. Young people have detailed risk assessments and child sexual exploitation screening assessments to ensure that any risk-taking behaviours are minimised. As a result, young people feel cared for by the consistent approach of the

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff respond promptly to complaints and allegations made by young people. Complaints Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 6 are generally not serious and include issues such as staff providing certain things for breakfast or repairing a door handle. Staff respond promptly to such complaints, recording them in detail, and as a result young people feel valued and respected. One young person told the inspector, ‘It’s nice here, I really like it, I have no big issues and yeah, I feel safe here.’ The registered manager prioritises allegations about staff and follows safeguarding procedures, such as notifying the local authority designated officer immediately. The registered manager adequately risk assesses situations when there are complaints about staff. This ensures that young people are not at risk of harm from staff. Safeguarding processes are thorough and transparent and the needs of young people are prioritised.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people have access to all areas of the home and are able to enter and leave as they require. As a result, young people feel settled and safe in their own home and are able to develop their independence skills. The home is generally clean and tidy. However, areas of the home require redecoration as they look worn and tired. Repair is needed to some areas, including the kitchen, living room, hallway and bedrooms due to damage caused by some young people. Repairs commenced during the inspection and need to be completed to ensure that the environment does not affect young people’s sense of well-being and self-esteem.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Use of physical restraint within the home is generally low and staff use distraction and de-escalation techniques to avoid this. Records of physical restraint are thorough and include feedback from young people. This means that young people understand why the restraint was used. This helps in avoiding repeated incidents. Sanctions are appropriately used and young people receive warnings before they are imposed. Young people therefore have a choice about how they behave and are told what the consequences of their actions will be. This approach was observed during the inspection. This resulted in a young person making a positive choice rather than escalating their behaviour. As a result, young people are able to improve their behaviours because of the support that they receive from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The current registered manager has recently returned from maternity leave. She has been registered with Ofsted since 2016 and holds the necessary qualifications required for this role. The deputy manager and registered manager have been sharing the management role since April 2017. The new manager is in the process of applying to Ofsted for registration. The new manager has extensive experience of working with young people who have learning disabilities. It is anticipated that this arrangement will provide consistently for young people as the new manager has worked within the service previously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team receives a good range of training. New staff receive a thorough induction, with additional supervision provided by managers. New staff ‘buddy up’ with other staff members for support during their induction to ensure that good quality, consistent care is provided. Managers ensure that safe recruitment processes are followed to protect Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 7 young people. However, staffing levels are not always sufficient to ensure that young people are safe and their needs are met at all times. This means that staff may not be able to manage young people’s challenging behaviour during the evening or at night. Young people’s safety and well-being have not been affected to date, as contingency plans have been put in place at times of emergency. However, such shortfalls could affect young people’s safety and the support that they receive in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Case files are up to date and statutory and internal care plans are detailed, setting out the longer-term aims for young people. The registered manager ensures that staff work effectively with placing authorities to meet these aims. This means that young people’s needs are regularly reviewed and their progress is monitored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The service meets the aims and objectives set out in the statement of purpose. This has been recently amended to reflect that the home can now offer care to young people in an emergency. The registered manager ensures that admissions made in an emergency are well managed. She ensures that background information, necessary statutory paperwork and a planned welcome are in place for young people. The location risk assessment is completed to a good standard and considers potential risks that can affect young people. This minimises potential incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff are appropriately qualified. They feel listened to and well supported by the registered manager. Staff also receive regular, formal supervision, which is of a good quality. This means that the staff team is able to provide a good quality of care to young people to meet their complex needs. One staff member told the inspector, ‘Overall it is a really good place to work; supervision is consistent, I feel supported and there are no concerns with bullying or poor practice.’ However, the manager needs to ensure that key work sessions are improved for some young people, as not all staff are engaging well enough with young people or conducting these to a good standard. This means that young people are not making improvements in some aspects of their challenging behaviour.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 8 Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Dutch Barn, Shadowbrook Court, Shadowbrook Lane, Solihull, West Midlands B92 0DL

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Inspector

Anna Rudge, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC471672 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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