Children's home run by Keys Group Progressive Care & Education Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 1 SC433286 Registered provider: New Horizon Centre 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

This children’s home has had a turbulent time over the past year. A new manager took over in January 2017 and is currently going through the registration process with Ofsted. Staffing has been and remains an issue, with the home currently having two vacancies and three new members of staff. This has created a lot of change for the children. The home was taken over by a new, large national organisation in March of this year, which has resulted in some additional changes for the children who live here. The home is registered to care for up to two children who may have some behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection

A number of compliance notices and requirements were made at the last inspection. Ofsted has undertaken a monitoring visit to consider whether compliance was met. All of the compliance and requirements have been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 2

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Key findings from this inspection

Despite many challenges, the manager has kept his focus on the safety and well-being of the young people. He inherited a home that was failing and had a culture that was not conducive to good care and offered very little nurturing. In the five months that the manager has been managing the home, he has successfully addressed this culture. Young people now feel safe, secure and cared for. The change in culture has brought about a child-focused approach to care. The young people are the priority in the home. Staff are committed to the young people and provide them with a nurturing and caring environment to live in. As a result of this culture change, relationships are positive and they are built on mutual respect and trust. Young people have made remarkable progress since the last inspection. One young person stated that they really feel like staff care for them and take the time to understand them. The manager recently came in on his day off to prepare and cook a

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Key findings from this inspection

barbeque for the young people. One young person told the inspector that they could not believe this and felt that he had put the young people before his own family. Young people really appreciate this approach to their care.

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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

Issues in respect of staffing remain an issue for this home. The home currently has two vacancies and three new staff have started working here recently. This is in part due to local difficulties that are compounded by similar services in the area competing for available staff. The majority of the staff team have been newly appointed. While this has provided the opportunity to support culture change, the manager is training and supporting a high percentage of staff to understand his expectations of them and the young people’s needs. It will take time for expectations to be fully embedded into practice. The organisational systems in place for recording and reporting are cumbersome. This means that paperwork takes a lot of time to complete and is often repeated in different formats. This approach presents, at times, as micro management. Senior leaders state that they are looking into their systems. In the interim, this places additional pressure on

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Key findings from this inspection

the manager and staff and takes them away from other areas of practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/03/2017 Full Inadequate 14/12/2016 Full Inadequate 04/02/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 08/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 4

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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

16: Statement of purpose 16.—(1) The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (a) Section 23 was amended by: paragraphs 103 and 110 of Schedule 3 to the ACA 2002; paragraphs 16 and 21 of Schedule 9 to the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 (c.43); section 28 of the CYPA 2008; and section 104 of the C&FA 2014. (2) The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available on request to— (a) a person who works at the home; (b) a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered; (c) a parent of a child, or a parent of a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered; (d) a child’s placing authority; and (e) in the case of a qualifying school, the Secretary of State. (3) The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

(a) keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and (b) notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (4) If a home has a website, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the statement of purpose is published on that website unless the registered person considers that such publication would prejudice the welfare of children in the home. (5) Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is 28/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 5 consistent with its statement of purpose. (6) Nothing in paragraph (5) or regulation 46 (review of premises) requires or authorises the registered person to contravene or not comply with— (a) any other provision of these Regulations; or (b) any conditions in relation to the registration of the registered

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Requirement Due date

person under Part 2 of the Care Standards Act 2000. In particular, this document should outline the current managerial arrangements for support and accountability of decision-making out of hours. 32: Fitness of workers 32.—(1) The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. (2) The registered person may only— (a) employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or (b) if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). (3) The requirements are that— (a) the individual is of integrity and good character; (b) the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

(c) the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and (d) full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. In particular, staff must be provided with the training required to ensure that they can safely support children in line with the de-escalation approach to care adopted by the organisation. 28/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

40: Notification of a serious event Notification of a serious event 40.—(1) If a child dies, the registered person must without delay notify— (a) HMCI; (b) the placing authority; 28/07/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 6 (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— (a) granting the PPO access to—

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Requirement Due date

(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, 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;

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Requirement Due date

(c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child— (i) is instigated; or Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 7 (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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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who live in this home are making remarkable progress since the last inspection. One young person has just completed their exams. The other young person, who was being tutored at home at the last inspection, is now attending education outside of the home. This young person stated to the inspector that she loves college and has made friends. Young people are supported to hold aspirations about their future and are proud of their achievements. Young people receive individual care tailored to their needs. This supports them to make progress. One young person was observed playing with staff during this inspection. This was achieved through the use of a relaxed strategy that staff knew would allow for the young person to be able to play. Alongside this play, they were discussing important issues. This positive interaction continued for a number of hours during this inspection. The same young person found it difficult to make eye contact and talk to staff in a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

meaningful way at the last inspection. The views, wishes and feelings of young people are sought and acted on. A number of different strategies are used to ensure that the voice of the child is heard and understood in the home. In addition, staff actively hold conversations with young people in respect of their development and key issues that arise on a day-to-day basis. This supports them to make progress. For example, discussions take place about acceptable behaviours and this has supported a reduction in incidents. Relationships between the staff and the young people are positive. These relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. There is a shared understanding of acceptable Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 8 behaviours. The previous punitive approach to care has now gone; young people appreciate this change. Young people like the staff who care for them and feel that they can talk to them about a range of issues. One young person told the inspector that they

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improvement to be good

The organisation fails to have systems in place to ensure that staff are provided with the training that they require to ensure that children’s care is delivered in a safe and consistent way. In particular, not all staff have received training in respect of team teach prior to working with children. The organisation uses this approach to underpin practice that is based on the principles of de-escalation. This means that not all staff have been provided with the skills or knowledge to consistently apply this approach to care or to safely manage dangerous or aggressive situations effectively. The arrangements recently put in place by the organisation in respect of out of hours managerial support are not accurately reflected in the statement of purpose. These arrangements mean that managers are making decisions across the organisation in respect of children and staff they may not even have met. Incidents in the home have reduced since the last inspection. There is evidence of really

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improvement to be good

good managerial oversight and a clear understanding of known triggers. Staff are provided with clear direction in respect of expectations on them to manage escalating behaviours. This approach has enabled staff to support young people more effectively and de-escalate situations in their infancy. The arrangements in place in respect of safer recruitment are good. This ensures that the risk of staff being employed who are not suitable to work with children is reduced. The range of checks undertaken as part of the application process is good and ensures that good information is obtained to support decisions about staff employment.

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

There has been no registered manager in this home since December 2016. The current manager is going through the application process. The manager was appointed in this home in January this year. Since that time, the manager has shown great resilience and determination. He has remained focused on the children, despite the additional pressure of taking over a failing home, which was then taken over by a new organisation. His child-centred approach and ethos shine through all aspects of this home and the external challenges he faces. The manager has the skills required to continue to drive this service forward. In the short time that he has been managing this home, he has changed the culture to one that demonstrates a real commitment to the young people that live here. There is good evidence that young people are listened to and the manager advocates strongly on their behalf. This approach has ensured that young people are making progress. This

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 9 approach needs to be embedded into practice and built on. The manager demonstrates that he has the skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that the young people receive good care, tailored to their needs. This is achieved by him having a good oversight and depth of understanding of the young people’s needs and ensuring that staff are clear about the expectations on them. The manager uses past behaviours and incidents to inform future practice and, as a result, incidents have reduced in severity and regularity. There is evidence that senior leaders micro manage some practice in this home. For example, there is a current system in place that demands staff to make daily contact with the area manager. This undermines the role of the manager, especially when the area manager makes decisions about the young people and their care. The manager is not always made aware of these decisions.

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

The current arrangements in place for notifying Ofsted of a serious incident in the home do not meet regulation. This is due to an organisational arrangement that requires managers to send any notifications to a central point to allow for a quality assurance process prior to submission. This system does not allow for managers to review the notifications in order to check that any changes are accurate prior to submission.

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Information about this inspection

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 who 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: SC433286 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Horizon Centre Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Part Ground Floor & First Floor, Two Parklands, Great Park, Birmingham B45 9PZ

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Inspector

Tracey Ledder, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC433286 11 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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Inspector

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