Children's home run by Accalia Care Services Ltd

Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 1 SC486886 Registered provider: Juvenis Care Services Ltd

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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 is a privately owned children’s home for up to three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 9 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because: Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 2  Placement planning is not supported by up-to-date local authority plans or review minutes.  Young people are rarely involved with activities.  Decor throughout the home is in need of improvement.  Safeguarding records do not show the referral and decision-making process.  Young people who go missing from home are not always offered an independent return home interview.  Some behaviour management strategies used by staff do not help young people to use their own emotions and thinking skills to improve their behaviour.  Staff are not trained in all aspects of safeguarding to alert them to young people’s vulnerabilities, such as aspects of self-harming.  Managers are not responsive to supporting staff, with a high turnover of staff, irregular supervision and insufficient records of staff members’ working hours.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people have positive relationships with the staff team.  Staff promote young people’s health needs, including encouraging young people to attend health appointments.  Young people are listened to, and their views matter to staff.  Young people are supported to develop their independence skills.  Staff have developed an awareness of restorative justice, and restraints are rarely used.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 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 care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 28/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills. (Regulation 9(1)) 28/07/2017

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person ensure staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 28/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy, which sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect. The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular - provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34 (2)(d)) 28/07/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (Regulation 40(4)(a)) 28/07/2017

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Recommendations

 Both the arrangements for contact and any contact details (telephone numbers Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 4 etc.) must be included in the placement plan agreed between the registered person and the child’s placing authority and updated regularly. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.15)  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 14, paragraph 3.9)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the

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Recommendations

home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Ensure that staff understand the system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person must challenge (under regulation 5(c)) any placing authority who asks them to accept a child in the absence of a complete and current relevant plan, as the expectation that a placement of a child without the necessary information would go ahead (in circumstances other than an

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Recommendations

emergency) is inadequate in relation to their role. It is essential that homes understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  Ensure that the registered person has a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). The plan should: —detail the necessary management and staffing structure (including any staff commissioned to provide health and education), the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose; —detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction,

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Recommendations

probation and any core training (such as safeguarding, health and safety and mandatory qualifications); —detail the process for managing and improving poor performance; —detail the process and timescales for supervision of practice (see regulation 33 (4) (b)) and keep appropriate records for staff in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 5 The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home, and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  Ensure that the registered person has systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and

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Recommendations

the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  Ensure that the registered person monitors and reviews the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and is able to understand and where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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improvement to be good

Young people are settled in the home. This has resulted in a decrease in concerning behaviour and an increase in young people’s interaction with education providers since they first came to the home. However, insufficient care planning, poor contact information and a lack of a homely environment have a negative effect on young people’s overall experience and progress.

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improvement to be good

Although young people have home-based placement plans, they do not all have care plans written by the placing authority, stating the objectives of the placement. Some challenging behaviours exhibited by the young people are not examined within care plans. This has resulted in a lack of clear direction for staff in how to work with the young people. Consequently, young people’s development has been slow. The additional absence of minutes from a recent review further compounds the lack of a care structure, and there are insufficient goals for young people’s development either from the placing authority or the home’s management.

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improvement to be good

Young people take part in a limited number of activities on a regular basis, spending the majority of their time in their rooms, with poor interaction with the staff team. Staff have encouraged them to try different activities, but this is rarely successful. Young people comment that they prefer to be with their own friends or in their own rooms. This does not support their socialisation or their involvement with the local community. Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 6 Young people are supported with contact with their families. However, arrangements that staff describe are different from those recorded in care plans. This could cause confusion and affect young people’s ability to keep in contact with family members.

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improvement to be good

Health plans and records of appointments show how young people’s health needs are met. Links are in place with a range of health professionals. The home uses both independent and statutory organisations to meet young people’s mental health needs. Good medication administration arrangements are in place, and staff have completed training in medication to keep young people safe. Staff promote a healthy lifestyle, encouraging regular self-care and a healthy diet.

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improvement to be good

Young people are involved with education providers, primarily within the home. Although sessions completed are not on a full-time basis, young people have significantly improved on their attendance and achievements compared to previous placements.

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improvement to be good

The home was previously a care home. Although some redecoration has been completed, the home continues to need a significant updating of the decor to make young people feel that it is homely and comfortable. Young people told the inspector, ‘It still feels like an old people’s home, with old-style carpets and weird fireplaces that are covered over.’ A poorly fitted door handle on the main bathroom compromises young people’s privacy.

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improvement to be good

Young people are listened to, and their views considered. A good system of key working is in place, and regular meetings are held, on both an individual basis and as a group. Young people are aware of who they can talk to if they have any complaints or concerns. Complaints are responded to well, helping young people understand that their views are important.

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improvement to be good

Young people are supported with the development of independence skills, with one young person telling the inspector that they are ‘happy that the staff are supporting me with moving into independence’. Workbooks are completed and show that young people regularly meet with staff to discuss areas that they are competent in.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s safety is supported through regular health and safety checks, including fire checks and drills. The home’s risk assessment is up to date to identify possible risks in the local area. Staff recruitment processes support young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding concerns are responded to swiftly and effectively. Staff are trained in safeguarding and are aware of the need to report issues in order to keep young people safe. Staff report that they have worked well with safeguarding organisations. However, records regarding a recent concern fail to show referral information or the response taken by the managers. This absence of recorded details shows a lack of openness and transparency of staff practice in helping to keep young people safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 7 Young people have been missing from the home and put themselves at risk. Records show that staff have contacted all necessary professionals and families in an attempt to keep young people safe. However, not all returns home have included an independent visitor or visit arranged by the placing authority, despite the home’s policy. This lack of return interview for young people means that staff have less awareness of the possible

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improvement to be good

reasons for the young person going missing initially, and are therefore less able to decrease such an incident reoccurring.

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improvement to be good

Some young people in the home can self-harm. Staff have discussed with young people the risks of self-harming and have asked the psychological service to support the young people. Young people commented that ‘generally’ they feel as though it is a safe place to live. However, one young person raised concerns with the inspector about the staff’s inability to respond to self-harming, highlighting the staff’s previous apparent lack of concern when the young person was unhappy in their room. Although staff have received some training that touched on self-harming, they have not completed training in responding to ligatures. This lack of knowledge may put young people’s safety at risk. More positively, risk assessments are updated and are detailed to guide staff in their responses to self-harming, to support young people’s well-being.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management structures attempt to promote positive behaviours. One young person told the inspector, ‘I do occasionally behave because I want to get a reward.’ However, some reward charts fail to give a clear, immediate picture of rewards that young people have achieved. Staff have used sanctions to respond to negative behaviours. These have primarily been based on withdrawing pocket money, but have recently improved and become more geared towards restorative justice. This helps to improve behaviour to a greater extent, as young people become more aware of the effects of their own behaviours. Restraints are used as a last resort and are rare in the home. Records of restraints are detailed and monitored by the registered manager. These records show that staff have acted appropriately in supporting young people’s safety.

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

The registered manager leads a staff team who have a range of experience and qualifications. The registered manager has completed her level 4 diploma in management of residential childcare and has worked in residential care for a considerable period. Although this is the home’s first full inspection, it has had a monitoring visit, following concerns raised by the community regarding the behaviour of a young person previously at the home. This visit shows that the manager and the staff team have worked well to improve a range of systems and improving some outcomes for young people. However, steps are needed to help the development of the staff and to ensure that young people’s experience and progress promotes their welfare and enables them to fulfil their potential.

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

The previous monitoring inspection highlighted eight requirements, including behaviour Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 8 management, missing behaviours, education, independent visits, care planning and monitoring systems. All but two of these have been met.

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

A detailed development plan explains how the home is to improve further, showing that the management team is aware of the strengths of the staff team as well as areas requiring improvement.

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

The registered manager has not ensured that all records are sufficiently detailed. She has also not challenged the placing authorities effectively. This means that key information remains absent from the young people’s care plans.

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

The management team, with the lack of a workforce plan, does not consistently support staff. Staff receive irregular supervision that is not in line with their supervision contract. An induction programme is in place. However, this is not updated when areas have been completed. It is therefore difficult to assess whether staff have received a basic level of training to work at the home. Similarly, the staff training matrix is not up to date, with a number of training ‘gaps’, and one staff member is not on the matrix despite working at the home for two months. However, staff said that they do feel supported, and they have had a good range of training given to them to prepare them for their role. Training around radicalisation has been completed, and staff are aware of how to report concerns.

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

The management team continues to attempt to develop a full staff team. This has resulted in some staff working long hours and the regular use of ‘bank’ staff. Rotas are not prepared in sufficient time to enable staff to organise their own time and have a good work-life balance. The home’s staff ‘signing in and out’ log ran out two weeks prior to the inspection, with the manager telling the inspector that the rota does not always state the correct hours that staff work. All of these factors raise concerns that the management is not working in a way that sufficiently supports the well-being of the staff or the young people that they are caring for.

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

The management team is aware of the need to notify different professionals when significant events occur. The majority of incidents have been shared, but one significant missing event has not been received by Ofsted and could have affected the safety of young people.

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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 differences 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 9 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: SC486886 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Juvenis Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Court, 82-84, Moseley Street, Digbeth Birmingham B12 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Leaford Williams

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Inspector

Andrew Hewston, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC486886 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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