Children's Home run by MGM Care Services Ltd in Telford and Wrekin

Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 1 SC438427 Registered provider: MGM 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

The home is registered to provide care for two young people up to the age of 18. The home may provide care and accommodation for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The home is privately owned.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 At the time of the inspection, the home was caring for one young person. The young person has made good progress in all areas of his development.  The young person receives individualised care from a dedicated staff team.  Staff consistently use routines and verbal and visual prompts to support the young person, which gives him a sense of security.  Staff consider the young person’s views and wishes in the development of his care.  The young person enjoys good relationships with staff, which helps to support his progress.  The staff communicate well with school, which helps to ensure that the young person makes good educational progress.  The young person engages in a wide range of leisure pursuits and activities.  The young person is encouraged and supported to develop his independence skills.  The young person is encouraged to understand and celebrate cultural diversity.  Staff make sure that the young person has access to a wide range of health

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Key findings from this inspection

services that help to promote his physical and emotional well-being.  Staff make sure that the home environment is warm, clean, welcoming and very homely, including the resident fish and chickens.

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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

 Employment checks are not always completed prior to staff commencing employment.  The registered manager has not made sure that the home’s safeguarding policy refers to all the required areas of safeguarding.  Serious safeguarding incidents are not always notified to local authorities and HMCI.  Incidents of physical intervention are not recorded in accordance with regulations.  Staff do not have the necessary qualifications of residential childcare or knowledge in online safety, equality and diversity, autistic spectrum disorder and child development. Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 06/09/2016 Full Good 08/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 08/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 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

The registered person must ensure that any person who works in a care home in a care role has the appropriate qualification by the relevant date. This is to ensure that individual staff have attained the level 3 diploma in childcare (England) (the level 3 diploma).The relevant date is in the case of a person who was working in a care role in a home on 1 April 2014, 1 April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(5)(a)) 03/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development. This is in relation to training to raise awareness of equality and diversity, on-line safety and team development in autistic spectrum disorder and child development. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)) 06/10/2017

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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 the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located and describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(b)and(2)(b)(f)) 22/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the time of the measure, details of any methods or steps taken to avoid the use of the measure and the effectiveness and any consequence of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(v)(vii)) 22/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that, within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person authorised by the registered person to do so, has spoken to the user about the measure, has signed the record to confirm it is accurate and within five days of the use of the measure adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 22/09/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 5

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person seeks to involve the local authority and other relevant persons whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. They are also required by regulation 40 to notify Ofsted and other relevant persons about serious events (see paragraphs 14.9 to 14.5). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.4)  Ensure that the registered person is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, the young person has made good progress in all areas of his development. Staff work hard to maintain a homely environment. This includes staff wearing house slippers and making sure that meal times are social occasions. The young person benefits from a back garden which is of a good size, and which has a vegetable patch containing strawberries, cabbages and sunflowers that he helps to tend. There is also a resident fish and chickens, which the young person helps to look after. All these little touches create lifelong positive memories for the young person and a since of belonging. The young person attends school full time and maintains excellent attendance. He has access to a laptop for educational purposes, and good communication with the school helps him make good progress. An assistant headteacher told the inspector, ‘Communication has been excellent. They put in place a home school diary so we know

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

what’s going on each day and if there might be challenges. We are collaborative. For example, we have been doing work on sexual health and relationships. The home knows this and has put arrangements in place so any questions asked at home can be answered.’ Staff take the young person’s health and well-being seriously. This commitment helps to ensure that the young person’s health needs are met. This includes appointments with dentists, doctors and opticians. In keeping with his level of understanding, the young person knows the reasons for his medication. Productive relationships with a range of professionals have resulted in various improvements to the young person’s health, including improvement to his gait and reaching a normal cholesterol level. Attention to dental hygiene, and following advice on brushing and flossing, have reduced the appointment frequency from three-monthly to six-monthly dental check ups. A dietician

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

has given advice in relation to weight gain and the young person is now making use of a portion plate. The young person is involved in the planning of food choices to help him realise a healthy weight for his size. The home has also arranged for a review of his Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 6 medication to determine if a change of medication might help. The young person takes part in weekly menu planning, which helps to ensure that he has regular balanced meals, which allow him to enjoy a range of foods within sensible limits. When asked what he liked about the home, the young person told the inspector, ‘The food and getting to choose.’ As a result, the young person is healthier and understands more about keeping healthy. His self-esteem and emotional resilience has grown through being involved in key decisions. The young person has a good quality of life. Staff support him to be active and to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

undertake age-appropriate pursuits. A display in the home illustrates the activities undertaken in the previous month and those planned. On a monthly basis, the young person engages with staff in learning about other people and other cultures. Photographic displays in the dining area show him fully engaged in the preparation of dishes from other cultures. For example, a recent event involved looking at the Mongolian way of life and cooking budaatai khuurga, a traditional Mongolian stew with rice. This enhances the young person’s knowledge and skills and helps him foster an inclusive attitude. However, the staff have not yet had training and development in equality and diversity, which means that there are potential knowledge gaps in respect of a wider understanding of discrimination and equality. The young person shared his life storybook with the inspector, which showed the wealth of opportunities and activities accessed through both the home and school. For example,

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

the young person is a member of the National Trust and has visited various sites. He has a cinema card and enjoys vacations during school holidays. Day trips have included Feel the Force and Cadbury World, and the staff ensure that best use is made of short-break activities through the local authority. On a weekly basis, the young person enjoys visiting a youth club, going on a trip to the shop and swimming. He also has a bike and enjoys cycling from time to time. The focus on developing leisure activities and hobbies has helped the young person to increase his physical activity, build his confidence and develop new friendships. The promotion of independence has been an area of significant focus in recent months. Diligent planning and a proportionate balancing of risk has resulted in the young person becoming increasingly responsible for himself and making progress in a number of areas. For example, he is now able to make hot drinks, can prepare a sandwich, stays at a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

youth club on his own, and is able to walk to and go into the swimming pool without close supervision. Every week, he polishes and vacuums his room, changes his bed linen and brings down his laundry. A weekly money game with the staff increases his understanding of how much things cost. He is increasingly proud of his achievements, and the development of his skill base is preparing him well for future independent living.

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

The staff have a good understanding of the young person and the risks that he faces. Risk assessments are thorough, include the views of people outside of the home, and are the subject of regular update through team meetings. A social worker told the inspector, ‘The risk assessments are very good. They always ask for my advice and support on them.’ This ensures that risk management strategies are effective. The young person has an advocate and can identify how and to whom he would Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 7 complain if he needed to. He told the inspector, ‘I feel really safe. The staff look after me so I don’t get hurt.’ Clear routines and good relationships mean that the young person does not go missing from the home. Collaborative working means that the police have instant access to the young person’s pen picture on their database to help with locating him as quickly as possible should the need arise. Staff are confident about their response should the

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

young person go missing. The manager has developed a location risk assessment and the neighbourhood police visit the home regularly. Through this, the team has an awareness of issues posed in the local area, and staff develop strategies to minimise risk and promote the safety of the young person when he is out in the community. Staff are experienced and have access to training to help them fulfil their safeguarding duties. Staff have received training in physical intervention, de-escalation and safeguarding. Currently, there are no known risks in relation to radicalisation or child sexual exploitation. However, staff have accessed training which supports an awareness of the risks that young people can face. Routines and expectations are clear and a weekly incentive scheme helps the young person to take responsibility for his behaviour and emotions. The use of rewards and consequences is effective in promoting positive behaviour, helping the young person to

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

be pleased with himself when he achieves, and to take responsibility when he challenges. However, there is a shortfall in relation to the keeping and maintaining of records. On one isolated occasion, a record was not made of a physical intervention. In addition, the current records are not clear about if or when the manager has spoken to the young person following a physical intervention. This weakness in records means that safeguarding issues can go undetected and the young person’s views are not available to understand and develop practice. There is access to wi-fi in the home, which the young person can access to support his education. Staff supervise internet use, and the home has internet security systems in place that reduce the risk of the young person accessing inappropriate content. Staff are aware that the young person has discussed e-safety as part of his school curriculum and they complement this through general discussions at the home. However, staff have not

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

received e-safety training to help raise their awareness of online risks to young people’s safety. The home environment is safe and secure. The manager ensures that risk assessments in relation to potential hazards on the premises and in the grounds are maintained and updated. Regular safety checks are undertaken on gas, electrical and fire safety systems to ensure that they are and remain in good working order. Cleaning and other hazardous products are safely stored. Daily cleaning routines help make sure that the home conditions are immaculate.

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

The young person benefits from a small but permanent and stable staff team that knows him well. The registered manager has been in post since 2012. He has a level 5 diploma in the management of residential care for children and young people. In addition to the Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 8 manager, there are three permanent members of staff. A fourth member of staff is just commencing their induction. Only two members of staff are qualified to level 3 diploma in residential childcare. Progress has been slow for other staff and this has meant that staff have failed to complete their training within the timeframe required by regulation. This delay means that staff are not yet equipped with the full range of knowledge needed to ensure that they are undertaking their role to best effect. The manager is passionate and child centred in his leadership. He receives regular supervision from a clinical psychologist, which gives him a valuable opportunity to reflect

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

on his leadership and his vision for the service. An independent person, who is knowledgeable in the area of disability, regularly visits the home to monitor the quality of care. This helps to identify shortfalls and to ensure that appropriate action is taken in a timely way to meet the young person’s needs. Staff say that they feel well supported and that they gain from supervision and appraisal. Supervision and appraisal are regular and allow for reflection on practice, setting objectives and identifying training needs. One member of staff told the inspector, ‘Supervision is really good, as I can share my ideas and can complain if anything is going wrong. There is a part about how we work with the children and I can raise feelings, ideas and concerns. They will arrange help and training as needed.’ Another member of staff shared, ‘The manager is a good person to support you. He will regularly check out

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

knowledge.’ Team meetings are regular and attended well, offering the team the opportunity for time to consider practice, share ideas and keep up to date with the young person’s progress. The staff say that they feel confident about how to report safeguarding concerns. However, the home’s safeguarding policy is not clear about the procedure for referral of allegations of abuse to the child’s placing authority, the designated officer for the local authority, the police, or Ofsted. Since the last inspection, there has been one allegation about staff conduct. The manager dealt with the matter internally, alerting the social worker through the young person’s weekly report rather than by making a formal referral to the relevant agencies. Neglecting to report allegations of abuse to outside agencies compromises the safety of the young person, as it does not allow for the conduct of the staff to be subjected to internal scrutiny.

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

The registered manager has a workforce development plan and staff complete core training. However, feedback from staff and a social worker highlighted that there has been little opportunity for team development in the areas of autistic spectrum disorder and child development. A social worker shared with the inspector, ’It seemed that the team did not have enough knowledge of autistic spectrum disorder to manage his needs. The team struggled with him reaching adulthood and re-framing the thinking about how things happen.’ A member of staff also told the inspector, ‘I think we would gain from additional team training in areas like autistic spectrum disorder and child development. We want routines to be of benefit to young people, not just for routine’s sake.’ Potential employees are subject to an assessment of their suitability to work with young people and are confirmed as suitable prior to commencing work with young people.

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

However, on one occasion the registered manager did not confirm the reasons for a gap in employment. This compromised the organisation’s recruitment procedures that promote the safety of the young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 9 with them. The registered manager is fastidious in ensuring that there is consultation on key documents, so that that they are available and current. This extends to consultation with the young person, who has the opportunity to read, comment on and influence his records. This has included pictures being included in some records to make them more accessible and understandable. This assists the young person’s understanding of his care and enables him to have some influence and take some control over his own life. Those who need information about the service benefit from a statement of purpose that is up to date.

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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: SC438427 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: MGM Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Mathew Varughese

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC438427 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the

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Inspector

terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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