Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 1 SC392492 Registered provider: DMR Services 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 is registered to provide care for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by an organisation.

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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 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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Good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people say that they like living at the home.  Young people feel that the staff do their best to keep them safe.  Staff provide young people with consistent care.  Episodes of missing from care are reducing.  Staff provide good support to young people to raise their awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol misuse.  Young people take part in projects and become involved in the community.  Strong leadership and management protects young people and promotes their welfare.  Staff develop good partnership working with external professionals.  Staff develop their skills and experience because the manager invests in their personal development.

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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

 Staff do not always consult with young people about the development of the home before changes take place.  Risk assessments do not contain enough information about the potential impact of young people moving into the home on the young people who are already resident.  Staff do not always tell young people of their intention to do a room search.  The manager does not keep the statement of purpose up to date.  Staff do not always update records in a timely way.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good 02/02/2016 Full Requires improvement 09/11/2015 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. (Regulation 7(1)(c)) 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 16(3)(a)) 21/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the privacy of children is appropriately protected. (Regulation 21(a)) 21/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, that staff update children’s records in a timely way. Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people like living in the home. Young people generally have good relationships with each other. A young person said, ‘I get on with all of the young people.’ Young people develop some positive relationships with the staff over time. The staff apply clear boundaries, some of which the young people disagree with. A staff member said, ‘There have been occasions when young people do not get on with staff, and times when they get on very well. When there is conflict between staff and young people, it is resolved by talking. Some young people do not like to be told no, and often challenge the boundaries.’ Clear boundaries enable young people to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. Furthermore, young people learn to manage conflict through developing positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people sometimes find it hard to invest in their learning. The manager and staff work with the education coordinator to get young people back into school. Although at times this is difficult, young people do make progress. A young person said, ‘The best thing about being here is me sticking to my school work. I now have an apprenticeship with a construction company.’ Because of staff support, young people achieve skills that enhance their career prospects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage young people to take responsibility for their own health and well-being. This helps young people who are working towards independence to understand that their health is important. Young people do not take any prescribed medication and attend most routine health check-ups. When young people choose not to attend appointments, staff support them to re-book. This ensures that the young people maintain good health. A drug and alcohol worker visits the young people. She works with young people to help them to reduce their drug misuse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy having contact with their friends and family. Staff promote contact and welcome visitors to the home. This strengthens and nurtures important bonds. As a result, young people feel a sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make informed choices about how to spend their free time. Some young people have been on holiday abroad while others have chosen to enjoy a spa break. This gives young people the opportunity to have new experiences, relax and enjoy themselves. Young people make a positive contribution to the community. For example, the staff support young people to help out at a homeless project. As a result, young people experience helping others and gain a sense of achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not always consult young people before making changes in the home. For example, a young person had returned to live with his family. However, he had the opportunity to return to the home if he needed to. During the time that this option was available to him, the staff changed his bedroom around. As a result, the young person did not get the chance to agree to his bedroom being changed. This does not give the young person an opportunity to have his say about changes that may have affected him. Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 5 Young people work towards their independence. Young people have their own bank accounts. This helps them to learn about managing their money. Young people learn how to use electrical appliances and cook, shop and clean for themselves. A young person said, ‘I do my own washing, cooking and plan my meals.’ Staff prepare young people for their next steps and help them to develop life skills, which are necessary for

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people know how to complain. The manager responds to complaints and provides young people with a written outcome following any investigation. As a result, young people are listened to.

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

Managers and staff follow procedures when concerns are raised about a child’s welfare. This ensures that concerns are reported to and investigated by the relevant agencies. Good safeguarding procedures keep young people safe from harm and abuse.

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

Compatibility risk assessments do not explain all known risks. As a result, staff may not fully understand the risks presented by young people who are new to the home. This has the potential to impact on young people already living in the home and put them at risk.

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

Staff have good behaviour management plans. As a result, staff identify the triggers to young people’s behaviour and respond well to the challenges they present. This keeps young people safe. Young people do not always follow the rules and adhere to the boundaries. When situations escalate the staff use physical intervention. Trained staff use this as a last resort. Young people said that staff deal with their behaviour in a fair and proportionate way. Young people receive consequences when necessary. Staff also praise and reward young people’s positive behaviour. This helps young people to manage their own behaviour.

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

Young people do go missing from care. Staff follow missing from home procedures. They work in partnership with the police, young people’s parents and other external services to help young people to return safely. A young person said, ‘I have been missing sometimes. Police do safe and well checks.’ By working well with others, staff help young people to reduce their need to run away.

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

Staff search young people’s bedrooms when they have reason to believe that young people are hiding harmful substances. However, they do not routinely tell young people beforehand. This does not give young people the opportunity to be there or hand over any items in question. This impacts on the young people’s right to privacy.

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

Young people have caused damage to the home. The manager works well with the maintenance team to fix any damage quickly. This ensures that young people continue to live in the home comfortably. The manager has replaced furniture that young people have broken, and re-furnished bedrooms. Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 6 Staff carry out routine fire drills and safety checks. Good fire safety procedures protect young people, staff and visitors.

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

The manager has recruited staff since the last full inspection. All staff are subject to a rigorous vetting process. This ensures that they are safe to work with young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A dedicated manager runs this home well. She has been in post for over two years and holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management. A deputy manager and three team leaders also provide leadership support. Additional staff are qualified to the required level 3 diploma or are on track to achieve this within the necessary timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met all three requirements made at the last full inspection. Staff support young people to manage their behaviour better. Staff review young people’s behaviour in team meetings. These discussions enable staff to understand young people’s behaviour. As a result, the staff are more aware of how to help young people to take responsibility for their own actions. Staff now record any injuries caused to young people during a restraint. All complaints are now recorded and responded to. These changes show that the manager learns from inspection and takes action to improve young people’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes regular quality of care reviews. An independent visitor also monitors the home each month. Rigorous oversight enables the manager to understand the strengths and needs of the service. She then uses this information to maintain and improve the standard of care for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff confirm they receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal. The manager provides staff with development opportunities to help them to expand their skills and knowledge. The manager said, ‘Staff are given a project to do. Staff then have to research it and present it back at the next team meeting. This assists their development.’ As a result, the staff feel valued. Furthermore, they develop the skills necessary to meet the needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff understand the aims of the home’s statement of purpose. They implement its values and ethos because they give young people good quality and consistent care. Furthermore, the staff provide a warm and nurturing environment to help young people to achieve the best possible outcomes. As a result, young people improve their life chances. The manager has not updated the statement of purpose to reflect that closed- circuit television (CCTV) is no longer used.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager gathers information from staff and young people and uses this to develop the service. The home development plan outlines areas for improvement. The manager acts on the recommendations in the plan to maintain and improve the quality of care for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 7 The manager acts in the best interest of young people when there is a poor response from external services. For example, a social worker promised a young person resources but did not have the funds to follow it through. This caused the young person distress. The manager challenged this and the young person got his resources in the end.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with partner agencies. Good communication and collaborative working promotes young people’s safety and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff do not always update information quickly. As a result, some records contain inaccurate data. For example, a young person has had a new social worker; however, the case records still referred to the previous one. Misinformation could lead to mistakes being made.

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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 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: SC392492 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: D M R Services, 102 Queslett Road East, Sutton Coldfield B74 2EZ

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC392492 9 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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