Children's Home run by Mulberry House Care Homes Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 1 SC060554 Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes 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 two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private 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

Date of last inspection: 18 January 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy living at the home.  Relationships between staff and young people are good.  Young people’s learning opportunities improve.  Young people say that they feel safe and know that staff care for them.  Staff work well with the police to ensure that young people return safely when they go missing from care.  Safe recruitment practice prevents unsuitable people from working with young people.  Young people actively participate in the recruitment of staff.  Young people develop confidence and improve their self-esteem.  Young people have regular contact with their families.  Parents, social workers and other professionals speak highly of the staff and the care provided to young people.

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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, including the manager, have not received an annual appraisal.  The manager has not carried out improvements to the home environment.  The manager and staff do not always keep records up to date.  The manager does not monitor and review staffing arrangements to identify patterns and trends in staff turnover.  Because of staff shortages, the home relies heavily on bank staff.  The manager does not include all known risks in the local area risk assessment.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 18/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 03/11/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 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 with the given timescales.

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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 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(2)(d)) 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33(4)(c)) 31/08/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that the registered person demonstrates every opportunity to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)  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)  Ensure that 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)  Ensure that, under regulation 46, the registered person reviews the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least

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Recommendations

once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies to manage these. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four young people have moved into the home and three have moved out since the last full inspection in June 2016. Two young people moved on successfully in line with their care plans. One young person’s placement ended early due to safeguarding concerns. When the home could no longer keep the young person safe, the manager and placing authority worked together well to identify a more suitable placement for the young person.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy living at the home. Relationships between staff and young people are good. A young person said, ‘I get on with everyone. I see myself as quite sociable.’ The staff provide young people with love and nurture. As a result, young people know that staff care about them. This helps them to learn how to respect themselves and other people. A staff member said, ‘The two young people get on with each other. The home is like a family unit. I try to do things a mum would do. They like to have a meal prepared for when they come in. The young people love my cooking and they like the Caribbean food. I treat them with respect and the young people show respect for me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some young people struggle to engage in their education. Staff work tirelessly with external professionals to find alternative ways to promote young people’s learning. For example, some young people have a home tutor. This helps young people to continue to develop knowledge and skills in a way that suits them. Other young people begin to value education and do well in their learning. A tutor said, ‘Since he was placed at the home, we have seen the change in him. For example, his whole attitude has changed. He is very settled. This helps us to do a lot more for him. There have been noticeable achievements since being at the home. He is a lovely lad. The staff have done wonders with him.’

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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. A young person said, ‘I feel very independent and like to do stuff on my own. I go to my appointments. I had a check-up at the dentist, had a filling and am awaiting braces. It is an all right home. The staff are sound. I know they care for us because they always run around after us.’ When young people refuse to attend routine health appointments, staff do not give up. They re-arrange appointments and talk to young people in key-work sessions about the importance of attending appointments to maintain good health. This helps young people to understand the value of staying fit and well. A social worker said, ‘Staff have tried to help him attend cessation sessions to stop smoking, but he still smokes. Staff do have key-work meetings to address his health issues.’ The staff provide young people with balanced and nutritious meals. A young person said, ‘The food here is really

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

good. There are always freshly cooked meals especially when [name of staff member] is on duty.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have their say about how they want the home to run. Staff talk to them on a daily basis and listen to their points of view. Key workers also have regular Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 5 meetings with young people. This helps young people to communicate their views and contribute to the daily operation of the home. Young people now have pets, their bedrooms have been decorated and staff cook homemade food in line with what young people want.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the young people well and they look out for changes in their behaviour. A staff member said, ‘I know how they are by their body language and facial expressions, or by noticing how withdrawn they are. This helps me to understand them and to respond to them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive good-quality care and enjoy positive experiences. A young person said, ‘I enjoy going to the boxing club and like to cook.’ A staff member said, ‘There is plenty to do in the community. Young people went to watch banger racing. They have been go-karting, trampolining and they have a holiday planned in a couple of weeks’ time. When they are in the home, they like to spend time with me. They sit and interact with me. We watch a film, or play on the play station.’ As a result, young people have new opportunities. They develop confidence and their self-esteem grows. Furthermore, young people develop good independence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from having contact with friends and family who are important to them. Staff go out of their way to make everyone feel comfortable during contact visits. This helps young people to feel relaxed. A social worker made a comment to the independent visitor and said, ‘The team actively promotes and facilitates contact with parents, inviting parents to visit the home so that they can understand the environment. This [helps] alleviate their concerns.’ During the inspection, a parent visited their son. They told the inspector, ‘He has chosen to make this his home and wants to stay. This helps me and I feel I have more support from the staff. Staff are great when it comes to supporting contact. They transport him to see us or we come to see him here. Staff really support us.’

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

Young people said that they feel safe and know that staff care for them. Staff understand each young person’s vulnerabilities because they take time to understand their history. Staff help young people to understand risk and teach them how to keep themselves safe. Thorough risk assessments provide staff with guidance to follow. This helps them to recognise what triggers young people’s behaviour and know how to manage it. This helps to keep young people safe.

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

Young people go missing from care, and this puts them at risk of harm. The staff are relentless in their efforts to look for young people. They also try to keep in contact with young people and help them to return safely. The manager liaises with other professionals to review risk. As a result, managers and staff put strategies in place to reduce the risks related to young people who go missing. A police officer said, ‘The staff at the home are really good and they do what is expected when young people go missing. We have had lots of meetings. Staff do the best they can under the circumstances. Staff always try their best to go and meet [the young person] to bring Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 6 them back. The staff are all doing their best. I can’t criticise them.’

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

Safe recruitment practice prevents unsuitable people from working at the home. Young people participate in the recruitment of staff. They sit in at the second stage of the interview process. Young people meet the applicants and feedback to managers how well they think each applicant would fit in to their home. This helps young people to develop new skills and have a say in who cares for them.

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

The staff give praise to young people and reward their achievements. This helps staff and young people to focus on positive rather than negative behaviour. When young people test the boundaries, they receive consequences. For example, during a recent incident, a young person emptied food and drink over the floor and broke an ornamental candle. Afterwards, the young person talked through their behaviour with staff in a key- work session. The young person contributed some money to pay for the damage they had caused. As a result, young people learn to take responsibility for their behaviour. Staff manage behaviour well and only use physical intervention as a last resort.

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

Young people know how to complain. When young people complain, the manager responds. She investigates and provides young people with a written response when the matter concludes. In this way, the manager listens to young people and takes their concerns seriously.

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

The manager responds promptly when young people make allegations. She reports all allegations to the local designated officer and follows their advice. This ensures that concerns that young people raise are independently reviewed. This helps to protect young people from harm.

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

The location risk assessment is reviewed annually. However, it does not include the risk associated with a nearby bridge. Consequently, it does not take account of all hazards in the local area. A recommendation is raised so that the manager can address this shortfall.

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

The manager has not taken action to replace worn and damaged carpets. Thus, the home is not well maintained throughout. Furthermore, damaged carpets present a trip hazard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. Staff receive regular training to help their personal development. This enhances their skills and knowledge. As a result, young people receive good-quality care. The manager provides staff with regular supervision. This helps the staff to receive valuable feedback about how they carry out their roles and responsibilities. However, not all staff, including the manager, have had their annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity for staff to reflect on their performance and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor monitors the home each month. This external oversight helps the Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 7 home to develop and maintain good standards of care. The manager takes action to address any areas that the independent visitor identifies for improvement. The manager carries out internal monitoring and keeps the quality of care under review. This informs the home’s development plan. The manager shares quality of care reports with Ofsted bi-annually, in line with regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are not always kept up to date. For example, staff have not updated young people’s records consistently. As a result, some information about young people’s day- to-day care arrangements is not current. This is confusing, particularly for new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff retention is problematic. The manager does not review the reasons why staff leave. As a result, she does not fully understand the reasons for high staff turnover. Staff recruitment is ongoing to fill four vacancies. The manager relies on bank staff to support staff shortages. She uses the same bank staff to provide young people with some consistency. However, this is not ideal and does not fully support young people’s attachments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with partner agencies. Social workers and other professionals speak highly about how well the staff communicate with them. When young people first arrive at the home, staff share relevant information with the police and social workers. This helps professionals to understand young people’s needs better. As a result, professionals respond quickly when things happen. For example, professionals hold meetings promptly, risks are identified and plans re-assessed. A parent commented in feedback to the independent visitor, ‘I have no concerns with the care afforded to my child by the home. I feel that staff share the same values and attitude around the concerns and issues regarding her. Before and during the admission, the team were very helpful. They knew about the risks involved and all documentation was completed promptly.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager challenges other professionals when necessary. For example, when a young person kept going missing during contact visits, the manager raised concerns with the young person’s social worker. As a result, contact arrangements changed. This means that contact is now safely managed. Furthermore, it has helped to reduce the number of times the young person goes missing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic and she supports improvement. The manager said, ‘It can be very easy for staff to say that young people don’t want to do things, so I drive the enthusiasm for staff to keep up good morale, to push the young people who are very bright and very capable. It’s been a hard task to get staff to think differently in pushing the young people to do more.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows what is happening in the home because she receives a daily handover from staff. She can see how relationships have formed between staff and young people and knows that they are making steady progress. Keeping abreast of events in the home helps the manager to identify the home’s strengths and weaknesses. The manager uses this knowledge to inform the development plan. This helps to maintain good standards of care for young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 8

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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 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: SC060554 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tollgate Business Centre, Tollgate Drive, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3HS

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Inspector

Michelle Spruce, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 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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Inspector

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