Children's home run by Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC436551 1 SC436551

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Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is registered for three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is one of several homes operated by an independent provider.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted inspected this home in June 2017 and judged the service to require improvement to be good. In July 2017, Ofsted received a complaint relating to staffing issues and the safety of young people. On 10 August 2017, Ofsted completed a monitoring visit to investigate these concerns. As a result of this visit, Ofsted served two compliance notices. These relate to failures to ensure that the premises are appropriately maintained and failures to ensure that the home has sufficient staff to care for young people. The purpose of this monitoring visit is to review the progress made by the organisation to meet the requirements of these notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since August 2017, the organisation has taken sufficient action to improve the safety of the premises. There is new flooring in the laundry room, and this ensures that the area is more suitable for young people and staff to use. However, maintenance work in this room resulted in exposed wiring. The acting manager addressed this safety concern during the monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

A maintenance and repair monitoring system is now in place to enable the acting manager to track necessary repairs and maintenance requests. This system is in its infancy and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Better monitoring systems will help the acting manager to ensure that the home is safe, clean, well maintained and appropriately decorated, and that repairs are completed in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC436551 2 The acting manager has taken steps to address other maintenance and repair issues relevant to the compliance notice. New lightbulbs, fixtures and fittings are in place, and all trip hazards have been removed. This creates a safer environment for young people.

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This monitoring visit

Since the previous monitoring visit, one young person has left the home. By virtue of this action, the home now has a sufficient number of staff to provide the remaining young person with appropriate care and support. As only one young person now resides at the home, the acting manager is no longer needed to work on shift as often as she once did. This enables her to concentrate on managerial tasks.

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This monitoring visit

The organisation continues to endeavour to recruit new staff for the home. This will remove the need for the excessive use of agency or casual staff. Again, the reduction in young people at the home means that, currently, the acting manager does not need to use agency staff cover in the home. This improves the consistency of support for the young person.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken sufficient action to meet the requirements of the two compliance notices. The requirements raised at the previous inspection that were not subject to compliance action were not reviewed at this monitoring inspection.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 22/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 31/08/2016 Full Good 02/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC436551 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 11(1)(b)(2)(a)(i)) 13/09/2017

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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 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(1)(2)(a)(i)) 13/09/2017

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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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(c)) 13/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 13/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37(2)(a)(b) Schedule 4(3)) 13/09/2017

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Recommendations

 Ensure that records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC436551 4

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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

Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC436551 5 to 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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