Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 1 SC432966 Registered provider: N H Care 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 four young people. The home provides care and accommodation for young people who have physical disabilities 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: improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff work hard to understand and to meet young people’s individual needs.  Staff encourage young people to develop their independence skills.  Young people make good progress in all areas of their development. Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 2  The manager makes sure that staff work well with other agencies to promote good outcomes for young people.  Good relationships between staff and school help young people to achieve good educational outcomes.  Young people enjoy a good range of leisure activities.  Staff promote young people’s contact with their families.  Staff help to increase young people’s awareness of how to keep safe in the home and in the community.  Staff ensure that young people are consulted about their care and the development of the home.

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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

 The physical condition and cleanliness of the home require attention.  Staff supervision does not give staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice.  Managers have not updated the statement of purpose to identify that the home provides care for young people who may have severe learning disabilities.  Employment checks are not always completed before agency staff commence work.  The manager has not implemented a workforce development plan.  Staff do not keep young people’s case records up to date.  Staff do not have sufficient knowledge of how to support young people with sensory needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 24/11/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff.

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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 and furnished so as to enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(c)(ii)) 01/05/2018

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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)) 01/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child that are kept up to date.(Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 01/04/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) This is with particular reference to ensuring that staff have the knowledge of how to support young people with sensory needs.  Ensure that there is a workforce plan in place, which can fulfil the requirements of Regulation 16 Schedule 1. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  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)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the

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Recommendations

manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 4 regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress as a result of having trusting relationships with staff. When young people move into the home, the staff quickly ensure that they get to know and understand young people’s individual needs. This gives young people a sense of security and stability and helps young people to settle in well. A social worker shared with the inspector, ‘My young person has made significant progress at the home and continues to be happy and settled.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff pay great attention to ensuring that young people attend and enjoy school. When one young person was waiting to start at a new school, staff ensured that she benefited from a daily programme of activities to keep her engaged in learning. Communication between staff and school is strong. For one young person, this good communication has enabled her to start back at school following a long period of absence. Staff know young people’s education targets and give young people help at home to reach their learning goals. A teacher shared with the inspector, ‘They always try and get the best for the children.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage young people to participate in the daily running of the home, and use young people’s preferred style of communication to help ensure that this participation is meaningful. Communication aids include widgets that help to support young people to express their views and make choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a varied and balanced diet. Young people regularly choose meals from cookbooks, and as a result enjoy foods from all around the world including dishes such as Swahili fish curry and ackee and salt fish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy good health and attend routine appointments with GPs, dentists and opticians. Staff manage specific health and personal care needs sensitively. The arrangements for administering medication are clear, and daily routines help young people to know when to expect their medication. Young people maintain good physical and mental health through being active and engaging in leisure activities and hobbies. Young people enjoy a range of experiences including going for walks, youth club, bowling, shopping, arts and crafts, and rides in the car and on the bus. Young people have also enjoyed the opportunity of a holiday to Blackpool.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from staff who enable them to develop their independence skills. As part of daily routines, all of the young people are encouraged to tidy their bedrooms, make their beds and help with the laundry and cooking. Tailored support helps the young people to develop skills in accordance with their individual needs. For example, one young person is making steady progress in increasing his confidence in financial management, in readiness for adulthood. A social worker told the inspector, ‘The service is good. They have been enabling my young person to build on his skills to prepare him Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 5 to leave in the summer. He has been pushed little by little out of his comfort zone and is socialising more. He always tells me about what’s he is doing and that he enjoys it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people to have contact with those who are important to them. Staff keep in contact with parents, who are welcomed to the home. A parent told the inspector, ‘I popped in yesterday and she was so relaxed and chilled and I know she feels good. I like to think we are a partnership and we are part of the same team. They have made sure I know everything that’s going on.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some aspects of the physical condition and cleanliness of the home require improvement. For example, a wooden trim to the kitchen floor is broken, there are stains to the ceiling in the ground floor hallway, and the wall, skirting board and radiator by the kitchen bin are grubby. There are holes to the stair carpet, and areas of the sofa are threadbare. This detracts from young people having a homely and inviting environment in which to live.

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

A motivated staff team tries hard to meet young people’s individual needs and to keep young people safe. Young people are relaxed and comfortable in the presence of staff and are happy to spend time in their company. High staffing levels and direct work with young people in areas such as food hygiene, food preparation, road safety, and stranger danger all help to promote young people’s safety in the home and the community. Individualised plans and risk assessments ensure that staff are aware of the risks to young people.

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

Staff have the opportunity of a range of training that equips them with the knowledge and skills required to safeguard young people. There are no young people at risk of child sexual exploitation or radicalisation. Training for staff has raised their awareness of the risks faced by young people. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident of a young person going missing from the home. A creative approach and good partnership working between the registered manager, the police, the school and the young person’s social worker meant that the young person returned safely to the home.

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

Clear daily routines give young people structure and help them to feel secure. Staff are resourceful in helping young people to understand expectations regarding appropriate behaviour. One member of staff shared with the inspector, ‘She could be physical with staff so I did posters with her to help her understand it’s not nice.’ There have been no incidents of bullying. Anti-bullying training means that the staff are alert to the signs of bullying and are equipped to intervene should it be necessary.

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

Staff receive training in behaviour management and de-escalation techniques. The use of rewards, consequences and incentive schemes encourages positive behaviour from young people. On admission, one young person’s behaviour was particularly challenging and physical intervention was used on a number of occasions to ensure her safety and the safety of others. Debriefs with the young person and staff have helped the manager to understand the underlying reasons for the young person’s behaviour and where Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 6 changes to practice are needed. For example, the young person would become very anxious around mealtimes. Staff now use distraction techniques to reduce her anxieties.

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

Young people are increasingly more comfortable in each other’s company. They enquire about each other’s whereabouts and spend more time together. Young people express their views through everyday interaction, regular young people’s meetings and key- working sessions. Young people have influenced the development of the service in several ways, including choosing décor for their bedrooms, developing agreements around safe internet use and choosing activities. The young people’s guide and information displayed around the home give young people information about how to complain if they are unhappy. One young person made a complaint about the noise from the tumble dryer. The manager responded swiftly and to the young person’s satisfaction.

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

Young people enjoy using the home’s computer and their electronic tablets to access the internet for leisure and learning. Staff supervise young people’s use and ensure that parental control settings are in place to help to reduce the risk of young people accessing unsuitable material.

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

The suitability of potential employees to work with young people is confirmed prior to new staff starting work. However, on one occasion an agency member of staff started work with young people without the manager verifying the reason for a gap in employment, and without a second written reference. This compromises the organisation’s safer recruitment procedures that promote the safe care of young people by preventing unsuitable adults from working with them.

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

The manager ensures that the home environment is free of hazards and is secure. Regular safety checks on gas, fire and electrical systems ensure that equipment remains safe. Cleaning and other hazardous products are safely stored.

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

The registered manager has been in post since November 2016. She is part way through completing her level 5 diploma in leadership and management. In addition to the manager, the home has nine permanent members of staff. Five staff members are qualified with a level 3 diploma in residential childcare or have a suitably equivalent qualification. All other staff are working towards their award within the relevant timescale.

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

The registered manager has an enthusiastic approach to the leadership of the home. Staff say they enjoy working at the home and they feel supported, and the team members work well together to make sure that young people feel happy and safe. One member of staff shared with the inspector, ‘We have a really good staff morale. People are flexible and very open to learning. People are very helpful and work together.’

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

Staff who are new to the home have the benefit of an induction, which helps them to understand the purpose of the service and the needs of the young people. During their induction, staff complete basic training, including safeguarding, and shadow an experienced member of staff before starting on duty as a member of the team. Staff Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 7 receive support through regular supervision with the registered manager and monthly team meetings. Annual appraisal happens when staff have been in post for over a year. However, supervision does not enable staff to reflect on their own practice and to build on what they are learning from the young people, from each other, and from training. This means that staff miss the opportunity to understand the impact of their work on young people’s lives.

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

Staff have received some training specific to helping them meet the needs of young people with a disability, including communicating with children with learning disabilities and understanding autistic spectrum disorder. However, despite one young person having sensory needs, staff have not had the opportunity to develop their understanding and skills in relation to sensory awareness. This means that staff lack the knowledge required to guide their practice with young people who have sensory needs. Furthermore, the manager has not developed a workforce plan. This hinders the manager’s oversight of the staff team’s performance and development.

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

Young people’s records hold all of the required statutory documentation. Since the last inspection, the recording of key-work sessions has improved. There is now a clear link between young people’s plans and the direct work completed with young people. However, despite specific guidance from the manager, the staff do not always ensure that young people’s case records are kept up to date. For example, there are gaps in daily records regarding the recording of the foods eaten by young people.

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

The manager and staff maintain good relationships with a number of professionals including the police, social workers and health professionals. A police officer told the inspector, ‘I have a good relationship with the home. The manager is easy to get hold of, and is responsive to emails and facilitates meetings around my shift pattern.’

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

The registered manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. This is informed by the monthly independent visitor reports and her own review of the quality of care. Updates to the statement of purpose have not made clear that the home provides care for young people who may have severe learning disabilities.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 8 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: SC432966 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: N H Care Limited 6038073

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Shetland Close, Birmingham B16 0RF

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 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 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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