Children's Home run by Swan Cottage Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 1 Registered provider: Swan Cottage Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately run home. It provides accommodation and care for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: This is the first inspection

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: N/A

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 This is a new home with a relatively inexperienced staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager does not currently have a full complement of staff to fill the staff rota.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Having insufficient numbers of experienced staff to fill the staff rota means that there is a lack of managerial oversight and a reduced ability to provide less experienced staff with advice.

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Key findings from this inspection

 A lack of clarity about complaints and allegations by young people means that these are not satisfactorily resolved.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Partnership working with local safeguarding professionals has not been sufficiently developed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Risk assessments do not address the actual risks that young people face.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The lack of pre-placement care planning means that education and appropriate local services have not been put in place for the current young person.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff do not seek medical advice when prescription medication is refused.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager has worked hard to lead an inexperienced and small staff team to manage the care of the first young person in the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 There are signs that direct work is a valuable tool in helping the young person.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The registered manager models nurturing care for the staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Good relationships with staff have helped the young person to settle in the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff have worked to find ways to support the current young person’s cultural identity and heritage in the home environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The young person participates in a wide range of activities in the local area, which she enjoys. Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings 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—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7(1) and (2)(d)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is a process in place with the designated officer to address any allegations and include these details in the children’s guide and policies within the home. 05/03/2018

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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—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the young person’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the young person

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(a)(i)(v)) 05/03/2018

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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 05/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 4 children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13(1) and (2)(c)(d)) The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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 each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14(1)(a) and (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all the services agreed at pre- placement meetings are in place and there is no delay and that minutes of the statutory looked after review are on the young person’s file. 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1) and (3)(a)(b)) 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must co-operate with the child’s placing authority in agreeing and signing the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 17(2)) 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child; and a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23(2)(b)(c)) 05/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. (Regulation 35(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular ensure that records of interventions and descriptions are accurate and that there is a managerial review 05/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 5 of all incidents, and that all staff have access to and operate under the guidance of their current handbook.

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improvement to be good

The current young person has lived at the home for two months. She has not received formal education since being at the home, although this was a planned placement. The young person has missed out on education and being able to socialise with her peers. Staff told the inspector that the young person wants to go to school and is disappointed that a place is not available. They said that she was ‘really looking forward to having friends they could play and walk to school with’. The young person will be receiving private tuition in the interim.

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improvement to be good

The young person’s physical health is good. Staff ensure that she attends the appointments at the dentist and optician. However, records of administration of medication are not reliable, and staff have not sought advice when the young person has refused to take her prescribed medication. The home had not commissioned therapy services in advance of the placement, and this has resulted in the young person not receiving the coordinated support required.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have an agreed, up-to-date local authority care plan or statutory review minutes on which to base their plan for care. This means that they may not deliver care in line with the child’s plan or help the child to understand the purpose of the placement. The manager has shared her internal plan with the placing authority, but this is not a statutory document.

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improvement to be good

Relationships with key stakeholders are developing. The registered manager has made contact with the police and aims to work in partnership with them. She has developed positive relationships with the young person’s local authority.

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improvement to be good

The young person’s contribution to her daily living plan helps to develop her negotiating skills, confidence and independence skills. A consistent team of staff provides the young person with stability, which helps her to experience positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff have in-depth knowledge of the young person’s background and identity and help to maintain links with her family. They encourage the young person to cook her own food following family recipes and praise her skills. Staff support the young person during family visits, including overnight stays, which helps her retain a sense of family life and belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff consider and prioritise the young person’s wishes and views. For example, the staff asked the young person to compile a list of all the things she wanted to do. Each week, Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 6 through direct-work sessions, the young person has been able to plan and make this wish list come true. This has given the young person a sense of achievement and satisfaction and she feels valued by the staff, who want the young person to be happy.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager has encouraged the young person to express her wishes and feelings in all aspects of her care. The young person’s behaviour has at times been challenging, but there has been good engagement with key-worker sessions undertaken. The young person is able to verbalise why she gets upset. The reason for her feeling upset is recognised and, if possible, removed or dealt with. Enabling the young person to reflect on her feelings helps the staff understand them and also to work out strategies for how they can best support her.

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improvement to be good

The grandmother of the young person told the inspector that she is happy with the care that her grandchild receives at the home. She said that staff make an effort with the young person, they ‘talk and listen to what she wants. This makes a difference’.

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improvement to be good

Close supervision by the staff keeps the young person safe, minimising the risk of her going missing or being placed at risk of exploitation. Staff provided the young person with a personal safety induction when she arrived. This also helped her to understand what the local risks are and how to avoid them.

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improvement to be good

New systems for assessing risk lack clarity. The current formats do not help staff to think about the identified risk or about how to reduce these risks. Some historical risks are not well documented or they are omitted altogether. This approach is not effective and does not help staff to keep the young person safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff did not have access to the current policy on behaviour management in the home, and neither did staff have access to the guides on the training they had recently undertaken in de-escalation techniques.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always make a clear record about the behavioural incidents that have taken place or the later actions taken by the staff. In reports, they say that they have used a physical intervention when they have not. The review of incidents does not always show that the registered manager has clarified this error and followed this up with staff. De- escalation approaches by staff are, however, effective. The young person is learning that there are boundaries and expectations around certain behaviours. The social worker told the inspector that the young person’s behaviour is ‘being managed’.

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improvement to be good

There is lack of clarity about how complaints and allegations by young people are understood by staff, and about how they are resolved so that there is closure for the young person. Information for young people about their complaints procedure is not clear. The young person’s guide differs from the provider’s policy, so young people may not have a clear understanding of how to make a complaint or how any allegation will be resolved and the timescale involved. Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 7 Managerial decision-making about one allegation about restraint was not evident. In addition, the manager had not consulted the designated officer about the home’s safeguarding procedure and the agreed thresholds for referral.

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

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified. She has a level 5 diploma in leadership and management in residential childcare. She has worked at the home since it opened in June 2017.

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

An unsettling and unexpected turnover of staff in the early months of the home’s operation has led to additional pressure on the registered manager. The staff and the registered manager work overtime to ensure consistency for the young person. This has worked, but consequently has distracted the manager from her managerial responsibilities.

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

As a new team, the staff are building their experience. Only two of the current staff team of five hold the recognised qualification in working with children. The registered manager has put effective training plans in place, and staff will enrol as they complete probationary periods.

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

The registered manager has demonstrated a high level of commitment and is covering two demanding roles. The staff team has appreciated this support. A member of staff told the inspector that the registered manager is ‘a really good manager; very caring and considerate’.

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

The registered manager confidently challenges and advocates on behalf of the current young person. She is frustrated by the lack of progress to secure a school placement and has challenged the education authority. Currently, an appeal is in progress.

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

The registered manager puts children’s needs first and demonstrated her knowledge of the nurturing model. For example, she negotiated a local health assessment so that the young person did not have to travel far. She told the inspector that her ambition is for the home to provide excellent care. Her main priority has been the focus on the child and ensuring that there are enough staff on duty.

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

Organisational systems are new and monitoring of these systems is in the early stages. Their effectiveness is yet to be tested.

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

There was missing and inaccurate information in the statement of purpose, including a list of the staff, admission of the number of children to the home and contact details. The statement of purpose had not been updated or submitted within timescales.

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

The home is currently falling short of achieving its stated aims and objectives. The services they say they want to offer are not yet in place. The registered manager is aware of the strengths and the shortfalls. She is realistic about the progress, given their Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 8 current situation, and despite staffing levels, has maintained her support to the staff team. This has been done through regular formal professional supervision, although staff meetings have been impossible.

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

The grandmother of the current young person told the inspector that the registered manager ‘offers a high level of commitment’ to her granddaughter.

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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: 1258893 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Swan Cottage Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Parkar Accountants, 19-21 Hatchett Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B19 3NX

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Inspector

Balsinder Jaspal-Mander, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258893 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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