Children's home run by Thoughts of Others Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 1 SC484716

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Thoughts of Others Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The organisation operates a school nearby and can provide therapeutic services.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 5 and 6 July 2017. Following the inspection, Ofsted issued 18 compliance notices. A monitoring visit took place on 17 August 2017. The registered person had taken some action to meet six of the 18 compliance notices. Ofsted then issued 12 compliance notices for the unmet regulations. A second full inspection judged the home inadequate on 11 and 12 October 2017. The home had taken some action to meet the 12 compliance notices, but not all. Ofsted judged the home to be inadequate and issued four compliance notices and four requirements for the unmet regulations. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 7 December 2017. The registered person had taken some action to meet elements of the compliance notices and unmet requirements. One of the four compliance notices and three of the four requirements were judged to be met. In order to evaluate the progress that the managers and staff have made in

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This monitoring visit

addressing these concerns, a further monitoring visit was completed on 13 February 2018. One of the four requirements was judged to be met and two new requirements have been made. This home has not had a registered manager since September 2016. A manager was appointed and started work on 7 July 2017 but resigned on 2 January 2018. The deputy was appointed as manager on 8 February 2018. He has not yet submitted an application to register with Ofsted. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 2 The ex-manager had produced a quality of care review. Although this is a positive step in the right direction, the process still has not included the views of children, staff, families and professionals. This limits the contribution of key stakeholders in helping to shape the future of the service and to evaluate the quality of care. Managers have reviewed some historical safeguarding concerns and identified

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This monitoring visit

lessons to learn, such as a failure to risk assess the deployment of staff subject to allegations at other homes. However, managers have not analysedtwo concerns that are more recent. One concern relates to a child being tasered and taken into custody by the police, and another relates to the same child going missing from home. A continuing lack of effective review does not promote children‟s welfare and safety and does not help to develop staff practice. Children are at risk because staff do not take action to protect children. For example, a child went missing from home. Staff did not contact the police for 40 minutes, rather than the 10-minute timescale reported in his risk assessment. Staff practice in respect of when children go missing still fails to promote children‟s safety and well- being. The new manager has reviewed children‟s risk assessments and shared copies with placing authorities and, where appropriate, the police. However, the quality of these

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This monitoring visit

assessments is still poor. For example, one child is described as being at risk of child sexual exploitation when there is no historical evidence of this. Staff supervision has not improved. Records do not show that staff have follow-up discussions with their supervisor after significant incidents, such as when a child went missing from home and was tasered by the police and taken into police custody. Consequently, managers do not address poor practice or put in place strategies to improve practice and outcomes for children. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into a fostering placement. A new child has moved into the home. Staff do not have a copy of his placing authority‟s care plan or minutes from his placement planning meeting to ensure that staff are meeting his needs in line with the placing authority‟s plan. The ex-manager and responsible individual have taken steps to bring about more

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This monitoring visit

staff consistency for children. The number of different staff working in the home has reduced. Between 29 October and 30 November 2017, 37 different staff worked in the home, including 17 core staff and 20 staff from within the organisation (pool staff). Between 1 December and 31 December 2017, a lower number of 35 different staff worked in the home, including 17 core staff and 18 staff from within the organisation (pool staff). During the December 2017 period, 83.3% of the hours were covered by core staff. This is an improving picture. The responsible individual has also monitored and reviewed the high trend of staff turnover between March and October 2017. He concluded that a subsequent reduction in staff turnover was linked to the improvement in the continuity of staffing. However, the team members still do not meet up as a group with their manager. This reduces the opportunity to develop consistent practice as a team.

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This monitoring visit

There is still no resolution to the lack of building control or planning approval for the Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 3 most recent extension to the house. The responsible individual told inspectors that they had now submitted documentation to the authority for a decision. This matter remains outstanding. The registered provider has not improved the critical areas of regulatory failure in leadership and management and children‟s safety. Repeated failure to safely govern and lead the home continues to leave children vulnerable to the risk of harm. The newly appointed manager is working on shift for the majority of time. This leaves him with insufficient time to fulfil the responsibilities of the role. The current acting manager is the fourth manager since July 2016. Staff and children are set for further instability in further interim managerial arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

The registered person has had sufficient opportunity to put in place the required measures to sustain improvement and adequately protect and support the children living in the home. Despite the time being given to assist improvement, the registered person has remained too slow at demonstrating to the regulatory body that they do have the capacity to make the improvements that are required to keep children safe and promote their well-being for the future.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 10/10/2017 Full Inadequate 05/07/2017 Full Inadequate 09/11/2016 Full Requires improvement 26/07/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 4

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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; and take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(vi)) 31/03/2018

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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 children‟s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h)) 31/03/2018

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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)) 31/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45(1)(2)(5)) 31/03/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 5 The care planning standard is that children receive effectively

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Requirement Due date

planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that each child‟s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14(1)(2)(c)) 31/03/2018

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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: Thoughts of Others Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Thoughts of Others, 99 College Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B73 5DL

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Inspectors

Dawn Bennett, social care inspector Christy Wannop, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC484716 6 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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