Children's Home run by Progress Children’s Services Ltd in Sandwell

Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 1 SC437486 Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This service offers short breaks for up to five children and young people. The service is available to children and young people who have a learning disabilities, physical disabilities and/or sensory impairment. This service is managed by an independent provider that operates other social care services.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 13 to 14 February 2018

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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: 31 October 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 2 Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people enjoy staying for short breaks.  Young people form warm and trusting relationships with child-focused staff.  Staff are highly skilled in using a number of communication tools which enable young people to express their views, wishes and feelings.  Young people have fun with each other and with staff, and access a range of stimulating activities.  Staff prioritise giving young people choices about activities and food, and they respect their wishes.  Young people can relax in a comfortable, well-maintained home, and contribute to decisions about how the home is decorated.  Young people influence their plans and staff listen to their views, wishes and feelings.  Staff keep young people safe. Parents and professionals feel that young people are safe. The young people themselves also feel that they are safe.  Staff work with a number of professionals and with family members to devise detailed and effective risk assessments, which the new manager regularly

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Key findings from this inspection

reviews.  The new manager has made significant positive changes since the last full inspection. She provides young people with more consistent care and communicates more effectively with families and professionals.  The requirements raised at the inspection in October 2017 and the monitoring visit in December 2017 have all been met.

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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

 Ensure that young people know how to make a complaint.  Ensure that staff sign and date all records.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/10/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 3 14/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 02/08/2016 Full Good 14/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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)(c)(2)(d)(ii)) 30/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that case records are kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who have highly complex needs enjoy coming to this welcoming and comfortable home for short breaks. They have warm and trusting relationships with staff, and enjoy chatting and laughing with them. The cook prepares meals that all of the young people enjoy and staff create a family atmosphere, with everyone sitting together at the dining table.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide young people with boxes to keep at the home. These contain personal items that they have chosen to use when they have short breaks, including soft toys, pictures and games that personalise their bedrooms. Having familiar items around them helps young people to feel comfortable during their short stays. Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 5 Each young person has a scrapbook of photographs taken at the home, to provide them with happy memories. Since the last inspection, young people have had access to a colourful sensory room where they can go to relax and be by themselves if they wish. This adds to their enjoyment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Many of the young people have communication difficulties and the staff are skilled in using a wide range of methods, including Makaton and body language, to help them express their views, wishes and feelings. Staff place great emphasis on choice for young people, who decide which activities they want to do during their short breaks. Young people like messy play, film nights, bowling, swimming and going to the park . Young people engage in meetings with staff, where they contribute to discussions about how the home is decorated. This gives young people a sense of ownership. Staff listen to young people and enable them to contribute to their short-break plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals provide very positive feedback about the home and confirm that the short breaks help young people to make progress in their social development, personal care, independence and behaviour. For example, one young person has made significant progress in being able to accept boundaries. Another young person is becoming increasingly independent, and has learned to cook a meal.

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

Young people say that they feel safe when they come for short breaks. Parents and professionals agree that staff keep young people safe. Highly trained staff provide young people with appropriate levels of supervision to keep them safe at all times. Staff are trained in safeguarding matters, including child sexual exploitation, young people going missing and radicalisation.

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

Young people who have specific health conditions such as epilepsy always receive care from staff who have the specialist training required to support them. The cook is aware of young people’s allergies and food intolerances, and ensures that their meals are safe for them to eat. The safety of the home has increased significantly since the last inspection, with fire equipment and doors being upgraded and staff and young people undertaking regular fire drills.

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

Staff have group meetings with young people to talk to them about keeping themselves safe. They discuss topics such as road safety, stranger danger and internet safety. Staff use one-to-one sessions to talk with young people about their behaviour and how that affects their safety. Staff access safeguarding policies and procedures to enhance their knowledge and guide their practice. Staff follow the strategies outlined in young people’s individual risk assessments and behaviour support plans. The manager regularly reviews and updates these useful documents and evaluates their effectiveness. She also undertakes and reviews risk assessments for activities. Staff discuss risk assessments during handover meetings, to ensure that they are aware of young people’s safeguarding needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 6 Since the last inspection, the manager has improved the admissions process so that it

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

assesses the suitability of the placement for each new young person effectively. This has reduced the risk of any negative impact on the young people who are already receiving short breaks, and ensures that the care needs of all young people can be met.

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

Staff work closely with parents and a range of professionals, including health workers, teachers and social workers. All relevant information is shared with them and this ensures a collaborative approach to protecting young people from harm. The manager responds quickly and appropriately when incidents occur. She liaises with family members and placing authorities to inform them about what has happened and reassure them about what steps are being taken in response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the home in December 2017. The new manager started to take over the managerial role in September 2017, and has applied to be the registered manager. Most of the staff hold the level 3 qualification and all staff are first- aid qualified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last full inspection, there have been significant improvements in the management of the home. All of the requirements and recommendations raised at the last full inspection and the recent monitoring inspection have been met. The team had a week of training in January 2018, which supported their learning and teamwork. This has enabled the improvements to be embedded in practice. Furthermore, it has resulted in better communication with families and more consistent care for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager is keen to make more changes, and is introducing social pedagogy as a model for working with young people. She is excited about her new role and the potential of improving the home further. Young people’s families, as well as professionals and staff, comment that there have been ‘changes for the better’ in the past six months, since the new manager took over. They say that leadership, communication and the assessment of risk and behaviour management have improved. Staff say that their training is more effective and that they are now more confident in their roles. Staff feel supported by each other and by the manager. The manager provides staff with regular supervision, during which she routinely challenges staff practice, while being positive and supportive. This approach supports the staff’s learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well run. Records are clear and files are up to date, although they are not always signed and dated by staff. This is an area identified for improvement. The manager reviewed all of the home’s policies and procedures in January 2018 and staff have read and signed them. Child-focused staff engage young people in devising their short-break plans, and enable them to complete the ‘all about me’ section. As a result, the individual voice of the young person is heard. One area for improvement is for staff to ensure that young people understand how to make a complaint, and are empowered to do so. Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 7 The registered manager and the staff work closely with family members and other professionals to plan for and meet the young people’s needs effectively. This service is very valuable to young people and their parents. One parent says that it is ‘lovely’ to hear her son say that he wants to come for short breaks. She said, ‘To hear him tonight

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

so upbeat and happy [about going on his short break] has taken such a weight off my shoulders.’

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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: SC437486 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Progress Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Progress Children’s Services Ltd, Progress House, 127 Millfields Road, Wolverhampton WV4 6JG

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Inspector

Louise Whittle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC437486 9 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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