Children's home run by Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council in Walsall

Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 1 SC066214 Registered provider: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. The home provides care and accommodation for up to seven young people. The accommodation includes two placements in a semi-independent flat.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in April 2018.

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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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2017 Full Inadequate 14/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 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 who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children, use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(vi)) 04/06/2018

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(iii)(viii)(ix)) 04/06/2018

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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 and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11(1)(b)(2)(a)(iii)) 04/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 4 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; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)and (vi)) 04/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Staff should understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) This is in relation to the accurate recording of missing from home incidents.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s experiences and progress are variable. Some young people are making positive progress. However, other young people do not actively engage in the daily routines of the home.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s school attendance and engagement in education is variable. One young person has made significant progress in improving her school attendance. However, o ther young people refuse to engage with any training or education. This means that some young people have now been without full-time education or training for a considerable period of time.

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improvement to be good

There is a lack of consistent structure and routine in the home. This means that some young people are left without meaningful activities for part of the day. Some young people remain in bed for most of the morning and complete their chores early afternoon. Staff do not challenge or offer any structured daily routine. This means young people are not getting used to having routine in their life that helps them with attending school or seeking employment.

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improvement to be good

Staff consult with young people regarding the day-to-day running of the home. Young people say they are involved in decisions about the internal decoration of the home and the fixtures and fittings. Regular young people’s meetings are held.

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improvement to be good

Young people know how to make a complaint. This includes the use of external professionals and advocacy services, which helps the young people to feel confident that any complaint they make will be addressed quickly. Staff do not always monitor or review young people’s preparation for adulthood. For Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 5 example, although some young people have gained some practical independence skills, the staff have not completed any assessment or evaluation to show the level of progress.

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improvement to be good

Family members are made welcome into the home and receive regular updates from staff. Young people do not live too far from their home area and are well supported to stay in touch with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

The house has recently been redecorated, and is now a more inviting place for young people to live. Two of the young people have pets, which helps to give the house a homely feel.

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improvement to be good

Some young people’s missing from home incidents have decreased in number since coming to live at the home. However, other young people’s incidents of going missing from home remain a concern. The staff team’s response to two recent incidents was ineffective. This left young people without the required safeguards. This was despite having clear, individual risk assessments in place that provided the details of action to take to protect young people when they were missing from home. Staff recording of these incidents lacks clarity and fails to aid learning for either the staff or young people.

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improvement to be good

Consequences for inappropriate actions of young people are not clear or consistently applied. Key work does not consistently provide young people with the support to increase their safety and understanding to help them to make safer choices. As a result, young people are not receiving the right help to understand what appropriate behaviour is.

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improvement to be good

Staff refresh their safeguarding training. Recent training includes modules on missing from care, e-safety, child sexual exploitation, and self-harm. This ensures that staff have the appropriate knowledge to understand the presenting needs of young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is relatively new to this service, but is committed to driving forward improvement. She has a clear vision for the home. She knows the staff and young people well. She has a management qualification and leads by example, which the staff appreciate. She is passionate about achieving the best outcomes for young people and will advocate strongly for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supportive supervision and an annual performance appraisal. The manager also prioritises training and development opportunities for staff. This helps to motivate staff, who demonstrate a commitment to working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is a stable and experienced staff team. The majority of staff have the minimum level 3 qualification. This ensures that young people receive support from suitably qualified staff. The manager and staff work well with other professionals involved with young people. Social workers say that staff keep them up to date with any developments and they always Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 6 feel welcome when they visit the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She is keen to drive forward improvements. She has addressed one of the requirements made at the last inspection to ensure that all relevant information about agency staff is held at the home. The two others in respect of promoting socially acceptable behaviour and risk assessment are repeated as they have only partially been addressed. The manager acknowledges there are improvements to be embedded into staff practice.

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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: SC066214 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, Civic Centre, Darwall Street, Walsall WS1 1TP

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Inspector

Anne Daly, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC066214 8 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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