Children's Home run by Serenity Specialist Care Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 1 SC471672

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Serenity Specialist Care 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 for up to four young people who have learning disabilities. The home is owned and operated by a small private company.

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This monitoring visit

This home was last inspected in January 2018 and was judged to have declined in effectiveness. A further monitoring visit was carried out in March 2017. Ofsted suspended the home‘s registration, due to significant concerns about the safety and welfare of young people. The suspension notice highlighted shortfalls in relation to the physical environment, the protection of young people, recruitment and vetting of agency staff, and leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to assess the provider‘s response to the suspension notice and to ensure that no children or young people had lived at the home during the current period of suspension.

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This monitoring visit

The provider‘s response to the additional statutory requirements set at the last inspection on 5 March 2018 was not assessed on this visit and will be reviewed at the home‘s next full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

There are no children or young people living at the home. The provider has complied with the current suspension notice. This visit found that there have been improvements to the home.

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This monitoring visit

Following the last inspection, one of the registered managers has resigned and the remaining registered manager is supported by a new deputy manager. The responsible individual and registered manager have reflected on the previous shortfalls and introduced new management systems. They acknowledge the positive Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 2 aspects of having one consistent registered manager who has full oversight of the home. This arrangement will bring more consistency.

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This monitoring visit

Staff can now access up-to-date local authority safeguarding and missing from care procedures. However, the home‘s own policies and procedures are out of date and do not clearly link to the host local authority safeguarding children board‘s safeguarding and missing from care procedures and protocols.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual acknowledged the need for further staff training in safeguarding, child protection and behaviour management. Relevant training is scheduled for the near future. In the meantime, the registered manager has set out flow diagrams to better inform staff about the actions that they need to take when safeguarding concerns arise. The responsible individual has given assurances to Ofsted that admissions of children and young people to the home will not take place until after this training is completed.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessment formats have been reviewed and further developed. For example, the impact risk assessment now provides information from placing authority social workers. The impact risk assessment also links to individualised risk and behaviour management plans. There is now a good child-centred approach to including children and young people in their own risk management.

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This monitoring visit

Manager‘s attempts to contact the police after the suspension notice was issued have had little impact in developing agreed frameworks for partnership working. However, the registered manager, responsible individual and local police show commitment to improving partnership working, and meetings have been arranged to achieve this goal.

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This monitoring visit

The physical environment has improved. Concerns about protruding wires and a broken cooker have been addressed. A new cooker is in place and electrical wires are safely encased.

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This monitoring visit

Externally, the home has been painted and is now well-presented. Internal work is on-going in some areas however, walls have been repaired and the home has been freshly decorated throughout. Pictures, murals and soft furnishings personalise communal areas and provide a more homely environment. All young people‘s bedrooms are decorated and furnished to meet their needs. These bedrooms have personalised bedding, and the new admissions procedure gives scope for children and young people to choose and further personalise their own private space.

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This monitoring visit

A daily monitoring format is in place, which covers staff responsibility to identify, make safe and report any damage, necessary repair and health and safety concerns. This process has been used during the suspension period and shows that repairs have been addressed with oversight from the registered manager. A maintenance team is available to provide a prompt response. Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 3 The registered manager reports that current staffing levels, the addition of new staff and ongoing recruitment will deplete the previous high dependency on the use of agency staff to care for children and young people. The registered manager reports that current staffing levels are appropriate to provide care and support for two young people living at the home. Arrangements for the recruitment of more staff is ongoing.

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This monitoring visit

Safer recruitment procedures are in place and have been followed effectively for the vetting of new staff, with good managerial oversight by the registered manager. All agency staff files have been audited to provide better information about the background checks, references, experience and qualification of agency staff who have worked in the home. Induction processes are now in place for agency staff.

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This monitoring visit

The home‘s rota now provides a satisfactory record of staff deployment in the home and shows that new staff work shadow shifts as part of their induction.

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This monitoring visit

Staff files and the home‘s statement of purpose provide clarity about the experience and qualification of staff working in the home. Some staff are suitably qualified to care for children and young people in a residential setting. New staff have received induction training and all staff have access to on-line training. Arrangements are in place for the enrolment of new staff on the level 3 diploma qualification for working with children and young people in a residential setting.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager has implemented clear and strategic monitoring systems for the daily running of the home, staff performance and clear weekly tracking of young people‘s needs and progress.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 30/05/2017 Full Good 08/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 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

In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered provider must ensure that staff ensure the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(2)(c)(i)) 14/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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 has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child‘s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9(1)(2)(b)) 14/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the health and well-being standard the registered provider must ensure that staff help each child to develop skills to promote the child‘s well-being. (Regulation 10(2)(a)(iv)) 14/05/2018

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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 child‘s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other

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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 14/05/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 5 take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‘s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)) 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.

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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‘s workforce provides continuity of care to each child

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(2)(c)(e)(h)) 14/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‘s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 14/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes details of the behaviour leading to the use of the measure, a description of the measure and its duration, details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(ii)(iv)(v)) 14/05/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (―case records‖) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regard to consent for medical treatment, and young people‘s legal status. 14/05/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 6

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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: Serenity Specialist Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor, Dominion Court, 43 Station Road, Solihull B91 3RT

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Inspectors

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Ms Wannop, social care inspector Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: SC471672 7 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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