Children's home run by Silverlining Childcare Limited

Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 1 Registered provider: Silverlining Childcare

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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 privately owned children‟s home provides care and accommodation for up to four children who may have faced adverse childhood experiences resulting in trauma. The home was first registered in July 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has a level 5 qualification.

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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: 20 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children‟s home‟s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

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—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)(iv)(v)(vi)) 31/07/2018

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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—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager will ensure that staff are given consistent and up-to-date guidance to manage risk. Staff will ensure that children receive key-work sessions after significant events. 31/07/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 4 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home that—

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Requirement Due date

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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 31/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager will ensure that key documents such as placement plans and risk assessments are kept up to date. 31/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(b)(e)) 31/07/2018

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home‟s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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improvement to be good

Some staff work hard to build trusted and secure relationships with children. However, children report that staff care is inconsistent. A child told the inspector, „Some staff are supportive, but others aren‟t‟. The registered manager is acting to address these issues. Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 5 As a result, children receive increasingly consistent care and this aspect of care continues to develop.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to participate in day-to-day decision-making about the running of the home. For example, children help to create menus and choose activities. However, consulting with children requires further development to provide children with the opportunity to discuss the quality of their care with the registered manager and staff.

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improvement to be good

Children attend school regularly and make good progress with their learning. Staff are ambitious for children and support them to succeed by offering emotional and practical support. For example, the registered manager recently attended a college interview alongside a child, and this helped the child to secure a college place.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to access a variety of activities. For example, children enjoy trips to the cinema, trampoline centres and theme parks. Staff also encourage children to develop and enjoy hobbies. This brings children a sense of enjoyment and increases their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children develop practical independence skills. For example, children undertake laundry tasks, cook, clean and learn how to budget. The registered manager has also supported a child to secure a part-time job. However, key-work sessions lack focus on supporting children to develop coping strategies and the emotional resilience necessary for independent living.

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improvement to be good

When required, staff seek support from external agencies to address children‟s health needs. For example, a child is now receiving counselling support. However, staff do not maximise the support that they provide to children; for example, they do not use key- work sessions to talk about and promote one child‟s emotional health, despite the use of key-work sessions being set out within the child‟s placement plan.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to make smooth and positive transitions. For example, the registered manager attends meetings at a child‟s new placement to share important information. The registered manager also maintains weekly contact with the child‟s new carer. This ensures that children quickly settle in their new home and receive continuity in their care.

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improvement to be good

Some risk assessments do not contain up-to-date information or clear control measures for staff to help them to manage risk. In other instances, staff do not follow the guidance that is set out in individual risk assessments. For example, staff do not always offer children key-work sessions after significant incidents to help them to learn from what has happened and learn how to keep themselves safe. Furthermore, the staff team‟s understanding of risk is inconsistent.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always respond consistently when children go missing from the home. For Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 6 example, some staff choose to pursue children when they leave the home in an agitated or distressed state, while others do not. This inconsistent approach makes children more vulnerable to risk.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager does not always ensure that notifications of significant events are made to the appropriate agencies. As a result, external agencies cannot provide oversight and guidance to ensure that managers and staff respond to incidents appropriately and learn from events that happen.

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improvement to be good

For the most part, children can identify and seek out members of staff to discuss their concerns. Staff respond swiftly to safeguarding concerns and when necessary, involve external agencies. For example, a child at risk received well-coordinated responses from the police, their social worker and staff. However, children report that staff do not always respond promptly when they raise their concerns with staff verbally. Staff do not consistently record these concerns, and therefore they miss opportunities to listen to and act on what children say to improve care.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote the positive behaviour of children by offering rewards and praise. Some staff de-escalate challenging situations using a calm and measured approach. However, feedback from children and information in staff records confirms that staff approaches to managing conflict are inconsistent. The registered manager is aware of this issue and is taking appropriate action to increase consistency for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks. For example, children have regular unsupervised time in the local community to socialise with peers. This helps children to build friendships, develop a sense of belonging and feel increasingly independent.

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

The registered manager ensures that the home is appropriately staffed and resourced. The staff team has a good mix of experience and skills. Agency staff are rarely used. As a result, children receive care from a stable staff team.

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

The registered manager is keen to develop staff. For example, staff now undertake additional responsibilities. Staff also receive good-quality induction and training.

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

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. When necessary, the registered manager challenges staff practice to ensure that it meets the required standard. On occasion, the registered manager does not record the discussions he has had with individual staff in response to concerns raised about their practice.

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

Staff feel supported by the registered manager. A member of staff told the inspector, „He [the registered manager] is very approachable; he will give you the time and will ask if you understand. I am much more confident in the role.‟

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

The registered manager has developed some monitoring systems; however, these are not yet fully established. As a result, opportunities to reflect on and develop the quality Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 7 of care are missed. Although the registered manager has recently designed a system intended to improve monitoring, the benefits of this have yet to be realised.

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

Children‟s case records are not up to date. For example, internal placement plans and risk assessments do not contain information about recent, significant events. As a result, staff may not fully understand children‟s progress or offer support that responds to their needs.

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

The registered manager has developed good relationships with partner agencies. For example, staff contact social workers on a weekly basis to update them on children‟s progress. The home is also a member of the local community watch scheme and so the registered manager and staff receive valuable information about what is happening in the local area. They use this to inform the children‟s care.

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

The home is generally well presented. However, some furniture needs replacing and other areas are in need of refurbishment to make the environment feel more homely. The registered manager has plans in place to address these issues.

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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: 1254780 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Silverlining Childcare

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 59a, Lichfield Street, Walsall, West Midlands WS4 2BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lakhvinder Khera

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: 1254780 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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