Children's Home run by Individual Specialist Care Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 1 SC481235

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Individual Specialist Care Ltd

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for three children or young people who have social and emotional difficulties. The home’s statement of purpose describes providing person–centred, solution-focused care for young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 28 December 2016.

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This monitoring visit

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 14 and 15 June 2018 and a notice of restriction was served on 20 June 2018 to prevent any further young people being admitted to the home.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has complied with the restriction notice, as no further young people have been admitted to the home.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual and the registered manager have taken steps to improve the quality of care provided to young people living in the home. This progress is embryonic, and regulatory shortfalls remain. Progress is noted in some areas, and six of the 11 requirements are judged to show sufficient steps made to meet statutory requirements. These include improved engagement with the local authority in the implementation of their care plans for young people. Consequently, one young person has moved out of the home in a planned way to a foster placement. The young person said, ‘Staff encouraged me to do well… I knew all staff cared for me. They helped me and brought all my belongings down for me.’

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This monitoring visit

Staff have supported young people to access the health services that they need and have provided advice through key work sessions. Staff have updated missing from Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 2 home protocols to reflect actions to ensure that young people’s health needs are prioritised, including staff taking the young person’s medication with them when searching for them. The responsible individual and the registered manager have introduced a training plan to ensure that staff have the skills to meet young people’s needs. Agency staff have also been included in this training. Staff have completed safeguarding training, epilepsy management training, fire safety training and allegation management training. Some staff have attended specialist training, and this is disseminated through team meetings. Other training is planned, such as physical intervention training.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have an improved understanding of the purpose and aims of the statement of purpose. More work is required by leaders and managers to support staff to understand how the care described in the statement of purpose is implemented in practice. The processes for responding to and recording complaints and the use of restraint in the home have improved. These have not yet been tested as there have been no complaints or restraints since the last inspection. Staff recording is taking place in a timelier manner.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have taken steps to implement clearer systems for use in the home. However, these systems are in their infancy. Monitoring systems are in place, which could offer good analysis of the impact of the care provided. Unfortunately, these have only been completed in respect of one of the young people living in the home (when two have lived in the home during the review period). New systems such as weekly team meetings are in place. However, the recording of these does not demonstrate what has been discussed.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not ensure that there is sufficient attention to detail. For example, they ask staff to read and sign an out-of-date risk assessment, which does not detail the specific care a young person requires to be safe. New risk assessments lack essential information such as addresses where a young person visits. Agency staff who work in the home have not followed risk assessments regarding the need to monitor a young person who has epilepsy while they are asleep. This does not safeguard the young person.

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This monitoring visit

The use of consequences remains inappropriate and inconsistent. For example, both young people went missing together, but only one young person received a consequence for this. The consequence used was not appropriate. The responsible individual is gaining more oversight of what is happening in the home and has identified where further improvements are necessary.

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This monitoring visit

Staffing issues continue. The responsible individual is going to be temporarily in day- to-day charge of the home while the registered manager covers shifts due to staff sickness. There is a reduction in the use of agency staff in the home, and staff recruitment is under way to fill the two current vacancies. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 3

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 15/05/2018 Full Inadequate 22/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/04/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/01/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 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.

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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; and ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i) (b)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard

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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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(a)(h)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19 (1)) 31/08/2018

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5). A responsible individual must— 31/08/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 5 have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1)(7)(b)) A person may only manage a children’s home if— having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children— the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i)) 31/08/2018

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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: Individual Specialist Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 65 Lodge Road, Walsall, Staffordshire WS5 3LA

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Inspector

Rebecca Quested, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC481235 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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