Children's home run by YCPG Services Ltd in Walsall

Inspection report children's home: SC392492 1 SC392492 Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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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 by a private company. It is registered for four young people. The home provides care for young people aged 11 to 17, who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The registered manager was registered with Ofsted in November 2015.

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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: 2 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC392492 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/02/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 29/06/2017 Full Good 28/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC392492 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 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; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child‟s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(d)) 28/09/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(b)(2)(f)(h)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response. (Regulation 34(2)(d)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes the name of the child; details of the child‟s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 28/09/2018 Inspection report children's home: SC392492 4 a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other persons present when the measure was used; the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(i-viii)) The registered person must maintain records (“case records”)

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Requirement Due date

for each child which are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36(1)(c)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry). (Regulation 40(4)(c )(d)(i)(ii)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45(2)(a)(b)(c)) 28/09/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.38) Inspection report children's home: SC392492 5

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improvement to be good

Young people are making some good progress in different areas of their lives. This is because they have good access to support services that meet their needs. For example, young people have weekly access to support from a substance misuse and crime prevention worker employed by the organisation. This specialist input helps young people to reduce their risk-taking behaviours.

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improvement to be good

All young people are accessing education and making good progress. For example, one young person was supported with revising for and sitting their GCSE exams and accessing a 12-week placement with the Prince‟s Trust.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to develop independence skills and have different opportunities. For example, one young person volunteers at a homeless project, enabling him to have different responsibilities and experiences.

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improvement to be good

When young people‟s care plans are updated, these amendments are not always signed and dated by the member of staff responsible. Internal care plans are not always adequately cross-referenced to young people‟s statutory plans to help staff to better coordinate the care given to young people. As a result, staff do not ensure that records demonstrate fully the progress that young people make. Key-worker sessions show good inclusion and consultation with young people about their own care. However, poor-quality and irregular young people‟s meetings mean that young people‟s views are not gathered to improve the quality of care and to develop the service. Young people said that they get along well with staff as they find them easy to talk to. Parents also speak positively about how staff communicate with them. Staff promote and facilitate contact between young people and their family and friends. As a result, young

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improvement to be good

people experience positive and healthy relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the young people well and can identify risks. However, they do not always cross-reference and update these risk factors to all relevant care planning documents. Furthermore, recorded control measures to manage and reduce these risks are not effective. This means that staff do not always have clear guidelines of what actions to take when a safeguarding incident occurs. Managers complete risk assessments prior to new young people being admitted. Nevertheless, the documents do not consider the impact that young people‟s individual risks may have on the young people already living in the home. This means that staff Inspection report children's home: SC392492 6 may be unable to appropriately safeguard young people or adequately meet their needs. Managers do not complete safeguarding referral records to a good standard. Records viewed during the inspection were not sufficiently clear and lacked details such as dates,

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improvement to be good

times and the author of the entries. Inconsistent record keeping about safeguarding matters inhibits the ability of managers, the independent visitor and the regulator to effectively monitor the actions taken by the home to protect young people. General maintenance jobs at the home are not always completed on time. This can create health and safety hazards. For example, at the time of the inspection there was a door off its hinges leaning against the kitchen window. Staff have built good relationships with young people and use de-escalation techniques well. This has reduced the number of physical restraints. However, the recording of the physical restraints is very poor and lacks sufficient details to enable the registered manager to scrutinise the lawfulness of the restraints. Furthermore, when staff use sanctions to address young people‟s unacceptable or anti-social behaviours, these are not restorative in nature. These do not support young people to take responsibility for

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improvement to be good

their actions. When young people go missing from care, staff use they partnership working with the police, education and the local authority well. This helps to keep young people safe.

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

The manager‟s monitoring of the home is poor. There is a lack of effective assessment or evaluation of the home‟s strengths and weaknesses. Views from young people and partner agencies are not used to inform practice or to improve the quality of care. Managers do not make sure that complaints are appropriately documented. Records of concerns do not show the actions taken or the outcome. Safeguarding notifications to Ofsted are not sent in a timely manner. This delays the regulator from assessing the action of the home. Although staff receive good-quality training and regular supervision, management oversight is failing to identify practice and performance shortfalls. There is a lack of understanding from the manager about how these shortfalls can impact on 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. Inspection report children's home: SC392492 7 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC392492 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: DMR Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: DMR Services, 102 Queslett Road East, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Inspectors

Rumbi Mangoma, social care inspector Jo Stephenson, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC392492 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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