Children's Home run by Archways Care Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 1 SC383941 Registered provider: Archways Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of three homes run by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people. The statement of purpose says that, ‘Children will be treated as an individual and a partner in the planning of their care. The environment will be free from discrimination and one where staff members are genuinely motivated to see children progress.’

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2018. She has started her level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 26 September 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/09/2017 Full Good 08/11/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 27/04/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who develop positive relationships with them; engage with them; and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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 understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, explain clearly the reasons for the restrictions and rules put in place to help individual children. Create more opportunities to listen to children’s responses about these. 19/10/2018

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, undertake work that develops children’s own resilience and ability to behave safely. Work towards reducing and removing risk management routines and practices. 19/10/2018

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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 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 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 19/10/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 4 the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(f)) For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (‘the Level 3 Diploma’); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma. The relevant date is the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b)(5)(a)) 19/10/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes’ regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should monitor and review the patterns and trends of turnover of staff, whether agency or directly employed, and be able understand and where possible, address any negative trends. (‘Guide to the children’s homes’ regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.19)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a wide range of positive experiences, including trips abroad with their schools. Staff motivate and support young people in a range of active and interesting sports, hobbies and entertainments. This benefits young people’s learning, confidence and social skills. Staff help young people collect memorabilia of their time here. All this enhances young people’s well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the organisation’s education coordinator ensure that each young person receives good support to enable them to make good progress in school. The education coordinator chases any outstanding assessments and ensures that suitable school placements are quickly found.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people get good help from staff to see their families and friends. As a result, young people improve their relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help young people to establish healthy daily routines and learn the practical skills of group living and future independent living. For example, young people get good help to wind down at bedtime and get a good night’s sleep. However, staff do not always know Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 5 or explain to young people the reasons behind some decisions, routines and rules. For example, the staff do not explain to young people the reasons for some decisions around food, drink, taking medication, supervision and playing electronic games. Staff do not give young people consistently clear advice or have fruitful discussions about the purpose of such decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and longer-serving staff ensure that young people move on positively from the home. They work sensitively and openly with young people’s families and new placements. This helps to give young people a good chance of future success. One young person’s new placement provider said, ‘Support and care from your team have given our home the platform to continue [young person’s name’s] support to the best of our ability.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people feel safe because staff give them the attention and help that they need. Staff understand how young people’s past experiences affect their present behaviour. Staff calmly de-escalate situations to avoid using physical intervention.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff work hard to teach young people about the dangers of child sexual exploitation, grooming behaviour and radicalisation. For example, one young person has learned to safely enjoy his internet gaming hobby with friends that he knows from school.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff and the manager plan well for the risk that young people may go missing from the home. Staff take account of the busy main road location. Their responses are planned with good consideration of each young person’s individual risks. For example, when the risk of serious harm is high and immediate, staff have physically intervened to prevent a young person from going missing from the home. Equally, when young people are not at risk and want to spend time with their friends whom they behave safely with, young people are allowed overnight stays and plenty of free time away from staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff and the manager praise good behaviour and reward young people for the progress that they make in complying with boundaries. For one young person, later bedtimes and extra pocket money are given for not swearing and keeping to time limits on using electronic games.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff respond to unsafe behaviour with clear boundaries and practices. These boundaries and practices minimise risk-taking behaviours, such as overdosing or attacking/abusing others. However, weekly bedroom checks; supervising all medication; keeping shoes locked away; using bedroom door alarms; supervising communications and limiting internet use are not reviewed regularly to ensure that their use is still appropriate and necessary. Staff do not proactively work towards reducing and removing these restrictions and young people often do not understand the reasons for the restrictions being imposed by the staff. As a result, staff are not doing enough to teach young people how to take more personal responsibility for managing their own feelings and behaviour. Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an active presence in the home. She talks to young people and staff in a nurturing but clear way, showing determination to promote each young person’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with social workers, police and the home’s monthly independent visitor. This means that young people get well-planned placements, receive well-organised care and are not criminalised unnecessarily. One young person’s social worker said, ‘Their commitment is the reason this placement succeeded.’ In April 2018, the independent visitor said, ‘[The manager’s] responses to the actions raised demonstrate her ability to think new initiatives through and not just to go for a quick fix.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment has significantly improved since the last inspection. However, staff retention is an ongoing problem. The manager says that despite meetings, advice and support, many staff cannot cope with violence from young people. This was a key factor in one young person’s placement failing after only a few weeks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well supported by the responsible individual. However, the manager does not always have good monitoring systems in place. This means that she does not promptly review all behaviour management sanctions or consult young people to help to plan better how staff can improve young people’s outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff has not completed the required level 3 qualification in residential care within the two year timescale of beginning the work. The member of staff had to change training provider, which caused the delay, but is now making good progress.

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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: SC383941 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Archways Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill Farm, Shawbury Lane, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 2RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Aristidou

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Inspector

Rachel Britten, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC383941 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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