Children's Home run by Mulberry House Care Homes Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 1 SC060554 Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes 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

The home provides care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned and operated by a private organisation.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/07/2017 Full Good 18/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/06/2016 Full Good 18/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 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 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard 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)(vi)) 28/09/2018

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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. In particular, the standard 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. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. 28/09/2018

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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. In particular, the standard 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

In particular, regularly revisit the issue of substance misuse with children in key-work sessions. 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(3)(d)) 28/09/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive 28/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 4 practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff supervision is regular and up to date.

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Recommendations

 Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met – doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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Recommendations

In particular, the gloss paint on the doors and bannister in the hallway, stairs and landing is in need of redecoration and the kitchen worktop needs replacing as it is damaged and unhygienic.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, young people have experienced staff shortages and several staff changes, including changes of manager. The caring core staff have worked hard to successfully reduce the impact of these changes on young people. When the registered manager left in April 2018, a new manager was appointed who left at the end of July 2018. There is now another interim manager in place. Young people like the interim manager, but she will also be leaving shortly. The stability of the staff team and management is a significant area for improvement.

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improvement to be good

There has been recent refurbishment of the home, which has involved young people choosing colours and furniture. However, the paintwork in the hall and stairway has not been refreshed and looks dirty and poorly maintained. The kitchen worktop is damaged and is not hygienic. These are areas for improvement.

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improvement to be good

One young person lacks structure and routines. His weekly planner does not provide him with sufficient activities and focus to motivate him to invest in education or training. He is struggling to engage in learning independence skills and says that he does not want to go to college or seek a job or training. In the months he has left in placement, staff need to more effectively address these issues with him.

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improvement to be good

Young people also experience many positive aspects in the home, including warm and trusting relationships with dedicated staff. The home is welcoming and comfortable and young people have personalised their rooms. There are several photographs of the Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 5 young people and staff around the home which demonstrate the fun that they have together. Young people enjoy going fishing, cycling, playing football and listening to and creating music. These activities support their physical, emotional and social development and well-being. Young people thoroughly enjoyed a summer seaside holiday with staff.

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improvement to be good

The committed and child-focused core staff group has enabled young people to continue to experience stability and make some progress, despite the unsettled period. Sensitive staff listen to young people, who have the confidence to express themselves and know how to make complaints. Staff encourage them to contribute to their looked after reviews and educations meetings. Young people are also offered independent advocates and are encouraged to engage with education and support services, such as drugs services.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of young people’s interests and support them to explore them and achieve. One young person has a part-time job in a garage and hopes to get an apprenticeship as a mechanic. Both young people have engaged with education previously and have taken and passed exams in the summer, enabling them to move on to college. Young people make progress in understanding their emotions and managing their behaviour and making friends. Their family relationships have improved, and staff support contact. The parent of one young person said, ‘[He] has made a massive improvement over the past 12 months. He has turned his life around because of the staff. He is supported with his wishes.’

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improvement to be good

Changes of staff and managers have led to weak risk assessments. They provided insufficient detail and guidance for staff and lacked regular managerial review. The new manager (in post since July 2018) has significantly improved the risk assessments and behaviour management plans and has undertaken regular reviews and updates. The registered provider must ensure that the next manager also prioritises this key area in order to ensure that young people continue to be kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practice requires improvement. Some personnel files lack evidence that references are verified, and one file contains only one reference. The referee was unable to state if the applicant had ever been subject to disciplinary procedures.

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improvement to be good

However, staff keep young people safe. Young people, family members and professionals highlighted this. Young people have become increasingly safe and incidents when they go missing or display aggression have decreased significantly. Staff are well trained in safeguarding and there have been no serious incidents or physical intervention since the last inspection. Young people have not been subject to child sexual exploitation and when they have gone missing, staff have searched for them and followed protocols.

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improvement to be good

Staff skilfully undertake key-work with young people to help them learn how to keep themselves safe. This work covers bullying and sexual health. However, although substance misuse is assessed as a high-risk area for one young person, limited work has Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 6 been undertaken regarding this. This is an area for improvement, and substance misuse needs to be revisited on a regular basis in key-work sessions.

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improvement to be good

The home is safe and well maintained and the manager has prepared an up-to-date locality risk assessment in consultation with the local police. Staff liaise effectively with other professionals to ensure that young people are safe.

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

The first manager in post after the departure of the registered manager applied to be registered but then left the service before his application was complete. He was at the home for three months, during which time staff felt unsupported. He failed to provide new staff with sufficient supervision, and the supervision that they did have was unfocused with little opportunity for reflection. Staff said that he failed to ensure that young people adhered to boundaries in the home, which undermined their work.

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

The current manager, who has been in post for a month, has undertaken an in-depth review and update of the home’s records and systems. She has provided staff with supervision that is reflective and supportive. The manager has begun to focus on developing the staff professionally and has ensured that they are up to date with their training. She has allocated each staff member two quality standards to review and report back on at team meetings. However, the manager does not wish to apply to be the registered manager and is at the home on a temporary basis. The lack of a registered manager negatively impacts on the stability of the home and the consistency that staff and young people experience.

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

A staff member said that the current manager is ‘making a big difference, changes for the better’. One young person said that the manager ‘is sorting things out now’, explaining that the manager had advocated for him to start preparation for independence. These improvements need to become embedded in practice to have a positive impact on the care provided to young people.

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

The provider has responded positively to requirements made at the last inspection, leading to a more stable staff team, better continuity in the staff team and improved home environment in some areas. Staff are child focused and demonstrate good knowledge of the young people, their backgrounds and their needs.

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

Staff work together and enjoy their roles. They communicate with a range of other professionals effectively, who give positive feedback about the service provided to them and to young people and their families. One parent said, ‘They are a brilliant bunch of staff.’

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

A significant area for improvement is for the provider to ensure that the home has a registered manager in post as soon as possible, who can continue with the changes introduced by the current manager and drive up standards. Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 7

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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: SC060554 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Tollgate Business Centre, Tollgate Drive, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 3HS

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Inspector

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC060554 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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