Children's home run by Constant Child Care Limited in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 1 SC368032

p.1

Constant Child Care Limited

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children who have social and emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This home was last inspected in August 2018 and was judged to be inadequate. Regulatory shortfalls were identified in relation to:

p.1

This monitoring visit

 consultation with young people  meeting children’s needs through securing access to the relevant services  challenging partner agencies when there is a need for improvement  the assessment and management of children’s risks  the safety of the premises and how staff are safely recruited  the professional development of staff  the recording of restraint.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit took place to ensure that the above shortfalls, including one compliance notice relating to the safe recruitment of staff, have been appropriately met.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit found that there has been some improvement since the last inspection. Children now have a regular opportunity to take part in meetings with Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 2 staff. These focus on a range of issues and ensure that the children’s views, wishes and feelings are recorded, and when appropriate acted upon. This has led to children being offered new experiences. For example, children have planned visits to local places of worship and the purchase of some new items for the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Similarly, the home environment has been improved. Areas of potential hazard to children have been remedied. Children now live in a home that is suitably maintained. The children were observed to be happy, lively and clearly enjoying spending time with staff and each other. The home provides ample space for the children to play, explore and engage in purposeful activities. Both children are at school and were excitedly telling staff about their school day. Neither child raised any concerns with the inspector and said that they liked being at the home and liked the staff.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Restraint recording is now more focused and includes much of the required detail. However, elements of poor practice remain. This specifically refers to the practice noticed at the last inspection. The August 2018 inspection identified that staff were recording that children were ‘happy’ with the restraint incident, although records did not evidence whether any discussion or wider evaluation by management had taken place. This practice has continued. However, the management has now intervened to ensure that no member of staff continues to record in this manner.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The compliance notice has not been met. This related to the recruitment of staff. The provider has appropriate systems in place to recruit its own staff, but does not have a similar system for staff who are from an agency. This means that there remains the potential for unsuitable adults to work with children in the home. The inspector was informed that the recruitment agencies confirm that appropriate checks are made. However, this has not been verified by the provider. For example, some agency members of staff do not have their full employment histories recorded, detail of their references or the training courses they have attended.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Similarly, risk assessments for children have not improved. The last inspection identified that there was missing information from a child’s risk assessment with regard to online safety. This remains the case and is an ongoing shortfall. Some attempts have been made to seek and record the views of relevant professionals for the home’s location risk assessment. However, this is not yet complete. The views of some key individuals, including the local fire service, missing persons coordinator and child sexual exploitation coordinator, have not been recorded. This is despite the provider requesting these details in August 2018. The management of the home has failed to actively seek this information and be persistent in obtaining these details.

p.2

This monitoring visit

One child remains without an advocate. The inspector was shown an email from early August 2018 which requested this service. This was followed up on 10 September 2018 with a further email. This avoidable delay has potentially meant that one child has been without a required service to meet their previously identified needs. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 3 There has been some improvement to staff training. All staff are now trained in the safe administration of medication. However, staff are still waiting for training in physical intervention, as required at the last inspection. There is training planned for early October 2018. The requirement from the last inspection remains unmet.

p.2

This monitoring visit

There has been some progress, but there remain areas of outstanding regulatory shortfall. This includes failure to meet a compliance notice. The responsible individual and another senior manager were present during this inspection visit. They both confirmed that they remain committed to admitting no more children at the present time.

p.3

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/08/2018 Full Inadequate 21/08/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 4

p.3

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

Engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

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.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate professional development.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, this is to ensure that all staff receive training in physical intervention. 21/10/2018

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 21/10/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 5 (Regulation 35(3)(c)) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year.

p.4

Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

p.5

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.5

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.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Constant Child Care Limited

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Beecham Business Centre, Beecham Business Park, Northgate, Aldridge, West Midlands WS9 8TZ

p.5

Inspector

Pete Hylton, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC368032 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.

p.5

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6