Children's Home run by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in Dudley

Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 1 SC038500 Registered provider: Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

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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 local authority. It is registered for four young people. The home provides care for young people aged between 12 and 18, who have experienced adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. The registered manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2007.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 18 to 19 September 2018

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 28 November 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/11/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 2 14/11/2016 Full Outstanding 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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)) 16/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home, and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child and are kept up to date. (Regulation 36(1)(a)(b)) 16/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(4)(a)) 19/10/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 4

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and strategies for managing these. („Guide to the children‟s home regulations including quality care standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to provide a warm and nurturing environment which helps young people to thrive. Staff are caring and develop positive relationships with young people. One young person told the inspector, „I can talk to staff; they are kind and approachable. If l have problems they will listen and say, “How can we improve things?” The staff don‟t act like staff, they act like an aunt or parent; they will do my hair, do make up and help with my art work.‟ This makes young people feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote young people‟s contact with their family and friends. This helps young people to develop and maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use monthly reports to monitor young people‟s progress. When school placements break down, staff are proactive in seeking alternative education provisions. This helps young people to maintain their academic achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive support and reassurance from staff in terms of their emotional, social and psychological well-being. Staff are particularly good at ensuring that young people attend all health appointments. As a result, young people‟s health needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have various opportunities to express their wishes and feelings through key-worker sessions and young people‟s meetings. Staff and the manager action requests made by young people. As a result, young people feel that they have a voice and are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people‟s moves into the home are generally managed well. However, one young person‟s impact risk assessment did not consider the impact of their known risk factors on other young people living at the home, and whether staff could adequately meet the young person‟s complex needs. This resulted in the young person‟s placement ending within a few months of them arriving. Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 5

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

A local authority team manager told the inspector, „Our child says that she feels safe at the home.‟ When young people go missing from care, staff are proactive and work with partner agencies to ensure that young people return home safely and have return home interviews.

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

Generally, the risk assessments and behaviour management plans in place provide staff with clear guidance and support regarding how to manage behaviour effectively. Staff use restorative practice to enable young people to understand their behaviour and to self-regulate their emotions. Restraint at the home is rare, and is only used as a last resort to keep young people safe.

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

There have not been any complaints since the last inspection.

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

The registered manager is currently on six months‟ study leave. Staff speak highly of the managers and feel supported and listened to. However, the manager covering for the registered manager has not received adequate support from senior managers to enable her to carry out her roles and responsibilities effectively. This has contributed to leadership and management of the service being judged as „requires improvement to be good‟. The temporary manager has not received regular supervision. For example, the manager had supervision in August 2018, but prior to this had not received supervision for five months. More positively, the manager has ensured that staff receive regular supervision.

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

The manager‟s monitoring and reviewing of the service are weak. For example, she failed to identify that even though one member of staff‟s medication training had expired, this staff member was still administering medication. One young person‟s risk assessment was not updated with new known risks. This means that staff do not have the up-to-date information they need to keep young people safe. Some young people‟s records do not contain their personal details, such as religion, ethnicity and legal status. One young person‟s health assessment contains another young person‟s details. Shortfalls in case records is an ongoing shortfall from the last inspection. Restraint records do not always include confirmation that staff have received a debrief. Young people‟s meeting minutes do not have management oversight.

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

The manager has failed to submit the quality of care review report to Ofsted within the required timescale. This reduces the credibility of the system that is aimed at improving the quality of care given to young people.

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

The manager has not ensured that the home‟s locality risk assessment is kept up to date so that all known local risks are recorded.

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

The manager works well with partner agencies such as the local authority, the police, Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 6 education providers and parents, and keeps them updated on young people‟s 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: SC038500 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Council House, Priory Road, Dudley DY1 1HF

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Inspector

Rumbi Mangoma: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC038500 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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