Children's home run by Mulberry House Care Homes Limited in Stafford

Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 1 SC038973 Registered provider: Mulberry House Care Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for a maximum of one child from the age of eight years. The service accepts children who may have experienced a breakdown at home or another placement.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 2018

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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 inadequate

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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: SC038973 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2017 Full Good 04/01/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 20/06/2016 Full Good 05/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 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; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential and make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This is with specific reference to having increased a child’s wi-fi access at night without assessment of the impact on the child’s sleep in consultation with a manager. 02/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard 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

This is with specific reference to the failure to give a child the reasons for having to wait for over two months for urgent repairs and refurbishment requested for the child’s bedroom. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that the health and well- being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff help each child to achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, provide children with readily available fruit and 02/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 4 vegetables and reduce the amount of fried food, in keeping with the aims of the child’s plans. 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, assess the risks to children of them not taking their prescribed medication and take steps to address any risk of harm. 02/11/2018

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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 the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(e)) 02/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff attend regular team meetings in order to share practice skills and knowledge. 02/11/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that computer filing systems allow staff to have easy access to important documents and handover records that enable them to understand and to meet children’s changing needs. 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (‘the statement of purpose’) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b)) 02/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 5 The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and the registered provider is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the

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Requirement Due date

appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))(2)(a)(b)) 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each employee receives practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(b)) 02/11/2018

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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)) 02/11/2018

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (7)(a)) 02/11/2018

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Recommendations

 Homes must also meet children’s basic day to day needs and physical necessities. 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) This is with reference to the very poor state of the carpets, and damage to walls and decoration in a child’s bedroom and in the hall, stairs and landing.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always respond to the views, wishes and feelings of the young person. For over two months, staff failed to ensure that essential repairs to the young person’s damaged bedroom walls and carpet were undertaken, as requested by him at a young person’s meeting. Staff did not provide the young person with an explanation as to why the repairs had not been undertaken and did not recognise the importance of his room on his well-being. Staff decided, without consulting a manager, to increase the length of time that the young person could access wi-fi at night. They did not evidence that they had considered the potential impact on his sleep routine of the additional time spent on the internet at bedtime. Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 6 Staff do not take sufficient care to ensure that the young person is provided with healthy food. At the inspection, staff cooked fried food for the young person each day and there

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improvement to be good

was no fruit available in the home. The lack of a registered manager has significantly contributed to these areas for improvement in staff practice. This has led to a negative impact on the young person.

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improvement to be good

The young person has many positive experiences and makes progress in the home. He enjoys warm and trusting relationships with staff. He says that he is happy to stay here until he moves to independence. He commented that he likes the staff a lot and believes that they really care about him. When the previous manager sadly passed away suddenly in April, staff supported him to come to terms with the loss and to attend her funeral. His parent gave positive feedback about his placement and the care that staff provided for him.

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improvement to be good

Staff listen to the young person and address complaints to his satisfaction. Staff are alert to his need to develop a group of friends and they are looking for a gymnastics club for him to join, in keeping with his interests. Staff are aspirational for the young person and want him to do well; they ensure that he is congratulated and rewarded for achievements.

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improvement to be good

Enthusiastic staff engage the young person in a wide range of fun and stimulating activities, including sport, going to climbing walls, trampolining, fishing and football matches. Staff understand his needs and work creatively with him to address many important and relevant issues. Key-work sessions include the importance of education, cooking and independence skills, using sunscreen while fishing, emotions and behaviour and diversity.

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improvement to be good

Young people make progress in placement. The current young person has developed independence skills, improved his emotional well-being and his ability to manage emotions and behaviour. He has achieved stability after several disrupted placements and has progressed in family contact and education. He says that staff support him to go to school and he knows they will help him decide what to do after his GCSEs.

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improvement to be good

The social worker for a previous young person in placement commented that the young person had made extremely good progress and achieved stability after over 20 previous placements, including in a secure unit. The social worker said that staff were ‘second to none’. The social worker also commented that staff were nurturing and encouraging to the young person to improve her education and health, and providing her with positive role models. She keeps in touch with the staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 7

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are an area for improvement. There is a lack of evidence of regular review of risk assessments and staff do not always sign to say that they have read them. In one file there is a risk assessment for a young person going missing and then a separate protocol for staff to follow, which is confusing for staff. There was no risk assessment on file for one young person regarding refusal to take prescribed medication. The behaviour management plan for one young person had not been updated for five months. This lack of review reduces the ability of staff to be clear about young people’s safeguarding needs. The responsible individual has now introduced new, more detailed risk assessments and behaviour management plans.

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improvement to be good

However, staff are highly trained in safeguarding and they keep young people safe. When incidents occur, they are skilled at de-escalation and only use physical intervention as a last resort. When physical interventions are used, staff talk to young people afterwards to ascertain their views, wishes and feelings. When the previous young person went missing, the social worker commented that ‘staff went over and above’ to find her. Staff ensure that when young people go missing they receive an independent return from missing interview. The current young person has not gone missing at all and has become increasingly safe in placement.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake effective key work with young people to help them understand how to keep themselves safe. The current young person says that staff keep him safe and have helped him to understand, for example, internet safety. He demonstrated what he had learned, saying that he only uses social media to chat to his friends and play online games. He says he does not accept any offers to become friends from anyone he does not know. When he goes out by himself, staff ensure that they know what he is wearing and keep in touch with him on a regular basis on his mobile phone.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has not had a registered manager since April 2018, when the manager passed away. Another manager was appointed to manage this home in addition to another home within the company. This person failed to apply for registration within timescales and is now leaving the company. He had spent most of his time at the other, larger home, leaving staff to rely on the responsible individual and an additional consultant manager, neither of whom were based in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The lack of a registered manager has had a negative impact on the ability of the staff to work as a team for the benefit of the young people. The deputy manager is semi-retired and works one day a week in the home. He lacks the time and resources to support the home daily in the absence of a registered manager. While the deputy attempts to convene team meetings, the demands on him and on the team mean that these occur on an ad hoc basis. Staff only meet each other regularly when they hand over to the next shift. As they work shifts individually, handovers are their main source of discussions and support. Their ability to share knowledge and skills for the benefit of Inspection report children’s home: SC038973 8 young people is compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

With a lack of managerial guidance and oversight, consistency of care depends on the staff team having remained stable since the last inspection and sharing positive relationships. There has been an impact on practice. Staff took a decision in a team meeting to make changes to the placement plan for young people, without the consultation and support of a manager. Staff receive inconsistent and poor-quality supervision, which does not encourage learning and reflection. Some staff who also work at another home in the company have been required to focus on the young people in both of those homes in the same supervision session.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff struggle to access documents that they need within the home. Several documents were found to be out of date, leaving staff to rely on verbal communication to remain informed. The printer is often out of ink and there is only one computer for staff to use. The responsible individual was unable to locate several records, including a serious incident log. Staff do not always follow the complaints procedure, failing to log one complaint from a young person altogether. The independent visitor reports have not reflected the issues regarding management and practice in the home and the statement of purpose is not up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the lack of leadership and management since April 2018, staff are working hard to meet the needs of the young person in placement. Their training is up to date and they have been able to maintain a stable placement for the young person. They liaise with other professionals effectively and ensure that the social worker for the current young person is kept up to date with developments.

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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: SC038973 9

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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: SC038973 10 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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