Children's Home run by Adecyn Children’s Homes Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 1 SC423617 Registered provider: Adecyn Childrens Homes Ltd Interim 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 three young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This inspection took place after a serious incident was notified to Ofsted. The isolated shortfalls in staff practice are identified against a backdrop of effective safeguarding for young people in the home. For example, good partnership working between the staff, police, the exploitation team and the placing authority has provided essential safeguarding for one young person with significant risks around going missing, organised exploitation and drug dealing.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

However, night-time staffing arrangements and staff practice have not promoted young people’s welfare or adhered to the lone-working arrangements for the home. A serious incident of young people leaving the home and taking the home’s car occurred when one member of staff went to bed, leaving the awake-night staff member alone. At this time young people were still up, not settled in their bedrooms. Two young people left the home late at night with no challenge from the awake-night worker. Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 2 Staff have not carried out essential visual checks to ensure that young people were safely settled in their rooms at bedtime. Confusion about whether staff can enter young people’s bedrooms led to a poor response to suspicions about young people’s possible possession and misuse of drugs.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This serious incident has received scrutiny from the manager. Staff performance has been fully investigated and referred to the local authority safeguarding officer, and disciplinary action has been taken as appropriate. Security measures, shift planning and lone-work arrangements have been reviewed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection there has been a high turnover of staff, resulting in a lack of permanence and stability for young people. Five care staff have left, and only three care staff remain from the staff team of April 2018. Some newly recruited staff have arrived and then left after a short period of time.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team has remained steadfast and makes concerted efforts to improve recruitment procedures. Managers also take clear and decisive action when there are shortfalls in staff performance.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Managers are working to improve staffing, and strive to provide more consistency for young people. Some new staff have good experience and are qualified to work with young people. They speak positively about working at the home and have received a structured induction. Their commitment to and recognition of the need for young people’s stability are clear, as they offer to cover additional shifts, and managers ensure that familiar bank staff are used to cover the home’s rota.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Good supervision enables staff to reflect on their practice. Clear managerial messages are delivered to staff to promote good practice. Effective monitoring by managers identifies shortfalls. There are clear incentives to motivate staff and reward them for good performance.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people’s placements at the home have been terminated due to concerns about their safety in the community and their high levels of challenging behaviour within the home. One young person has moved to a more suitable placement where his care, education and therapeutic needs can be better met. This young person’s social worker identifies some progress, including his making positive relationships with staff. The young person’s discharge was sensitively managed. His progress and achievements were celebrated with leaving cards, a gift, photographs and a positive memory book so that he can reflect positively on his time at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team has reflected on the admission of the second young person. His imminent discharge is due to both poor information from the placing authority and the lack of investment on the part of the young person from the outset of this placement. The registered manager and responsible individual are now more thorough in their interrogation of referral information. They now acknowledge the importance of visiting young people prior to admission and liaising with family members, as appropriate to the young people’s legal status. Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 3 This learning is now seen in the most recent admission of a young person to the home. Managers are looking at matching in a more effective way. The good transition work included visiting the new young person in his previous placement, going through the young person’s guide and collecting child-centred information. Staff have good insight

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

into his favourite activities. He is making good progress and enjoys attending school.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The two statutory requirements from the last inspection are met.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people now have education placements and plans. Staff show high levels of commitment and encouragement to support young people to attend education. Social workers also appreciate the manager’s partnership working and the challenge to education services, as staff strive to arrange appropriate education placements for young people. Staff deliver a consistent message to young people about the importance of education. Young people are motivated to attend and, with staff support, learn good routines. There are incentive programmes for attendance and behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and responsible individual have improved their partnership working since the last inspection. This improvement has positively impacted on the education outcomes for young people and made a significant contribution to the staff’s response to implementing missing from care protocols and joint working around the exploitation of a young person in the community.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2018 Full Good 02/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 4

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff–

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b), (2)(a)(b)(ii)) 30/11/2018

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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;

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b), (2)(b)(e)) 30/11/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 5

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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 difference 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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Adecyn Childrens Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 13a Pitsford Street, Birmingham B18 6LJ

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Inspector

Elaine Cray, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC423617 6 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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