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

Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 1 SC368032 Registered provider: Constant Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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. There is currently no registered manager in post. A new manager has been identified and is currently going through recruitment processes. The deputy manager has been managing the home since the last inspection.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 17 September 2018. A compliance notice was issued following this monitoring visit in respect of staff recruitment. Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 2

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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 children’s home: SC368032 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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)) 07/12/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for liaison and co- operation with any local authority which is, or may be, making a child protection enquiry in relation to a child accommodated in the home; provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located; provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred; provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response; describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay,

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Requirement Due date

any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a to f)) 07/12/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 4 The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)) 07/12/2018

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Recommendation

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. Staff are patient, caring and understanding of the young people’s needs. When safe to do so, staff promote and facilitate contact effectively between children, family and friends. As a result, children experience positive and healthy relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to contribute their thoughts and ideas through key-work sessions and in young people’s meetings. These meetings now take place regularly. Children who require advocacy now have access to this support. Children engage well with staff. However, when children express concerns about staff conduct, they are not consistently or promptly offered the help that they need. Consequently, this can leave children vulnerable and impact upon their experiences and progress.

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improvement to be good

Care plans have improved and they are now well written, with clear objectives designed to help children progress and achieve. Staff provide children with care and support in line with written plans, and this promotes their development.

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improvement to be good

The staff develop positive working relationships with education professionals. This collaboration means that children are supported to access appropriate education. Staff help young people to address any issues that arise in school. This approach enables children to overcome barriers to their learning so that academic success can be achieved.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a good range of activities, which help them to develop their hobbies. For example, children make the most of their locality and often visit parks and community Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 5 events. They are actively encouraged and supported to try new things. With this increase in responsibility, their confidence and independence skills are developing.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is well presented and safely maintained. Staff carry out regular health and safety checks to ensure that the home is safe. However, the displaying of general health and safety posters around the home, and staff wearing white coats when cooking, creates an unnecessary institutional feel to the home.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment practice now ensures that anyone employed to work in the home is safe to work with children.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments now reflect the individual needs of children. This practice means that staff now have accurate information that enables them to manage risk more effectively.

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improvement to be good

Since the last full inspection, there have been two occasions where children have raised concerns regarding the conduct of staff. The provider accepts that for one of these occasions there was a delay of three days in notifying the local authority designated officer. In relation to the other incident, despite a clear allegation of physical and possible emotional harm from a child, the local authority designated officer was not notified. Staff treated this as a complaint instead of treating it as an allegation. This meant that the safeguarding of the child was not appropriately prioritised. Safeguarding records are disorganised and they do not provide a clear account of actions taken in response to a child who makes an allegation. This makes the process of effective review difficult.

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improvement to be good

The deputy manager has worked collaboratively with key partners to review the suitability of the location of the home. This now includes key information relating to identified risks in the community and translates to children’s assessments. This supports staff in working towards reducing risk for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage young people’s behaviour effectively and consistently. Staff understand the potential causes of challenging behaviour and help young people to understand these. This enables young people to reflect and learn to manage their emotions, feelings and behaviour. There has been an improvement in the recording of physical interventions and children’s views are now clear in records. However, the recording of the duration of restraints is not consistently clear. This lack of information hinders managers when reviewing the use of restraint to ensure that it is proportionate and in the best interests of the child concerned.

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

The monitoring and oversight of the operation of the home requires improvement to be good. The shortfalls in safeguarding processes had not been fully identified prior to the inspection. However, during the inspection, leaders and managers have acknowledged Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 6 these shortfalls and state that they have plans in place to address them.

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

The deputy manager has high aspirations for children and is very clear about her responsibilities. All requirements from the monitoring visit have been met and this is inclusive of the compliance notice regarding safer recruitment.

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

Staff consistently have good-quality supervision which focuses on the needs of young people. This means that there are opportunities to reflect and learn from staff members’ current practice. This supports a positive staff morale and a desire to improve outcomes for children.

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

Effective team meetings ensure good communication and consistency of practice across the staff group. Meetings are well attended. Mutually supportive and respectful relationships exist across the staff group. These demonstrate positive role models and consistency for the children.

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

The current system for reviewing training provides accurate, up-to-date data. This supports the opportunity for an effective review of staff’s training needs. Mandatory training is now up to date. In addition, all staff are qualified to level 3 in residential childcare within the required period. This qualification provides staff with the opportunity to develop the skills required for working with young people in residential childcare.

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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: SC368032 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Constant Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Parkside Court, Greenhough Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 7AU

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Inspector

Lisa Walsh: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC368032 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 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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