Children's Home run by N H Care Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 1 SC432966 Registered provider: NH Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for four young people who have learning disabilities. It is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2016. The manager is undertaking a level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare, with an expected completion date of December 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 11 to 12 December 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: 24 January 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2018 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good 22/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 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 protection of children standard is that the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (2)(d)) 22/02/2019

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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 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(d)) 22/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child that are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)) 22/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)) 22/02/2019

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Homes take the initiative in identifying others who must play a part for their children and engage with those relevant people proactively, advocating for the children in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.7)  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. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person must ensure the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education or training. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13)  The registered person must ensure that staff have the relevant skills and Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 4 knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.12). This is with specific reference to ensuring that staff are competent in administering medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress because of consistent, individualised and nurturing care from staff who know them well. One social worker told the inspector, ‘She has made extraordinary progress, for example, in independence skills and self-regulating. It’s because she has significant relationships with the people who care for her.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inter-agency working helps to ensure that young people’s health needs are known and met. A clinical psychologist told the inspector, ‘They do an amazing job and it is not easy. They are a perfect example of when consistency and structure results in behaviour change. They reflect, adapt and change and ask for advice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people enjoy a range of activities, including regular physical exercise, which helps them to keep good physical health. Young people increasingly enjoy each other’s company and share meal times and some activities together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have ensured that one young person has the support of a tutor and a structured day until her new college placement starts in the spring term. However, staff have not ensured that young people have the equipment they need for school. For example, on one occasion a young person did not have his wheelchair dropped off at school. This made a school day trip a challenging experience for the young person and his teaching staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use communication aids to help young people to participate in the daily life of the home. Consequently, young people can influence decisions about their care. For example, young people have chosen how they want their bedrooms decorated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with parents who are welcomed into the home. One parent told the inspector, ‘She is safe, happy and healthy. She is thriving. They are doing an amazing job.’

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

Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 5 Staff are skilful in managing young people’s behaviour. Clear and consistent expectations for young people, combined with praise and rewards, create a sense of security and well-being for young people. This means that incidents are low and physical intervention is rare.

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

Staff have access to training, which helps them to understand how to keep young people safe. Staff understand the risks posed to young people in their care and their role in promoting young people’s safety.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of young people going missing from the home. Staff are well informed about the actions they need to take should a young person go missing from the home. This helps to make sure that young people are kept safe.

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

Staff support young people to gain an understanding of safety through repeating direct work in areas such as stranger danger, bullying, kitchen safety, fire safety and seatbelt safety.

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

Since the last inspection, managers have acted to ensure that the vetting of staff promotes young people’s safety.

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision from the registered manager who is described as supportive. The registered manager is child focused in her approach and has acted to encourage greater reflection on practice by the team, both in supervision and in team meetings.

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

Despite guidance from the registered manager, staff do not keep young people’s case records up to date. For example, records do not reflect that one young person should only have female members of staff supporting her with personal care. In addition, young people’s plans are not always up to date to show how progress is being made, for example if a young person has reached their target. This means that it is difficult to understand how reaching these targets make a positive difference to a young person’s progress.

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

The registered manager has developed connections with a range of professionals who are generally positive about the home and the effectiveness of the communication. However, when a young person recently moved into the home, the registered manager did not contact his school as part of the planning. This creates a missed opportunity to start a positive professional relationship and to seek important information from the young person’s teachers.

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

The manager has ensured that there are clear systems in place for the safe handling of medication, including staff receiving online training. However, some staff have not had their competency to administer medication assessed by the registered manager as required by the organisation. This means it is not clear whether staff are correctly applying their training in practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 6 There are shortfalls in the registered manager’s oversight of staff rotas and staff records. For example, the registered manager has not made sure that there are enough staff on duty to meet young people’s needs prior to their setting off for school. In addition, staff rotas are not clear about the times that staff are on duty or which staff have worked in the home. This means that there is no clear information available about the times and dates when staff are working.

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

Managers have responded to the requirement of the last inspection to make improvements to the conditions of the home. Repairs have been made to the kitchen floor, the stair carpet has been replaced and communal areas have been repainted. However, some aspects of the physical condition of the home still require improvement. For example, the stair bannister moves when pressure is applied, a flagstone to the rear of the property is not secure, doors are grubby throughout the home. Televisions in the lounges are hung high on the walls in plastic covered cases. Additionally, managers have created a sensory room for young people in the conservatory, but have failed to assess whether this change increases the fire risk. These shortfalls detract from the home being a comfortable, safe and homely environment for young people.

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

Since the last inspection, the manager has reviewed the staff workforce plan and the statement of purpose for the home. These are now both relevant to the service.

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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: SC432966 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Shetland Close, Birmingham, Warwickshire B16 0RF

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC432966 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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