Children's home run by Albrighton Care Ltd in Cannock Chase

Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 1 SC484830 Registered provider: Albrighton 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 two young people. The home provides care and accommodation for young people who have learning disabilities. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since November 2014 and holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management for residential childcare.

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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 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: 18 December 2017

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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: SC484830 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2017 Full Good 20/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/11/2016 Full Good 01/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 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 registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children‟s home if full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(d)) 08/03/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in schedule 4. (Regulation 37(2)(a)) 08/03/2019

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Recommendations

 Children‟s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.) This is with reference to ensuring good food hygiene practice. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The behaviour management strategy should be understood and applied at all times by staff, and must be kept under review and revised where appropriate. This is with reference to ensuring that the behaviour management strategy is clear about who oversees the record and completes debriefs when the registered manager has held a young person. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with

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Recommendations

the staff member over the year and children in the home‟s care. As part of the performance management process, poor performance should be addressed by a timely plan to bring about improvement. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  Staff should be familiar with the home‟s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The quality of care review should enable the registered person to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home‟s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 4 addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as

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Recommendations

a tool for continuous improvement in the home. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 65, paragraph 15.4)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one young person has moved on to adult care. A thoughtful, well-planned move ensured that the young person was equipped with the skills he needed for independent living and that he settled into his new home quickly. The manager of his new home told the inspector, „He has settled down lovely. He has a good routine, he knows how to look after himself. A brilliant start... They have prepared him well.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person continues to live at the home. He benefits from personalised and well-planned care which adapts to his changing needs and helps him to make good progress in all aspects of his development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys school and attends daily. School targets are known by staff and are incorporated into the young person‟s plans within the home. This has helped him to make progress with his handwriting and to be more confident in his verbal communication with people with whom he is less familiar.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys good health. The development of trusting and warm relationships with staff who know him well has helped him to feel secure and relaxed in the home. As a result, health professionals have been able to reduce his medication, prescribed to treat anxiety.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person continues to take part in a youth club and activities such as walking and trampolining. The opportunity to take in new experiences, including a short period of work experience and being part of the National Citizen Service summer scheme, has increased his resilience and his social and independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff pay great attention to the young person, staying in contact with those people who are important to him. Family members are pleased with the progress the young person has made. An aunt told the inspector, „Progress: it‟s little things. he wouldn‟t come to the phone but now he will. He says, “yes please”. He is more vocal... It‟s because of the time and effort they put in... whenever he had a meal, in seconds it would be gone. He now eats slower. I‟m so grateful he‟s there.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well maintained. The organisation has plans to further enhance the physical environment by refitting the kitchen and replacing the lawn to the rear of the home. However, staff do not always pay enough attention to ensuring that food is stored safely as it is unclear when opened condiments and jam need to be disposed of. This could pose a risk to the young person‟s health. Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 5

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

The young person told the inspector that he likes living at the home and he feels safe. Staff regularly review the young person‟s individualised risk management plan and lone- working arrangements are risk-assessed by the manager. This helps to increase the young person‟s safety.

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

Discussions and direct work between staff and the young person include topics such as bullying, internet safety and stranger danger. This raises the young person‟s awareness of safety issues and how to protect himself from potential risks.

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

Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to increase the young person‟s participation in his day-to-day care, including setting up a weekly young people‟s forum. The focus on involvement has helped the young person to be more confident in expressing his preferences, his feelings and his worries, which staff have incorporated into his plans.

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

A consistent approach by staff rooted in positive praise means that incidents are rare. When physical intervention has been used, this has been appropriate to support the safety of the young person and staff. However, the organisation‟s behaviour management policy lacks clarity about the oversight of incidents of physical restraint. For example, on one occasion, the manager debriefed the young person after she had been involved in holding him. In addition, handwritten records are not clear. These shortfalls impact on the quality of the review of practice and the opportunity for the young person‟s voice to be independently heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Six members of staff have left since the last inspection. Staff losses have been managed sensitively. The flexibility of the staff in covering vacancies means that the young person continues to receive consistent care from a small core team of staff who are being supported by staff from the organisation‟s other homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support that they receive. There is a clear programme of induction for new staff which helps them to understand the needs of the young person and their professional responsibilities. Staff supervision takes place regularly, including the supervision of casual staff. All staff have completed the mandatory aspects of the organisation‟s online training programme, which includes safeguarding training. Staff appraisals are scheduled, and regular team meetings build a sense of commitment. The registered manager receives regular supervision independent of the organisation. However, she has not had the opportunity of a prompt annual appraisal. This means that she has been unable to reflect on her practice or to plan for her ongoing professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers do not always ensure that staff are safely recruited. For example, for three staff, the reasons why they left previous employment with vulnerable adults and children have not been verified by the organisation. One member of staff‟s record does not hold copies of all relevant qualifications and other records do not hold references from the Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 6 last employer. This means it is not clear that staff are always suitable to work with young people. In addition, the registered manager was unable to show that staffing records hold all the information required by regulation in relation to each person working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has completed a review of the quality of care which includes an action plan. However, the review does not comment on the strengths and areas for development.

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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: SC484830 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Albrighton Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Albrighton Care Ltd, Suite 4, Bermar House, Rumer Hill Business Estate, Rumer Hill Road, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 0ET

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Inspector

Alison Cooper, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC484830 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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