Children's Home run by Individual Specialist Care Limited in Sandwell

Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 1 SC481235 Registered provider: Individual Specialist Care Ltd

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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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager in post since December 2018. A new manager is in post and is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Three compliance notices were raised at the interim inspection on 11 February 2019. These notices related to safeguarding, care planning, and leadership and management. Due to the level of concern the home was issued with a restriction of accommodation notice. A monitoring visit took place on 28 March 2019 at which the compliance notices were judged to be met and the notice of restriction was lifted. Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 10/09/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/05/2018 Full Inadequate 22/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority‘s or a relevant person‘s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child‘s needs are met in accordance with the child‘s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 09/08/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 2(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that ongoing planned training is implemented to promote continued development of staff skills, knowledge and practice. 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 09/08/2019

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (―the authorised person‖) has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 09/08/2019 Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 4 and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (a)(i)(ii)(c)) The independent person must produce a report about a visit (―the independent person‘s report‖) which sets out, in particular, the independent person‘s opinion as to whether children are effectively safeguarded; and the conduct of the home promotes children‘s well-being. (Regulation 44 (a)(b)) 09/08/2019

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Recommendations

 Children should be encouraged to develop positive relationships with others both in and outside the home as set out in the positive relationships standard. However, staff should be alert to the possibility that children may be at risk from such relationships including with other children in the home, staff, family members, friends and others outside the home, and they therefore should take appropriate steps to protect a child where there are concerns for a child‘s safety. (‗Guide to the children‘s homes regulations including the quality standards‘, page 43, paragraph 9.13)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that staff have an awareness of the relationships young people are forming and are confident that they are safe and appropriate relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff have supported the young person to make some progress. However, this has been variable. Not all staff have been able to build a trusting relationship with the young person. As such, the young person is selective about the activities and staff that he engages with, and chooses to spend a considerable amount of time away from the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out key-work sessions that focus on issues that are relevant to the young person. Staff challenge and encourage the young person to explore his behaviour and the risks that he may be exposed to. Staff implement consequences when appropriate to promote positive behaviour. However, written records of consequences do not always include the manager‘s comments and the young person‘s views. This is a missed opportunity to consult with the young person.

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improvement to be good

The young person has made steady progress with his education. He has progressed from being home tutored to attending school, and is working towards full-time education. This is positive progress from the young person‘s starting point. Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 5 Staff provide a warm and welcoming environment. They demonstrate care and empathy when they talk about the young person, and they want the young person to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The responsible individual and manager have chosen not to move any children or young people into the home despite the restriction of accommodation notice being lifted in March 2019. This has provided a period of stability and prevented poor placement matches – an area that has previously been of concern.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow clear protocols when the young person goes missing. Records reflect the positive action that staff take. However, the young person has been allowed extensive time away from the home. This was agreed by the young person‘s social worker. The manager and staff have some concerns about these arrangements but have not adequately expressed these to the local authority. This prevents any issues relating to the young person‘s time away from home from being fully explored.

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improvement to be good

When the young person is away from the home, staff are unable to safeguard him effectively because they do not know where he is or what he is doing. Staff do not know about the relationships that the young person is forming. As a result, they cannot be confident that the young person is making safe and appropriate relationships.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff have good knowledge of basic safeguarding. They understand safeguarding processes and know how to report concerns. However, not all staff have completed training in some important topics. Specifically, not all staff have completed training that would support them to identify, and keep safe, children and young people at risk from radicalisation, child exploitation and county lines.

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improvement to be good

Staff are safely recruited and appropriately vetted. The responsible individual demonstrates good safeguarding practice. For example, he has made appropriate referrals to local authority safeguarding leads and the disclosure and barring service when it has been appropriate to do so. These measures protect young people.

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

There has been no registered manager since December 2019. The current manager has been in post for a short period of time and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. He has quickly developed a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the team. He has already started to make positive changes and has further ideas to make continued improvements. He is supported by a deputy manager who is also new in post.

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

Staff are complimentary about the new management arrangements and feel that they provide better structure and oversight. Staff have regular supervision and feel well supported. However, staff appraisals are yet to be completed, hindering further development. Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 6 Managers and staff have built positive relationships with some professionals, and share information appropriately. The new manager is in the process of building further links in the community by meeting with the local police community support officers.

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

An independent visitor inspects the home every month. However, the reports from these visits do not contain a clear statement detailing if children and young people are safeguarded and if their well-being is being promoted. The absence of this assessment detracts from the overall quality of the reports.

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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: SC481235 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Individual Specialist Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 65 Lodge Road, Walsall, Staffordshire WS5 3LA

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Inspector

Lisa O‘Donovan, social care inspector Inspection report children‘s home: SC481235 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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