Children's Home run by DMR Services Ltd in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 1 Registered provider: DMR Services 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

This home is owned by a private company. It is registered for four young people. The home provides care for young people aged between 11 and 17 who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and presenting complex behaviours. Currently, the home accommodates one young person.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since September 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: 22 January 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 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)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— the health and well-being needs of children are met; children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iii)(c)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)) 30/09/2019

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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 promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the 30/09/2019 Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 4 approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(h)) The registered person must ensure that children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area

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Requirement Due date

of the home’s premises is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 30/09/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30/09/2019

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Recommendations

 The information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a placement in that home is the right one for that child, and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. Homes are required to develop and keep under review a statement of purpose (regulation 16 and schedule 1). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 14 and 15, paragraphs 3.5 and 3.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, there have been several improvements to the quality of care the young person receives. Staff have worked hard to engage the young person in education. His school attendance has increased and he has not been excluded from school since January 2019. Prior to this, he had been excluded a number of times. This means that the young person has made some good progress from his starting point and work is ongoing to bring about further improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff have ensured that the young person has a structured daily routine. The staff have pre-planned daily and weekly activities, which they encourage the young person to participate in. Previously, the young person did not have a good bedtime routine and would remain awake throughout the night and sleep during Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 5 the day. Because of the staff’s persistent support, the young person’s bedtime routine is much improved. He goes to bed at a reasonable time and can take part more readily in daytime activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff do not promote all the young person’s health needs well. They have not ensured that he has attended an optician’s appointment recently or that he has had his medication reviewed. In addition, they do not always ensure that the young person eats a healthy and balanced diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person engages well in key-work sessions and the home’s model of intervention. This has given the young person a better understanding of the risks associated with knife crime and gang affiliation. It also helps the young person to stay safe in the community with the knowledge and understanding that he has gained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has plenty of opportunities to express his views, and his views are listened to and taken seriously by staff and the registered manager. When the young person made a complaint, this was followed up by the registered manager in a timely way and feedback was provided to the young person about the outcome. This created certainty for the young person about his plans and a sense that his views and wishes were valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person enjoys a range of activities, such as playing football, bike riding with friends and gaming on the computer. This promotes the young person’s self-esteem, confidence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff enable the young person to maintain important and positive relationships with family members. The registered manager and staff keep family members and professionals updated on the young person’s progress. This means that professionals and family members feel confident about the care the young person is receiving. Professionals and family members spoke positively about the staff. A senior manager from the placing local authority told the inspector, ‘I have been impressed by the home… they [the staff] have been child centred and resilient in progressing change in him.’

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

When safeguarding issues arise, the registered manager and staff respond promptly and effectively. They have worked in partnership with other agencies to promote the young person’s and other people’s safety.

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

Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to safeguard the young person. Staff use de-escalation techniques effectively to manage the young person’s behaviours. As a result, the number of physical interventions has reduced.

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

Physical intervention records have improved. Staff record incidents more clearly, young people receives debriefs and the manager has good oversight to ensure that any incidents involving physical intervention are safe and proportionate. Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 6 Staff have received training on restorative justice. Consequently, staff use sanctions that are restorative in nature and proportionate to the behaviour displayed. This helps the young person to understand and improve his behaviours and make better choices.

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

When the young person goes missing from the home, staff make efforts to follow him in the community and stay in contact with him. Staff follow the home’s missing-from-home procedure and contact the appropriate authorities and agencies. The number of incidents of the young person going missing has reduced.

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

The registered manager and staff have some understanding of how to manage risk, and some risks posed to the young person have reduced. However, the inspector found that risk assessments are not always updated to reflect the current risks related to the young person. For example, the risk assessment says that the young person presents no risk in the community; however, the young person had been in possession of knives in the community. In addition, the young person’s behaviour management plan does not mention any strategies for staff to follow regarding weapons and knife crime. The registered manager accepts this recording shortfall.

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

Staff support the young person to feel safe and protect himself from the impact of bullying, social media, anti-social behaviours and going missing from home. This promotes the young person’s safety and encourages him to keep himself safe. The quality of recording of some key-work sessions requires improvement. Some records lack detail. As a result, it is not always clear what the young person has understood and learned about his behaviours or keeping himself safe.

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

Some staff lack experience and not all staff have the relevant qualifications and specialist training to meet the young person’s needs. Less experienced staff are not always clear and confident in managing the young person’s behaviours. This means that, on occasion, staff do not provide a consistent approach. There has been no direct impact on the young person’s safety. However, if unaddressed, this does have the potential to affect the young person’s welfare.

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

The registered manager is passionate and caring about providing good care to young people. The staff told the inspector that they feel supported by the registered manager.

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

Four new staff have joined the team since the last inspection. However, the home uses a lot of bank staff. Although the registered manager tries to use the same bank staff, the lack of a full and permanent team has the potential to undermine the stability afforded to the young person.

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

The registered manager told the inspector that he works extra shifts to cover shortfalls in staffing. This negatively affects the registered manager’s ability to effectively monitor and review the service and quality of care given to the young person. Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 7 Not all staff receive regular practice-related supervision. The quality of supervision sessions is inconsistent and does not allow staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice. Also, the registered manager does not always use supervision to monitor staff progress or training objectives. This means that staff practice is not subject to scrutiny, and support to staff is not always readily identified by the registered manager. Given that this is a relatively new staff team, this shortfall has the potential to affect the quality of care afforded to young people.

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

Most staff are working towards the level 3 qualification. However, there are gaps in staff training such as first aid, medication, food hygiene and other supplementary training programmes. This means that some staff lack some of the skills and knowledge they need to care for the young person.

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

Some areas of the home are unwelcoming and have an institutional feel. For example, there are a number of commercial signs and business certificates displayed in the home, which detract from a homely environment. In addition, there are locks on the kitchen, lounge and dining room doors, without good reason. This does not give the young person as much freedom as possible in his home, in line with his needs.

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

The home’s statement of purpose does not reflect the current operation of the home. The document does not accurately reflect all staff qualifications and staffing levels. An inaccurate statement of purpose has the potential to mislead people who read it.

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

The registered manager has developed some positive working relationships with other professionals and agencies. However, on one occasion the registered manager did not escalate a concern about how a partner agency handled a situation. In addition, the registered manager does not always chase the young person’s placing authority for missing documentation. These shortfalls do not always ensure that the young person receives well-coordinated care.

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

The registered manager has addressed the shortfalls in safer recruitment practice identified at the last inspection. An examination of recruitment records shows that recruitment practice is now robust. This helps to ensure that only suitable people are employed to care for the young person.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 8 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

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Information about this inspection

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: 1278421 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 102 Queslett Road East, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham B74 2EZ

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Inspectors

Patrick McIntosh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1278421 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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